It’s almost impossible to disagree with the statement that having a predictable budget is extremely important to a business. I have been a technology consultant since 1980, and one of the complaints I have heard most frequently over the years is how unpleasant it is to receive a surprise invoice for technology costs. It is NOT the way to win your client’s heart.
It is much easier to provide a client with a predictable information technology budget today because IT support organizations have developed managed service plans. Some Managed Service Providers are willing to stand by their services by providing unlimited support each month; however, others are not. When comparing services, be sure to ask about remote and on-site services. Some MSP’s limit the number of support hours they will provide in their monthly support plan. This limitation puts the burden on the client to try to not exceed the “allotted” hours each month. It’s a scenario I’ve witnessed all too frequently, employees are instructed to hold off on calling the help desk unless it’s a serious issue.
If remote and on-site charges are not included in your plan and are not unlimited, then that should tell you how confident they are that they are keeping your network stable. We have heard of at least one firm that advertises unlimited support but then incents their technicians with additional bonuses if they can get off-site quickly.
Having a single recurring monthly fee for all your technology services clearly solves the problem of receiving a surprise invoice, while sharing the responsibility for uptime with the vendor. It simplifies invoicing for the MSP and helps reduce administrative costs for both the client and the vendor. When comparing the costs and services of an IT service provider, remember to look at how your prospective vendor delivers on each component of their managed service offering. If you’re just looking at a checklist, you may be comparing apples to oranges.
Please look for the next blog entry where we continue to assess the individual features of a managed service plan and review the differences in the way providers execute those services.
As President of NetCenergy, Don Nokes is responsible for ensuring client satisfaction, and overseeing company performance and direction. Prior to co-founding the firm with Dan Charland in 2003, Don held senior leadership positions with IT service firms ranging in size from $3 Billion to $10 Million in annual sales.
Nick Eckman joined NetCenergy in 2016 from an international gaming company. Nick’s experience with supervising and implementing secure, fiber and copper wire infrastructure services provides our clients with a team of highly trained and experienced technicians. In addition to the skills required to manage our infrastructure services department, Nick brings a very experienced and focused approach to project management and is a stickler for accurate documentation for every project designed and built by his team.
Peter Lachapelle joined NetCenergy in 2015 and is responsible for leading all of NetCenergy’s operations and accounting functions. Each department within NetCenergy reports through Lachapelle. He brings his years of experience to maintain a pragmatic, efficient, client-focused team at NetCenergy. Lachapelle joined NetCenergy after completing a 27-year career with a Rhode Island, federally-charted bank which culminated in his senior management position as COO and CFO for the bank.
Peter Nelson has 25+ years of technology and management experience and has been with NetCenergy since inception. Peter serves as the VP of Engineering at NetCenergy. His role consists of managing the engineering staff, driving the companies technology strategy, and ensuring NetCenergy keeps up to date on new technologies and solutions.
As a Founding Partner, Dan is a result oriented individual who is always focusing on what is best for his client. He understands that business applications empower an organization and that technology must support those critical business applications. Dan’s technology career started in 1990 at EMC Corporation. Through the years, he has represented technology and consulting services for several organizations until 2003, when he and Don Nokes founded NetCenergy.
With decades of hands-on HR experience, Margery Ahearn is our Director of Human Resources, overseeing all hiring of new positions for NetCenergy with a careful eye on sourcing technology savvy engineers and skilled office-based professionals who fit our company culture, understand our commitment to our clients, and bring their time and talents to our team. Margery has both a BA and MBA in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University.