Cheat sheets and instructions manuals are a great way to leave a permanent calling card. Clients don't throw them away. Make sure to include your contact info, logo etc.

Just got a call from a house we did 8 years ago, where the previous owner left the manual behind that we made for their basic audio system, and the new owners new to call us for their changes and add-ons.

As a note, i dont care how good you all think you are i know you have had issues in the past, you wouldn't be human. I dont see any harm in leaving collateral with a client especially with your company logo on it. I am doing it and modeling it after stamps set up at the above post

Depending on the remote you use, you may be able to leave your logo and phone number in the remote as well.  If your comment was directed at me, I wasn't trying to say that you've done anything wrong, just stating my experience, for a time I quoted the remote that I thought fit the budget not the system.  My mistake.

What was the customers problem anyway?

Settle down there slick. No one said you programmed anything wrong. You asked a question, we answered in kind. All of us started somewhere and learned as we went. We fine tuned our skills to suit our customers. If your customers like the remotes you build, then there is no need to change. If you find people are having a hard time understanding them, then maybe a new programming strategy is in order. Also, since you did ask, the on button is there for however you program it. If you feel the best way to power everything on is to press ON, and then have them choose their activity with a second button press, than that is fine. I personally find it quicker and easier to press one button, so I program the actual activity button to power everything on, tune to the proper inputs, and then goto that activity. I program ON to the most used source, which 99.9999% of the time is Cable/Satellite. This way if anyone walks in the house and is not familiar with the system and picks up the remote, they simply press ON and they will be watching TV. To each their own, but no reason to get upset. I, nor anyone I believe was saying you were not correct. These are custom programmed remotes, there is no rule as to how it has to be programmed.

goldenzrule your right. serenity now! I am going to test drive your method anyway it got me thinking and i know the logitech is done your method too. Who knows i may revert back to my way but whatever its worth a try.

Other then you pressing an Activity on a Harmony to power on, there are no comparisons to be made. They work in a completely different manner. As I said, if you feel comfortable with your way, don't feel the need to change.

+1

It's not about how good anyone is. If you need to leave a how to guide all the time maybe there is too much flash in the programming. We think all the flash is cool but the normal customer will find that difficult to use. The least amount of steps they need to take the better. I really do without the animations, extra graphics, wav files....I program a boring basic system that does what they asked for. Now my personal are a different story!!

I just noticed this comment. I found it funny because tomorrow I am going to swap a TV in a bedroom with a 70" Sharp that the customer bought himself. He has surround sound in the bedroom with equipment in his closet. The original installer installed a Speakercraft IR Kit with the eye on the top of the TV, looks bad. He sold him a MX880, priced on the high end too, and programmed it about as bad as I have ever seen one programmed. It turns the TV to the wrong input, turns the receiver to the wrong input, doesn't turn on the cable box that does have a discrete work around. I quoted an MX350, since we will be relocating the old TV to another room and installing the equipment for that install in a closet as well. I figure we will relocate the IR Kit as well. He came back with he thinks they just need a basic IR kit as he recalls the one in the bedroom he paid $50 for. Just the plasma proof eye costs more then that. He ended up buying his own IR kit on Amazon. I am still going, but will be treading lightly and will have a MRF350 on the truck still. I sometimes wonder why people hire us if they won't listen to us. Anyway, a bit off topic, but when I read your comment about always selling a processor, something that I do as well, I thought I'd share this.

To confuse the client. Notice that there is no On button on Crestron, RTI, etc?

My home screen has source macros and an OFF macro. They don't have to turn the system on, then choose a source. It's always a bit clearer without the separate ON button.

My remote operation rules are, using words carefully chosen:
touch the screen or shake it to wake it up
choose a button to push to do something different
control the thing

"Something different" is the carefully chosen phrase, because that covers turning it on, covers changing sources, and covers turning it off. Once they absorb that, those simple instructions are enough. They also have to know about the HOME button, of course.

If the client insists on and AVR Yamaha remote being programmed to run everything, I then demand... explain that part of that is to go through the operation of the remote while they write down every step in words that I select. That way they don't abbreviate, then forget what was meant. One client insisted on abbreviating every sentence after I told her to write it exactly the way I phrased it. She finally did so during the second paid service call. I had to explain to her that I could not include going over the instructions a second, then a third time, for free, since I told her each time to write it down without abbreviations and she would not.

I've never done  a cheat sheet, but that's more due to lack of time, skills, etc.

For those that think that cheat sheet is never needed, I had a client or two that couldn't figure how to start a movie/show because they were looking for a "Start" button, and the remote only had a "Play" button.
It was an easy fix, but I'm just saying.

You can simply leave the manual, and circle the main or watch button, and say "start here".

Maybe circle the off button and write "all off".

That's for folks who are challenged.

We use the on button. Im GLAD its there. The purpose is for when ANYONE picks of the remote thats never seen one and are not used to programmed remotes, they see an ON button and go "oh, that must be what I hit to turn it on". The ON button is always programmed to use the most logical or most used thing, typically TV(cable, satellite, whatever). It turns on TV and source. If they cant figure out from there that they are watching TV and there is a channel and volume button like even the cheapest TV's, then they need to put down the remote and go back to their box to live.

On and Off. Who cant figure that out?

+1

Exactly how I feel. While I can understand people's point of view about it confusing some customers, it is kinda of there as a fail safe. For circumstance such as a babysitter, or in-laws, or anyone who normally does not sit and use the system, it becomes dead simple for them to use the system. As Ranger said, they see ON and press it. They are then watching TV. It cannot get any simpler for them than that.