Framework IT

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Human Capital Media. We’re an HR media company that publishes several magazines both in print and digital form. We also host webinars and produce pay per lead programs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Framework Communications?

We needed a new IT service provider to perform on-site maintenance. The relationship with our previous vendor had deteriorated to the point where it began to hinder our day-to-day operations. Our Wi-Fi went out frequently and our in-house server room was left in a state of disarray.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Framework provides nearly full coverage IT support of our headquarters and a few remote employees. This includes a ticket-based helpdesk service and installation of employee workstations. Such maintenance requires them to load software onto new computers or clean off the equipment when a former employee leaves.

They quickly addressed the problems left by our previous provider and got us operating normally. They even moved all of our data to the cloud, thus eliminating the need for a server room. Additionally, their account lead comes in and performs what is essentially a quarterly CIO update. They conduct a review of our various systems to find deteriorations and suggest possible upgrades.

We’re also engaging them outside of our contract to assist the relocation of our headquarters by moving our technology. They worked with the general contractor during the build out to establish where the Wi-Fi terminals would need to be.

What is the team composition?

We work with an account lead who acts as our CIO. There’s also a senior project manager and a junior associate. Additionally, the helpdesk service is operated by various team members.

How did you come to work with Framework Communications?

I sent an RFP out for IT managed services and considered four or five different providers. Framework’s honest approach impressed me the most. Their goal was to fix everything and then come on-site as little as possible. This worked for me because it meant we weren’t going to be on the phone constantly or have them lined up outside our door all the time. Everything would be functioning correctly.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay them $4750 a month; however, we may exceed that if we need something extraordinary done. For example, assisting us with the move.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2015 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

One of the companies we considered estimated the initial clean up would cost $10,000–$12,000 with no guarantee they’d accept us as an ongoing client. Framework considered the initial clean up as part of the job and hoped to keep us as a client. The turnaround was quick and they performed to our satisfaction. We saw measurable results within a couple of weeks. They deliver on what they promise and haven’t raised our fees since nearly the beginning of the engagement.

How did Framework Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

The ticketing and helpdesk system works well. I’ve developed a good rapport with many people from their company. If I need to talk to someone and choose to circumvent the ticketing system, I can count on them to be available.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They laid out what they were going to do and how they were going to do it. Over the past three years, they’ve lived up to those promises. The quality of their services hasn’t diminished as they continue to grow. I’m confident in their commitment to us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

My only concern will be if they start to engage bigger companies and smaller companies like mine get be left behind. However, that hasn’t happened thus far.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Director of Operations at Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center, a rape crisis center. We provide counseling, and do awareness, training, and advocacy services out in our community. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Framework Communications?

There were a couple of issues in our physical building, like our sprinkler system, needed to be replaced. We needed to be in the cloud so that people could work offsite, be remote, and connect in different ways than we had been. We wanted to do that anyway, but the sprinkler project pushed our decision because we couldn’t be in the building.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

There are two pieces to the work that they do for us, and the first is IT support. Any one of us send a ticket from our computer and tell them it something’s not working. We used to have only one IT person who was completely overwhelmed, but now, anyone can send a ticket from their computer, which has saved a lot of time and freed people up. They also moved us over to the cloud, and did a training for our staff on what to expect when that change took place, in terms of changes to expect.

There’s also the sales part of who they are. They come in and look at what we’re using now, where we want go, and how they can help us get there. They understand that we’re a nonprofit, and they work hard to do things either within our budget, or hook us up with items from a nonprofit tech supply business, which are much cheaper. We needed eight new PCs and they made sure we got the best price for those. They also got us the hotspots and access points we needed because we had to be elsewhere during the sprinkler project.

Their brainstorming with us has also been really good, and they’re great at managing staff coming and going. They give us templates we can use in order to make our IT onboarding and email setup process much simpler. They even help with a lot of vendor relationships. Framework will call them and sometimes get a better price than we would’ve been able to. They work with all our vendors whether it’s our phone system, the people who do our copy machines, etc. They’ve also added many additional things like backup and recovery, which we didn’t have before to the same degree, and involved additional emails and licensing.

What is the team composition?

We have three points of contact at Framework that act as virtual office managers, depending on the specific issue we need help with.

How did you come to work with Framework Communications?

