We were initially put in touch with Simon Pardo, the founder of Computer Care, through a friend of a friend. That was around three years ago. At the time we were looking for a Windows server specialist for an ad hoc project. Since then, we’ve got to know Computer Care very well, as individuals and as a company. They’ve written our customer relationship software, which has been very successful, and have been facilitators in the improvement and maintenance of our computer systems. When we managed customer relations from a call centre, Computer Care was on hand to provide enhancements and ideas. They’ve always been keen to find out what it is we want to do before they attempt to come up with any solutions. It’s never a case of ‘computer says no’. If they don’t understand what we want, we’ll work through it together – so we make good progress as a team. One of the things Computer Care did for us was enable multiple users to manage our extensive customer base, which included the storage and recall of important customer notes as well as the process activity. The changes have certainly made us more efficient. But I’d go even further than that, and say that much of our increased efficiency stems from the fact that Computer Care are such an easy bunch to work with. They get onto system issues very quickly, which means they often alert us to problems rather than us alerting them. When problems do arise, we’re always well informed of what those problems are and how long it’s likely to take for them to be resolved. Computer Care never gives any sense of false hope, which has been our main complaint with outsourced IT companies we’ve used in the past. We’ve developed an excellent relationship with Computer Care that strikes a healthy balance between laidback informality, and actually getting things done at a business level. I’d never have any hesitation in recommending them for the valuable service they provide.
A happy transfer
Care are on board with us, and I’ve had time to reflect on my decision to go with them, I can safely say it’s been the best decision I’ve made in my entire career at the Club. The installation went very smoothly, and the business downtime was minimal. If anything, Computer Care they did the opposite of what I’d come to expect from IT companies I’d dealt with in the past: they under-promised and over-delivered. And I suspect they spent more time on the job than Simon originally anticipated, but they didn’t charge any more for that time, which has helped build trust. I’ve also heard good things from other staff members in my team, who say that that Computer Care are the most approachable, non-condescending and affable bunch of people you could meet.
The agony and the ecstasy
properly maintained. Before Computer Care, if our IT system experienced any problems, the downtime while it was being sorted out was usually one or two days, and that used to happen almost every month! Since July, when Computer Care joined us, we’ve had just half-a-day of downtime. So not only have they been cheaper on price, not only have they done a fantastic job, they are also preserving the company’s reputation and helping it to save money. Today, I can tell anyone, hand on heart, that if they bring their laptop to Crystal Palace FC for a conference they’ll benefit from a glitch-free wireless connection. A year ago, I couldn’t have made that promise. The change is all thanks to Computer Care. Our Customer Resource Management (CRM) has also improved. We’re now going into second-phase development under the auspices of Computer Care. Everything is slicker and we have the capability to send out more sophisticated e-shots to clients and customers. And if there is a problem of any kind, all we I have to do is connect with a technician via our intranet, which links directly to Computer Care’s site. They then access our system, and attempt to fix the problem remotely. If they can’t resolve it remotely, then they come over to fix the problem on site. And they only charge per hour worked. When you’ve been paying a minimum £400 fee on every callout, regardless of whether an IT problem is resolved or not; or you’ve paid a fortune talking to somebody on the phone who couldn’t get to the bottom of the issue, it doesn’t take long to work out that Computer Care delivers a fair, flexible and highly competitive service. Having had so many bad experiences with IT, Computer Care has been a breath of fresh air. These guys should be shouted from the rooftops. They’re beyond unique.