URC is among the many custom integration industry manufacturers doing their part to assist authorized dealers and their customers during the coronavirus outbreak.

The Harrison, N.Y., company, headquartered near “the epicenter” of COVID-19 impact in nearby New York City, has pulled together a comprehensive Resource Kit launching on the dealer portal of its website.

There, dealers can find templates for communicating with customers. URC developed two statement templates integrators can send, making one with verbiage tweaked for dealers who operate a showroom/retail location.

Templates include information about what integrators are doing to maintain health and safety of their employees and customers, and where they can go to find information about coronavirus, WHO, CDC guidelines and more.

Additionally, URC posted links to third-party sites such as pertinent federal Small Business Administration loan and grant opportunities, should they need assistance in the coming months as coronavirus continues to disrupt society and economic areas. The business resources also include a Business Planning & COVID-19 Risk Mitigation Checklist.

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“URC’s thoughts are extended to everyone affected during this difficult period,” says Chang K. Park, URC founder and CEO. “Our world is entering a whole new paradigm, with rapid changes, it makes for a very challenging business environment. 

“We care about our dealers and decided to create one place where URC dealers could go to get the tools and resources that can help them navigate through this situation, get helpful links to grant and loan programs, download easy templates to use for business planning and marketing, and invest in certification and continuing education for our Total Control smart automation and control system. We are also in a very good inventory position, thanks to good planning and constant communication with our factory in Korea.”

Steps to Manage & Maintain Business Amid Coronavirus

At least integrators can take solace in being labeled “essential” critical infrastructure personnel during these times, so work should continue to remain steady for many (some have even told CE Pro that they are doing commercial projects more easily because now during the day they can do office, restaurant, education and other jobs at locations where they would otherwise be working at night).

To help spur more sales during this uncertain period, URC has also created and posted templates for ads that integrators can post to social media sites. There are various visuals and messaging for Instagram, Twitter, etc.

Also to assist sales, URC has launched its “Trade Up to Total Control” sales program & marketing assets, which includes an incentive for URC Complete Control consumers to get a rebate when they upgrade from Complete Control to Total Control via an authorized dealer.

For integrators looking to stay sharp with their skills and get up to date on the latest that URC is offering in product training, the company has added its virtual trainings to the resource center for Total Control Certification and Beyond the Basics, which includes a hands-on component.

URC will ship gear to attendees so they have it on hand in their location and can follow along, as they do in URC’s regular in-person certification training courses.

“In making plans, one of the things we thought about early on was our customers and what they really need,” says Petro Shimonishi, director of global marketing, URC. “Essentially the intent here is to help our URC dealer customers find creative ways to sustain their business due to potential shutdowns, whatever action happens regarding this COVID-19 spread, and then also allow them opportunities, if they do have down time, to invest in their future.”

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