They were recommended to us. We sought out four different firms, put together an RFP, and they were one of the firms that reached out to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent $25,000-$50,000 so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since December 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They got us into the cloud quickly and seamlessly. Our staff have been pleased with the ticket response time, which is sometimes within moments of sending it. They’re not only helping them fix whatever is wrong, but they’ll also tell them how to fix the same problem if it happens again.

How did Framework Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re happy with their communication, which is mostly done by phone and email. They also produce two different reports for us. One is on the sales side where they tell us how things are going and ask what else we need from them, as well as how they can help us get there. The other is a support-side report, where they tell us what kinds of tickets are being generated by our staff on a regular basis. They also ask if those represent a training issue or if we just need an additional tweak somewhere. Then they’ll set up a time to review these reports so we fully understand them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Framework is really patient with people who aren’t really fluent on the tech-side of things. People say they made it less scary for them. They’re not just trying to sell us equipment or sell us things. They’ve been upfront if they felt a product wouldn’t be good for us, and they help us come up with something else.

They didn’t now we’d have to get a temporary workplace because of this sprinkler project, but they came out and did all the work to setup hotspots in the most effective. They were also willing to come out and speak to all of our staff at once, because we’re in multiple locations.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve been really pleased with them and we have a lot of projects planned in the future. We’re looking forward to additional meetings on dashboards, video conferencing, and encrypted emails.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have them breakdown when the best time to send a ticket is or when to make a call. Have a handle on what you have now, what you want in the future, and they will help you get there. Over these last few months we realized they can do a whole lot more for us. Have a really good idea of all the software and applications that you have currently and what your staff needs. That helps them move you forward.

BACKGROUND

We are a healthcare incubator based in Chicago. Our goal is to make it the premier place for healthcare innovation by supporting entrepreneurs and corporate industry partners. My role is the technology director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

We provide traditional incubation services for almost 200 startups and for about two years, we didn't have anyone managing our information technology (IT) infrastructure. We chose Framework Communications for support and help managing our IT infrastructure.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provide IT support for the organization. They manage the infrastructure and help us specifically around wireless connectivity and security issues.

They also provide another shared services model called a virtual chief information officer (vCIO). This is them providing us with someone who has significant experience in managing IT and providing strategic advice- whether it's security, best practices, or architecture systems.

What is the team composition?

We have an amazing technical lead who comes onsite. We also interact with their chief operating officer and their project manager, who works out the schedule for our technical lead and does more strategic work with the chief operating officer, including the vCIO.

How did you come to work with Framework Communications?

Chicago is a small knit community and I asked for referrals. We’re still a startup and most IT managing services only work with very large organizations. But they seem to be the right fit for the size of our organization.

How much have you invested with them?

We invest $875 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with them since September 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We don't have the data but they have reduced the number of wireless connection issues that we've had. We have an extremely noisy wireless environment- meaning everybody is using wireless- and they have allowed the best possible connectivity with the current hardware we have.

How did Framework Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management is good. They have a ticket system. They're aware that the software user on the ticketing system could improve. But they've always been very good about reaching out by phone, email, and having in-person visits. That definitely meets our expectations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They communicate together at a strategic level and down to the technical level. Our lead tech has been fantastic and I'd say a big amount of our experience is due to him. Most people who have technical skills end up focusing on doing things for the sake of tech. But he has a customer service focused mindset and the technical skills to help manage troubleshoot, and provide good service to our team. It's not common to find somebody like that. Usually, folks that have technical skills tend to be pretty dogmatic about their skills, but our lead tech isn’t like that. He's very customer focused and has a deep knowledge in managing IT.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They need to develop a better ticketing system. It's not great and they're aware of that. They need to find more people like their lead tech or have him train more people. If he ever leaves, that will cause a pretty big void. I also recommend they offer an annual pricing plan instead of a monthly one, for convenience purposes.

The other part of feedback is the vCIO, it's good conceptually but there's not enough touch points for it to be valuable enough. The vCIO should have weekly touchpoint as part of their base plan. Most of the time with the vCIO, you have to get them up to speed on all the things that you do. There's a lot of work to be done on the vCIO where they can actually focus more on supporting the organization instead of understanding it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I don’t have any advice at the moment.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're a contract manufacturer of medical devices, specifically institutional and personal grade breast pumps, as well as pumping accessories. We're a small-sized business with around 75 employees. We have about half of those employees onsite here at the corporate office, in the suburbs of Chicago. Then, we have 35 to 40 employees who are remote around the world.

