Our Approach |
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We have a unique approach to IT support that yields exceptional results for our clients. Here are some of the ingredients in our "Secret Sauce". Team-based SupportA cornerstone of our approach is that we assign a small team of consultants to your network. Currently teams are comprised of 3-4 consultants. The teams are small enough to allow us to develop in-depth knowledge of your network, people, and business. When you call for support you know the consultant on the other end of the phone and they know you. On the other hand, teams are large enough to provide coverage 365 days per year and superior technical expertise by combining the talents of the entire team. It's the perfect size for your outsourced IT Department--not too big, not too small. Flat-fee PricingWe believe strongly in flat-fee, all-inclusive pricing rather than hourly pricing. With flat-fee pricing our interests are aligned with yours--we both have an incentive to invest the time and resources to create the most stable computing environment possible. With hourly pricing, consultants make the most money when they are being inefficient or when you are experiencing your worst IT problems. Our flat fee pricing model includes unlimited support for maintenance and monitoring of your existing infrastructure, including emergency and after hours support so we are compensated much like an internal employee would be—only without the additional costs of employment taxes, benefits, etc. Proactive MonitoringMost network outages can be prevented if the network is being carefully watched. We employ cutting edge software for proactively monitoring servers. Our software monitors event logs and system performance characteristics 24x7 and immediately notifies us if anything is out of the ordinary—often before the issue causes a work disruption. For any monitoring activities which cannot be automated we schedule recurring manual checks in our trouble ticket software to ensure nothing slips through the cracks. Responsive ServiceWe are nothing if not responsive. We know how frustrating it can be to have an urgent problem and not be able to reach someone for assistance. Even if we are busy with other issues we will at least make contact with the user as quickly as possible (often within a few minutes) to determine an acceptable timeframe for resolution. We are also careful to avoid stretching ourselves too thin; our top priority is keeping service levels high. Remote SupportPart of our standard setup involves installing remote support software on every server, desktop, and laptop. This allows us to connect to remote computers less than a minute after receiving a support request and either watch what users are doing or take remote control to fix an issue—no matter where the user is. The software also allows us to perform maintenance on computers after hours without having to be on the premises. The software works equally well for Macs and PCs. Detailed ReportingWe think it’s important that you know what is going on in your IT Department. That’s why we provide a detailed monthly report for management that describes the issues we have handled for the month. In addition, users receive detailed updates as work progresses on their individual tickets so they are never wondering what the status is. DocumentationIn order to successfully share knowledge among our team members we rely on excellent network documentation. We fully document the network configuration, IT issues, network passwords, etc. and give you full ownership of that documentation which ensures that you will never be held hostage by a lack of knowledge about your own network. We use a "wiki" that gives you the ability to review and update the information at any time. |
