📅 May 2025
CTS certification: LEMANVISIO, a leader in French-speaking Switzerland, places this training at the heart of its quality strategy. With almost 50 employees in Lausanne and Zurich, the family-owned company founded in 2001 by Johann Ody stands out for its expertise in complex AV installations, videoconferencing and building automation.
LEMANVISIO is particularly proud of its expertise in complex projects such as audiovisual installations in sports arenas. Several sports halls, FC Lausanne-Sport's UEFA stadium and an ice rink are among the emblematic projects carried out by our teams. Clients include international groups and companies.
🎙 CTS certification plays a key role in LEMANVISIO's training strategy. In this interview, Stéphane Maujean shares the concrete benefits of this approach.
🎯 Background: In 2024, LEMANVISIO initiated a training initiative with a CTS preparatory course. The result? More than a dozen employees successfully passed the exam and obtained Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) certification.
Rafael: Stéphane, we've known each other for a few years now. What has happened since your CTS training?
Stéphane: It's very clear that three quarters of our customers are completely unfamiliar with the term CTS. But as soon as we explain what it is and what it represents, they immediately grasp the benefits. Today, this gives us an enormous competitive edge.
Rafael: Was it this desire to differentiate that prompted you to embark on the CTS path?
Stéphane: Our projects are complex, and our employees come from a wide variety of professions. It therefore seemed essential to us to certify the whole team.
And this doesn't just concern the technical team: colleagues in design, software development, support and sales are also taking the training. It was important for our CEO toinstill a real CTS culture throughout the company.
Rafael: You speak of a "CTS state of mind". Are you referring to continuous learning?
Stéphane: Exactly. During the training course, our colleagues quickly realized that this was not a classic training course focused on products. They began to discuss the concepts they had seen, to explore certain points in greater depth, and to ask questions. Today, this dynamic is well established. Just yesterday, discussions on AVIXA training took place at our technical meeting.
And secondly, we've also seen a change in customer relations. Our teams know how to explain precisely why a screen is installed according to DISCAS rather than a simple rule of thumb. Their skills have grown. Some were even proud to add the CTS logo to their email signature after their success - it was seen as recognition.
Rafael: And now certification has even become a subject of challenge between teams?
Stéphane: Yes, a form of positive competition has been set up to obtain the units needed to renew certification. But the strongest thing is that motivation now comes from within. Our employees understand the value of additional certification and are self-feeding their knowledge.
The result is cross-functional, autonomous teams with a common standard, which directly benefits our customers. Projects are more efficient and better focused.
Rafael: Is that where your competitive edge lies?
Stéphane: Yes. CTS brings real added value to the customer: transparency, reliability, and above all respect for standards.
Sometimes people ask us why an installation takes us ten hours when others say five. Our answer is clear: we follow a methodology based on recognized standards. This ensures that the screen is the right size, placed at the right distance, that the audio system is optimized right down to the last row, that the microphone pick-up is well thought-out...
These details are not always obvious during a one-hour meeting. But after several hours of videoconferencing or meetings a day, the feeling of comfort is real. And that's what we stand for with CTS.
Rafael: You just mentioned user experience. Is this a central theme for you?
Stéphane: Absolutely.Ergonomics and ease of use have become priorities. In fact, we're talking more and more often with our customers' HR departments: today, around a third of our customer meetings include HR.
Why? Because, in a tense market, offering a pleasant, functional work environment has become a real employer brand lever. And a well thought-out AV solution contributes to this. Here again, AVIXA standards are a great help.
Rafael: So there's no doubt in your mind that the CTS was worth it?
Stéphane: Clearly. The proof? Half a dozen colleagues are already preparing for the CTS-D.
For my part, I worked for many years at Crestron, where obtaining the CTS was one of the first steps. I know just how essential structured training is, not least from my experiences with the Preferred Vendor Program (PVP ) and the Strategic Account Specialist (SAS) at PSNI.
Of course, it would be simpler to send our teams only for product training. But our quality standards are different. And for me, the real challenge was tointegrate certification at all levels, not just for technicians.
Rafael: One last question to conclude: what do you see as the major challenges ahead?
Stéphane: Standards. Their importance is growing all the time, especially in transatlantic projects.
When I receive a drawing from the USA, I can guess its origin at a glance. But with a European plan, it's almost impossible to attribute it to one country. Europe has a lot of catching up to do. And at the same time, our American colleagues also have to adapt to local constraints: an American plasterboard wall has nothing in common with a European brick wall.
All this has to be taken into account right from the design stage of an international project.
Rafael: Thank you very much Stéphane for this very rich exchange!