Our Approach & Services

The approach that gets you the results you are looking for

From our proven Client Interaction Process, which successfully guides you through the various steps of your project, to a comprehensive range of services. We can help you every step of the way during your project, from the initial concept designs and budgeting to those times where you need support after you have moved into your Smart Home.

We can help you realise your dream result and make the most from your investment.

Our client interaction process

Automated Spaces’ has an established, tried and tested, successful client interaction process for engaging with clients from initial contact through to a post installation long term support partnership. This methodology guarantees that all our clients can access the same level of superior service and they can be assured of where they are in the process as well feel comfortable always knowing what the next steps will be.

Progress through the process provides the opportunity for Automated Spaces to gain increasing levels of certainty with regards to the requirements which then allows for the optimal delivery against client expectations of the final resulting solution.

Below is a graphical representation of the sequence of the various steps in process, if you wanted to understand this methodology in more detail please feel free to contact us.

1. Initial Mutual Qualification

Scope confirmation telephone call held, with a high-level confirmation of scope of engagement document emailed to Client

2. Requirement Gathering

Face-to-face meeting followed by a visit to our smart home show house &/or a site survey as well as completion of our detailed client requirements survey

3. Rough Order of Magnitude

"ROM" submitted to client to provide initial indicative pricing

4. Proposal

If ROM is acceptable we then create a formal Proposal for the project

5. Contracting

Once Proposal is accepted the Master Agreement containing the Terms & Conditions is agreed and the contract for the Design Phase is signed

6. Design

Design documentation is prepared and then submitted to client

7. Project Quotation

Quotation for project, based on Design documentation, submitted to client

8. Implementation

If Project Quotation is accepted then we will implement the designs to create your smart home

9. Managed Service

Once we have implemented your Smart Home solutions we provide our on-going Managed Service; Service Desk, 24x7 Monitoring, Proactive Maintenance and Quarterly Reporting

Our services

Automated Spaces is totally focused on helping our clients to demystify ‘Smart Home’ automation technologies….to achieve this we offer a wide range of consultancy, implementation and managed services. Some examples of the types of services delivered within each of these categories can be seen summarised below.

Design & Planning|Implementation|Managed Services

Design & planning

Client’s often wonder “When should I reach out to a ‘Smart Home’ designer?”…the answer is simple…as early in the project as possible! So that all crucial construction interdependencies as well as technical considerations can be identified and factored into the property design by the relevant parties e.g. the client’s architect, the lead contractor, etc.

Automated Spaces’ recognises that each client’s requirements will vary from project to project…..as such we offer a range of design services.

Prevention is better than detection

We consider intruder prevention to be even more important than intruder detection and as such we design home security systems with this in mind.

We can create a layered approach to deter burglars from targeting your home.

Take your home design to the next level

A great lighting scheme will complement the interior design and the architectural features of the spaces in your property.

Wires should be your first choice

Wi-Fi by itself won’t provide a robust network...you will need to install physical cables. We can create a comprehensive design for a hardwired network around your property.

Great Wi-Fi

Great Wi-Fi coverage, without any annoying and frustrating dead spots, requires planning.

Discreet cable routes

Pre-planning of cable routes, along with installation of cables prior to plastering provides for significantly improved aesthetically pleasing finished looks.

Music where you want it

Listen to your favourite music in high-resolution audio played in any or all the rooms across your property.

Images distributed around your home

Watch the news, sports or movies in any or all the rooms across your property with the ability to have the picture follow you around as you move room to room.

The best seat in the house....in your home

We can create an epic entertainment space where you can escape the real world and immerse yourself in your favourite movie all in stunning 4K resolution picture quality and in Dolby Atmos 3D audio.

A home that can support you

Independent living; we can help you transform your property into a space that can truly support you to live in your own home.

Implementation

A smart home installation and/or home cinema installation can vary greatly depending on the type of solution being implemented but typically can be made up of the following phases:

1st Fix

This phase typically ranges from laying the foundations to putting plaster on internal walls.