What is your position?

I'm the senior financial analyst.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Framework Communications?

At the end of 2012, we were part of a corporate spinoff, and we were acquired by a private entity. We had to develop our own departments and become more of a stand-alone company. One of the needs we had was IT [information technology]. Based on the size of our company at that point, we didn't think it was financially savvy decision to create an onsite IT department within the company. We started exploring third-party companies to handle all of our IT needs.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in more detail.

They rebuilt our entire network at our new facility. We used some of the existing infrastructure from the previous company that had owned us, but we did get our own firewalls, servers, and all of that. They reconstructed and built it. Then once that was all setup and working, they transitioned it all to the new building a few months later. During that move, they also were key in finding people to assist with the rewiring of the entire unit and reinstalling the phones, servers, and just the entire network.

They pretty much handle everything. Almost everything on our PCs, Adobe software, and Microsoft, everything like that with the exclusion of our cloud-based ERP [enterprise resource planning] system. They are more than willing to handle that, but we use a third-party consultant for that who we already worked with prior to our engagement with Framework.

How did you come to work with Framework Communications?

We looked for someone who would be able to handle our needs, remotely, for the most part, and handle the number of employees we had as well as maintain the budget that we had for this. We wanted someone who would be able to provide options or suggestions on how and where to house our data. We weren't entirely sure of every detail and piece that we would need. We knew that we were going to have a major infrastructure transition with the break off from the old corporation, so that was going to be a big project. We knew that we would be switching offices as well, so we would need to move all the infrastructure to a new building.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The annual spend has been very volatile, based on the projects that we've had. However, as far as the managed care and month-to-month services, it's probably around $8,000 a month. Maybe around $100,000 a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

The relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We've had a couple issues that weren't attributable to Framework. They are very responsive, and they've owned any issue that we've ever had from start to finish. The way they address any problem is phenomenal. We've had some issues with our phone provider, where we've had outage service. They responded within minutes to a significant outage for our office. They've worked directly with those vendors to resolve it and prevent anything in the future.

We've also had some issues across our network. We haven't really figured out what the issue is, and it's been ongoing for quite some time. It really affects the speed of some of our programs, such as Excel. Although they haven't been able to find a resolution, they are trying different things constantly to resolve it and figure out what is causing it. It's nice to know that they haven't just given up on things.

I believe that all of our stakeholders are satisfied with their service. We don't have a very large executive staff here, but they are aware of who those people are, and they tend to give them a bit more of a priority service. They have great response time, and they definitely do everything they can, especially when it comes to an executive employee.

What distinguishes Framework Communications from other providers?

I think what really sets them apart, especially in terms of managing their client services, is that when we first contracted with them, they stated they wouldn't force one of their techs to come onsite every week or every month if we didn't want it. They could handle everything, remotely, for the most part, unless there's an irreparable issue.

Also, our company has been expanding more rapidly than expected, and Framework Communications really rose with us to where they scheduled weekly visits to handle outstanding issues or tickets. They've been flexible, coming out when we want them to come out, and otherwise handling everything remotely. I found Framework Communications to be extremely flexible when it comes to meeting our needs and what it is that we want in the long-term.

Is there anything Framework Communications could have improved or done differently?

I think it would be good to have a dedicated person both at our company and at Framework to handle most of the correspondence and tickets going back and forth. Usually, they have multiple techs working different issues and different tickets so, sometimes, things can get overlapped and redundant. Other than that, they're good when it comes to that stuff.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a health care company based out of Chicago. We take care of older patients on Medicare. We're expanding rapidly and, right now, we have 15 clinics.

What is your position?

I am the IT manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Framework Communications?

Before I started, my company didn't have an IT [information technology] department at all. I was brought on to help create a help desk for them so we would have a more reliable IT infrastructure. We have an internal IT help desk that takes care of all our staff but, for our other needs, we'll use Framework Communications.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

They took care of all our telephone provider switches, firewalls and security configurations. They worked with our telephone provider and helped out with the actual hardware installations, configurations, and setups. They helped integrate everything into our network, and our voice over IP [Internet protocol] system. They manage the internal side of the network and provide ongoing support when we have issues that we can't resolve. They are our go-to resource for IT-related issues.

