What 'five-star experience' means to end users

ORLANDO, Fla.—Being “connected” means a lot to end users, but it all comes down to one word—partnership, dealers were told at Honeywell's Connect2014 event held here in November.

It means that end users and dealers “believe in each other” and that dealers “help us” do a better job and vice versa, said Rudy Wolter, director of the North America Region of Citigroup Security and Investigative Services and a key player in Honeywell's End Users Group.

“A five-star experience for end users,” he said, referring to the Honeywell User Experience [HUE] initiative, is “partnership, not perfection.”

“I'm just a stupid end user. I've got a bunch of people working for me and a bunch of property. But at the end of the day, you make us look great,” Wolter told the dealers.

End users “are looking for integrators who can offer us that five-star experience.”

The Honeywell End Users Group didn't have anything to do with getting HUE off the ground, but Wolter said they are big proponents of the initiative.

What do end users want from integrators?

Wolter said end users seek long-term engagement and interaction. “We want you to be a partner, not a problem,” he said.

They want to be included in what matters including “the good, the bad and the ugly. �If Honeywell needs to fix something [with a product], for god's sake, [integrators need to] tell them to fix it.”

End users want access to someone who can help them 24/7, and to know that “the next day [means] the next day.”

Wolter said that end users are eager to “network, network, network and share best practices [with integrators], to discover problem-solving solutions and learn from cross-functional users.”

“Ask, listen, ask, listen, repeat. Work together with your end users to share information,” Wolter advised.