FAQs
Please click on a question below to reveal the answer:
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1. Why should I ask Util-IT to support my network?
Util-IT provides support to our clients with the folllwing principles in mind:
- First-class customer service
- Lower cost
- Speed of resolution
- Depth of available resources
- Skill set
- Flexibility
- Responsiveness
Our Technical Assistance Center is at the heart of our organization. When your business experiences a problem, you call Util-IT. We fix issues over the phone or by remote access to your systems. In most cases, your question is answered in minutes. The time- and cost-savings for you are huge.
Our team of technicians are trained to understand not only computers, but also the people and businesses that rely on them.
Util-IT can take all your IT responsibilities off your shoulders for a fraction of the cost of an extra member of staff or a call-out engineer. Our aim is to ensure our clients never have to worry about technology again. With our vast knowledge, expertise, and commitment to customer service, we are successful.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of your office technology with impartial experts please do not hesitate to give us a call at (312) 544-8600.
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2. They’re just PCs. How bad can it get?
Let’s say that you are about to produce a proposal for a prospective customer and for some reason you can not print. Why?
- Did someone buy the wrong paper or ink?
- Is the printer broken?
- Is the printer cable loose or frayed?
- Is your printer server broken?
- Is there a problem with your network?
- Perhaps the server has failed?
- Or your PC has crashed?
- Is there a problem with your operating system?
- Maybe it’s the application you’re printing from?
- It could even be you!
The problem is that conceivably, every link in that chain could have been supplied by a different company. Your task, should you choose to accept it, is convincing whoever is responsible to resolve your problem and not pass the buck.
This will certainly take hours and possibly days of suppliers denying responsibility. In the meantime your document is still not printed and your prospect has gone elsewhere, not to mention the value of your lost time.
Util-IT is different. One call to our Technical Assistance Center and you can forget about it. The next thing you will hear is us telling you that you can print again. We don’t play the “blame game.” Neither should you.
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3. Why should I outsource my IT services?
Util-IT was formed so that you could focus on doing what you do best. Even if you recruit someone to be responsible for your IT, you then spend time managing a tech. Is managing an IT tech what you do best? Is IT one of your business’s core competencies?
Technical people thrive on training. It’s essential to their careers. How will you cover absence due to training, illness or holidays? What’s more, unless you’re employing someone with several years of experience, they will need constant supervision ideally by someone technically literate.
A single employee will very likely have a single skill set. Consequently, all the advice you receive is biased towards that skill set, and the work performed outside of that skill set will be trial-and-error. You may even have to pay for support to fill the gaps.
Util-IT has a virtually unlimited skill set which ensures that any IT problem can be resolved in a timely manner and the advice you get is unbiased.
So, you finally decide that we were right and you should outsource your support. How are you going to get rid of this person? You’ve invested months in training this person in your business, he knows all the passwords and configuration settings of your system and suddenly realizes the gig is up.
Outsourcing resolves all of these problems. Util-IT can provide you with a professional level of IT support without the burden of managing a new function within your business. All of your proprietary knowledge is stored safely, leaving you free to focus on running your business.
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4. Why not employ an IT manager?
Depending upon the size of your company, this may be a good idea. In many cases for a small business, it is unnecessary.
Some of Util-IT’s larger clients do have an individual on site who can replace printer toner, reset passwords, and help perform a mail merge. In these instances, Util-IT performs the “heavy lifting,” assists with issues that the on-staff employee cannot answer, and makes sure that the system continues to run efficiently.
For the typical small business, it is a substantial challenge to recruit someone capable of fulfilling all of the IT roles required within one organization. One day you will need a network engineer willing to crawl around on the floor replacing network cables. The next day you may need a systems architect capable of selecting a new billing system and implementing that project successfully. Finally you may need a client-facing person, someone capable of presenting a business plan to investors or partners.
By outsourcing the IT function to Util-IT we can make the appropriately skilled individual available as needed. Util-IT maintains the full range of IT skills and experience so the correct person is working on your problem at a fraction of the cost of employing that person yourself.
