Meet Resideo’s Vice President of Sales and Channel Marketing, Scott Harkins

1. You’ve worked in the security industry most of your career; how has your experience shaped your current role?

In my 25-year career, I’ve always focused on our fundamental purpose: We protect families and their most prized possessions – we help create a smart, safe and secure home. I’ve seen our industry adapt and evolve, and it’s that agility and the dealers’ passion for protecting families that makes me so passionate about helping our security professionals be the best that they can be. My role at Resideo is to help keep security dealers and partners on the cutting–edge.  

From selling video and access control solutions to leading the company’s transformation to connected, software-driven solutions, my time at Ademco, Honeywell and Resideo has focused on understanding what consumers want from the constantly changing home technology market. 

Increasingly, as families spend more time at home, consumers are looking for their homes to be safe, efficient and comfortable, and they use home automation to establish that safety, simplicity and comfort. Therefore, we are committed to delivering technology the consumer expects, like mobile first and Amazon Alexa voice assistant built–in, and my team and I are committed to training and helping our dealers sell smart home and life safety solutions.  

2. The year 2020 has seen many challenges (from COVID to LTE); how is Resideo helping integrators through these changes?

While 2020 has been a strange year for the company, and the industry, we’ve been resilient, not only handling a surge in demand and installing new systems, but also helping our dealers deploy millions of 3G radio upgrades before the 2022 deadline. And many dealers have stepped-up their already fabulous community service initiatives and maintained strong customer service satisfaction rates.   

Resideo was faced with difficult challenges, which have resulted in innovative solutions and new ways of working with our customers. From manufacturing and launching new products to offering training and programs, we’ve been side-by-side with our pros every step of the way. 

The COVID-19 pandemic was challenging at first, but as businesses began re-opening and civil unrest swept the county, our dealers saw a surge in demand so we implemented many changes in our manufacturing plants to keep up with that demand including offering a ‘do it with me’ solution that the homeowner can install themselves. We also partnered with industry leaders, like ESA in April, to showcase how the security industry could take advantage of government funds and keep businesses operational (ie, the CARES Act).  

The products that Resideo builds today will set the industry up for success for the next radio sunset. I’ve been through three different radio sunsets in my career, so I was thrilled to see our latest product introduction: the ProSeries Platform that offers end–user replaceable radios, so the next sunset won’t require a truck roll.  

We’ve also offered rebates, incentives and email templates and letters to help explain the LTE conversion to customers and present special offers. We’ve trained more customers in 2020 than any year before, so I am impressed with the industry’s tenacity to learn, adopt and deliver during such a turbulent year.  

3. What does Resideo have on the horizon for 2021?          

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that Resideo and our security dealers are essential. When families reached for necessary items, they found us. Security and home automation are not novel; they are needed. And as economies re-open, our dealers can take advantage of this new-found importance of the home as well as new small business opportunities.  

In Oct. 2020, we announced the availability of our ProSeries Platform that provides word-class security, whole-home safety and smart home control. The ProSeries Platform was named and designed for our professional security dealers and helps them win more customers, keep them longer and drive profits. This is the platform the dealers said was missing in the market – and now we’re able to offer them security, safety and smart home control together in a seamless package that is easy to install and upgrade for both residential and small business applications. We look forward to getting it in the hands of anyone we can.  

We anticipate organizations that have stepped up in the face of the global pandemic to not only strive, but to thrive on the rebound.  

To learn more about Resideo, click here.