Our standard activities range from: Setting out equipment locations & cable routes, Installation of various types back boxes, cable trays and pre-wire cables, Cable termination and Cable testing.

2nd Fix

This phase typically starts after the walls have been plastered.

Normally we would complete these activities, away from the construction site, at our facilities.

Our standard activities range from: Hardware & software logistics, Rack Building, Soak Testing, Installation of Software, Pre-Configuration and then Packaging for transport to Client Site.

3rd Fix

This phase specifically relates to the stage when the construction site has constant reliable mains power, is dust and damp free and has appropriate equipment cooling systems.

Our standard activities range from: Hardware transportation to Site, Hardware installation, Patch cable installation, On-site configuration & Calibration/Fine tuning.

Transition to Managed Services

This phase typically starts after the client has moved into their property.

Our standard activities range from: Client hands-on training of the new systems in their home, Handover documentation & Transition to Managed Service.

Managed Services

Along with a comprehensive implementation service, from initial design concepts to final client handover, Automated Spaces firmly believes that our clients deserve a dedicated support provider who can provide a wide range of support services as part of a Managed Service.

Service Desk

The Service Desk is a telephone and email reactive support service provided by friendly and knowledgeable support team members. When a Client registers a Support Issue, with the Service Desk, a Support Incident Ticket will be created on our Service Desk System. This Support Incident Ticket will be assigned a unique reference number that will be provided to the Client. The Service Desk will manage the Support Incident from the initial Support Incident Ticket Open status when the Support Issue is registered with the Service Desk right through to the final stage when the Support Issue has been resolved and the Support Incident Ticket can be assigned a Closed Status.

The Service Desk is available to assist with the more traditional type of Support Issues relating to the incorrect or non-functioning of devices/solutions as well as also answer the “how do I?” questions normally associated with the initial familiarisation phase immediately after the purchasing of smart technologies and those stages later on; that occur after the Client has lived with the systems for several months and their understanding of the systems is increasing and they would like technology to do more.

If we can’t resolve the Support Incident over the telephone, by email or over a Secure Remote Connection, then we would assign a Call Out Engineer to attend to the Client Site to investigate further and attempt to resolve the Support Issue. Typically, there would be no call out Fees associated with the Call Out Engineer attending site. The Service Desk would also liaise with the various manufacturers of the equipment or software should we have to escalate any incidents to them. It should be noted that some manufacturers will only accept calls from an approved and accredited installer and will not accept calls from the actual end user/Client.

24x7 Monitoring

Real time proactive 24x7 monitoring of key implemented systems allows for the rapid triage of identified issues (during the Service Window of the chosen Managed Services Package), by the Service Desk, often well in advance of the Client even being aware of the issue. Thus, resulting in a much-improved experience for our Clients of living in their properties with less interruptions due to faults.

Proactive Site Visits

Scheduled Regular Onsite Visits to the Client Site to facilitate Proactive Maintenance, to respond to Client requests for feature enhancements and to conduct equipment cleaning. The service not only includes keeping things up to date by applying the latest manufacturer firmware updates and version software updates and/or patches but also includes an element of adding new functions during the lifespan of you living with the technology and your needs evolving. Thorough cleaning can also ensure optimal on-going performance and often extends the lifespan of the installed equipment.

The frequency of the scheduled regular onsite visits can be either quarterly, semi-annually or annually.

Reporting

Managed Services performance assurance via the provision of quarterly emailed reporting of the uptime of key systems as well as trend analysis of key performance indicators such as achievement against response Service Level Agreements and the variety/frequency of Support Incident types logged with the Service Desk.

This part of the Managed Services provides you with empirical data which makes it easy to evaluate the performance of our Managed Services as well as of the installed equipment. It also allows us to spot patterns in the types of Support Incidents being reported to us across our entire Client base. Then where we identify common issues with a technology or device, we can quickly ascertain where else we have installed these items, which allows us to take proactive steps to ensure multiple other Client Sites don’t suffer from the same types of Support Issues. This type of trend analysis across all our collective Client Sites provides each individual Client with a significantly enhanced Managed Services.