News & Trends

What CTS Means to This AV Manufacturer

Clint Hoffman, CTS
CEO, Kramer Electronics U.S.A.

Manufacturers in the AV industry, take note. A CTS-credentialed staff tells your customers you know the business and understand their world, as well as boosts your bottom line. And that’s straight from Clint Hoffman CTS®, CEO of Kramer Electronics U.S.A.

In his more than 30 years in the AV industry, Hoffman has seen many developments, from the progression of analog to digital technology through to the more recent convergence of AV and IT. The former, he says, made the design of systems “infinitely more complex,” increasing the need for certification and education. “Now, as we expand our skill set into network-based solutions, which is growing at a very rapid rate, it requires a new level of education and certification,” he says.

Hoffman, who in addition to being former chair of the AVIXA™ Membership Committee and member of the Exhibitor Advisory Committee has served as adjunct faculty member, long-time member of the Manufacturers Council, and member of the International Communications Industries Foundation board, is a long-term advocate of AVIXA’s CTS certification. At Kramer’s U.S. headquarters in Clinton, New Jersey, new employees as well as those wanting to brush up on their skills are actively encouraged to study through in-house training and self-paced online courses.

“It’s such a fundamental value. When my staff members have a higher level of familiarity and understanding of the business we work in, it comes through to our customers, the end users and integrators and consultants in the industry,” he says. “It’s so important to have a baseline understanding of the market you’re operating in to effectively serve those people.”

He notes that with so many different routes into the AV industry and no formal university or college course dedicated to audiovisual technology and people coming from a variety of backgrounds, having a training that brings employees up to a certain level is invaluable.

“I could be hiring someone who has never seen a piece of AV equipment or who has never heard of our company. So, our goal is always to get our staff CTS-certified, especially those who are in contact with our customers. I can get them trained via an industry provided certification and that will quickly allow them to understand how the equipment is being used and why. With that depth of knowledge, it makes us a better company to work with and the better we are, the more products we will sell,” he says.

Being an effective and trustworthy partner goes a long way. “Having people on the staff who are certified is always going to be a bonus. Do you want to trust me, with all the CTS-certified people I have here and the time and energy I invested to make sure they have the knowledge, or go to someone where who knows where they got their knowledge from? Certification not only raises standards companywide, but it raises the level of standard across the entire industry.”