How did you come to work with Framework Communications?

I came aboard after Framework started working with our company, so I wasn't part of the decision-making process.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

I don't have those figures. I think we pay them a set fee on a monthly basis, which includes everything from installation and help desk tickets to network management. Anything outside that range, like running cables or material for any equipment, is an additional expense.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them for about two years [2015], and the relationship is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

There are always unforeseen issues that come about, like the Internet or the phone or the network going down. They're pretty quick about getting them back up and running or finding the root cause of the problem and creating a solution.

How did Framework Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

Their main point of contact is the office manager, and all tickets will go to her. She then dispatches the proper person to go on site or to take care of the problem remotely. If there were any more advanced problems, I would go to the particular tech on site and contact him directly. If there are even bigger issues, I'll go up to the sales people or the managers at Framework and address issues that way. There's always a good way of communicating with pretty much everybody at Framework, which we have really appreciated.

What distinguishes Framework Communications from other providers?

I come from managed service companies myself, so I've seen pretty much the same quality from other companies I've dealt with. Framework Communication tries to be preemptive and proactive about some situations as far as keeping on track of what they can make better, instead of always being retroactive. They look at other ways of finding a solution before the problem happens. I like the more preventative approach because we really rely on our IT infrastructure for all of our daily tasks and operations.

Is there anything Framework Communications could have improved or done differently?

I know they're still growing. We went from 40 employees to 500 in one year, and that is a very large volume of people to take care of. If they had more staff to offer us at any given time, then that would be ideal. Other than that, they're pretty responsive.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are Human Capital Media. We are an integrated editing and publishing company. We publish magazines and have websites with the same content and also do live events.

What is your position?

I'm the manager of technology and design.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Framework Communications?

We've been with some managed service providers for the past three to five years. We were not getting good service from that company at all. We went and interviewed a few different service providers to replace them.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

Framework Communications was responsible for maintaining all of our IT [information technology] framework, so from desktop to server to network. We also rely on them for general consulting on those matters – mainly being our IT department.

How did you come to work with Framework Communications?

We started with five companies and interviewed three of them. They were all personal referrals from other companies. We did a three-part interview session and had a list of questions that we asked each one. We liked the answers they gave so we went with them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

The cost of their work has been less than $10,000 each month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in May 2015. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We get reports from them on call times and tickets responded to. They've been great. Even having low expectations because of our previous company, they go above and beyond. We have 50 people, and our technology is not in the best shape. They're very responsive. They follow through really well and make sure that if they don't hear from a customer or if they need more information they follow up with us. 

What distinguishes Framework Communications from other providers?

Framework Communications is really good at not just going in and fixing something and charging us for it. One thing my internal IT guy has said – they're really good at saying, "I can show you how to fix that." They are my IT because I trust them. I trust they're looking out for my best interest. I feel like they go the extra step to understand what I want. No company is the same as another with their IT needs. They really listen to what my needs are and make sure they're recommending something that will meet it. They're not afraid to tell me if I'm making the wrong decision and explaining to me why.

Is there anything Framework Communications could have improved or done differently?

When we first started they were ready to go. We're pretty busy – hey ran right into the project, and I wasn't ready yet. They jumped ahead of me. I said something to them to slow down, and they were very willing to work with me on that.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of IT and AV of Anshe Emet Synagogue

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Anshe Emet Synagogue seeks to create a special sense of belonging and meet the religious, educational, social, and cultural needs of the Jewish community.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Framework IT to accomplish?

• Network Management
• Cyber Security
• IT Services

SOLUTION

How did you find Framework IT?

Online Search

Why did you select Framework IT over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing first our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Framework provides technical account management, proactive maintenance and monitoring of routers, firewalls, switches, network, servers, and computers. In addition, phone service, network and email cyber security, and help desk support are all provided.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Timely completion of tasks

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Help desk tickets, new phone, email, account, device set up is always on time.

What was your primary form of communication with Framework IT?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Management and staff are both always helping best serve our needs.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Framework IT could have done differently?

None