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5. Why not employ an in-house IT specialist and ask him to call you when he gets stuck?
Good question. And sounds like a perfect solution for larger companies.
This scenario can work as long as the responsibilities of each party are clearly defined and management has defined appropriate processes. There also needs to be sufficient and knowlegable resources within the company to manage their IT staff.
What can often happens is the employee tries to fix a problem for which they have little knowledge, creates a significantly more complicated problem, and then passes it to the outsourcing company informing them that nothing has been changed. Inevitably this results in longer (or more significant) downtime, takes longer to resolve, and the company ends up paying more than they would have if they’d outsourced everything.
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6. Bob in accounting knows a lot about computers. Why don’t I just rely on him?
Bob is a bright guy and quite likes computers. In fact, he’s willing to spend his evening and weekend in your office fixing your computer problems. This is great news! Free IT support! Or is it?
Many of the issues with internal IT experts extend to using Bob for this role too. What happens when he is on holiday or is sick? What will you do when he wants training or has a problem outside his sphere of expertise? The problem is, Bob is likely to cost you more through bad decisions and extended downtime than the cost of an IT support contract.
What worries us most is that Bob is experimenting with new technologies through trial-and-error. Microsoft releases a new version of their operating system every few years, and significant updates every few months. It can take that long for Bob to learn how to implement and maintain each new version. Is this really the best use of Bob’s time, or would he be better cleaning up the accounts payable?
What happens when Bob leaves or you promote him to a more senior role where he no longer has the time to play with computers. Perhaps he loses interest in the subject, or advances in technology simply happen too quickly for him to keep up.
Util-IT trains its staff on every new technology that emerges primarily to evaluate its effectiveness for your business, but also to support the technology if you select it.
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7. Bob’s brother used to work for IBM. Now he’s an independent IT expert. Surely I can rely on him.
This seems like a cost-effective solution. The guy is clearly talented, experienced and you trust him.
The most likely reason that it won’t work out with Bob’s brother is that because he is so talented, one of the companies he supports will make him an offer he can’t refuse and he’ll be gone… with all your passwords and configuration information safely tucked in his head.
Will Bob’s brother be able (or willing) to take calls at ten o’clock at night? Will he be available on the weekend? Who covers for Bob’s brother when he is sick or on vacation?
Will he know that your server hard drive failed at 3 AM? Will he have the resources to be able to carefully monitor your network? Will he have the tools to see problems as they are developing rather than simply reacting when your network is down?
Who does Bob turn to when he encounters something he doesn’t know? Will he be learning through trial-and-error on your dime? Is he even insured?
Finally, Bob’s brother may be supporting multiple companies. What happens when you need him at the same time as one of his other clients – maybe a much bigger client, or a client who is paying him more? How will he manage to do this in a timely manner for all of the computers he supports?
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8. I use an application specific to my industry. Can you support that, too?
There is at least one unique software application for every industry and Util-IT clients certainly use many of them. We support these applications by maintaining good working relationships with the vendors of these technologies while acting as an advocate for your interests. Because we can speak the same language as they do we receive excellent, and honest, application support.
It benefits your company in numerous ways to have one phone number to call irrespective of the IT problem you are facing. One of the most daunting tasks you could face is trying to resolve a problem between your network engineer and your application vendor about who is at fault over a certain issue. Util-IT removes this problem by assuming responsibility for any fault on your network and working tirelessly until it is resolved.
Another advantage is having an organization which understands your business requirements representing you at discussions with application developers. We know the industry and can therefore secure discounted pricing, ensuring you receive advantageous terms, always representing your best interests.
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9. What sort of people do you employ?
In an industry filled with techs with poor communications skills, Util-IT employs the best of the best: we pride ourselves on having a staff of friendly, articulate, down-to-earth people who are also fantastic technicians.
All of our employees are certified in their respective specialties. This means that not only will you be working with a top-notch IT engineer, you will also be tapping into our decades of business and customer service experience to help your company navagate through the virtually infinite options to find the best solution for your company.
Util-IT staff is more than just a team of great techs.