Technology In Check

I received a call from a client who wanted help getting a new computer set up and running on their network. They had purchased the computer at a stationary supply chain a few days earlier for a new hire, and now they needed it that person to be able to access the central network.

Nope, not going to happen. The computer’s operating system doesn’t support business networks.

Here’s why IT has more of an impact on your daily operations than you might think, and how a good IT department can save you some real dollars.

On one hand, let’s look at the cost involved in the decision to NOT call the tech folks for a quick bit of input on new computer purchases. (We’ll work with the premise that the PC that was purchased cost $750, and that all internal labour averages out at $25/hour.) So now they have to buy an upgraded operating system, which will be another $250 after taxes. Plus the time to go to the store to buy said OS, and then install it. Plus the downtime for the person who uses the computer, since they can’t work on it while it’s being upgraded. Finally, since we’re talking about Vista here, there is no direct upgrade path from Vista Home to Vista Business, which means more time getting things configured again after the install is complete. Total time spent on this process will likely work out to something like 4 man-hours worth of productivity lost. So your $750 PC has now cost you somewhere in the order of $1100, and a bunch of frustration.

On the other hand, we come back to the premise of people buying what they want for work purposes. They go shopping, see something pretty, and plunk down a credit card. And then they get back to the office with said new toy and are surprised to find that the promised features and benefits don’t work properly in the corporate environment. But they’ve already broken the seal on the software packages, which means getting a refund is going to be really difficult. Worse yet, what if the new toy actually breaks something already inside the network? The cost becomes incalculable.

In both of these scenarios, a quick phone call to IT would have saved both time and money, and likely some stress and aggravation as well. Obviously I can’t speak for other tech support companies, but in my world a quick question asked over the phone does not incur a billing charge. In the first scenario, simply making a call and asking a question would have saved around $350 on the delivered, working cost of the computer. So even if I did bill an hours time for a 3 minute phone call, they would have saved money.

So be sure to check with your tech support provider, and talk to them about any plans for expansion or new equipment. Because you never know what an ill-informed decision might end up costing you.