Genieall

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of technology at a specialty insurance brokerage firm. We are the pioneer of a vehicle return program that allows people to return their vehicle if they run into a life problem such as unemployment. We’ve also grown into selling traditional Gap insurance.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Genieall?

We have a dispersed workforce. Before COVID-19, about half of our company worked in the head office and the other half worked in other locations across Canada. We also have partners all across North America.

We were deciding between hiring more people to help with support or outsourcing the work so we can provide better support. We’re a smaller organization, so we don’t have the luxury of having a help desk. So, we hired Genieall to provide us with the support we needed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Genieall works remotely, doing all of our front-line support. If any of our users have an issue, they can use a support email or phone number where they can speak to a live agent. They can also queue up a ticket.

Additionally, the team helps us with our ticketing system to make sure that no users’ tickets get lost because all users are important. Genieall has to get back to the user within one hour but they usually do so faster.

What is the team composition?

I have a single point of contact and work with Genieall’s leader, too. I’ve also been introduced to their sports staff as well.

How did you come to work with Genieall?

I had already identified the problem and we had hired another company to provide the same support. They were offshore and were doing a good job, but they didn’t provide 24/7 support.

I started looking around for other onshore options.

I came across Genieall and, after vetting them, we liked their options. They had the capability of giving us extended-hours support for less than it would’ve cost to hire one person. The team also offered a better overall process.

They also got their ISO 27001 certification which guaranteed a level of trust, which is important since they can log into our users' machines. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $3,500 per month, which comes up to about $126,000 in total so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in about 2017, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Whenever a ticket gets closed, we follow up with a survey to see how well Genieall did. Overall, we’re in the 90th percentile of happy users. 

How did Genieall perform from a project management standpoint?

When I contact them, they always respond promptly. We typically communicate with them through tickets.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ISO certification sets them apart. It’s not an easy certification to get, so it’s an impressive feat to receive it especially since there’s no monetary gain on their end. It also helps me trust them, which is really important.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Although they say that their support is 24/7, sometimes when there’s an alert at say 3 am, they handle it 3–4 hours later. This might be because they’re triaging it and assuming that it’s not as important or immediate.

So, this means that their support isn’t truly 24/7 support. However, if we have a mission-critical application, I do know that they will respond at 3 am. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Research the ISO 27001 certification, and understand what it means so that you know what to expect and know the value they provide.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the controller and head of operations at a national charitable organization based in Canada. We provide programming in youth employment, the sustainability of the environment, and transitioning military. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Genieall?

We’re a small organization that didn’t have the bandwidth to have our own IT support system to help us with operations and oversight of our organization.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re also not a large organization, but they can punch above their weight in terms of the scope of services they provide. Early in our relationship, we had to migrate our IT responsibilities from another organization to them. In that effort, they moved large volumes of files to a new SharePoint site. 

Their team has been managing our systems through overseeing user accounts, monitoring for intrusions, and handling detection and threat prevention. They’re also reporting to us on a quarterly basis. If we notice anything in our day-to-day that we may need their assistance with, we can reach out to them via their ticketing system. From there, they’ll respond back to us with a resolution or troubleshooting. 

What is the team composition?

We’re in contact with Josh (Senior Systems Analyst). 

How did you come to work with Genieall?

We sent out an RFP, and they ended up being the recipient of our three-year contract. They were a reference from our interim CEO at the time When speaking with them, it was clear that they understood what we needed from them as an organization and also had the expertise to execute. We were also very budget-conscious in this effort, and they were strong candidates on that front as well. 

How much have you invested with them?

We pay them about $5,000 each month, much of which is for subscriptions and licenses. The other half is their monthly service fee. In total, we’ll spend about $90,000 CAD (approximately $64,000 USD). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We starting working with them in November 2017, and our contract will be up in December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They contribute their work seamlessly to our organization, making it feel like they’re a true part of our team. We send tickets to them on a daily basis, asking questions and working through issues. They’ve significantly shrunk our downtime and the time it takes to solve tech issues. We don’t have the expertise to handle this without them.

They’re proactive through risk assessments, but the team is still able to be reactive to our comments and feedback as well.  

How did Genieall perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve certainly seen time and dedication from them. While we know that they have other clients, our conversations and troubleshooting have become better and better as we continue to collaborate. They’re very up-front and easy to work with. We’ve always been able to complete projects within a timeframe that makes sense for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They bring personality and technical experience to their customer service. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re going into a growth phase right now as they continue to take on new clients. I can’t think of anything they can specifically improve upon though. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We’ve engaged them on the communication front, asking probing questions about what they’re seeing in the industry. You’ll get the most from your relationship if you take advantage of their expertise and treat them as part of your own staff.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of IT infrastructure for a utility and power generation company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Genieall?

We had previously worked with a company who was assisting us in running service tests, providing infrastructure support, and so on. We found that the boutique-type service provider just wasn’t working for us. As a power-generation company, we were a niche market, and they had difficulty understand our unique business challenges. That led us to start looking for alternatives.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We can’t support all of our environments internally, so we’ve depended heavily on them. Providing a full suite of services, Genieall tackled everything from simpler web tasks to more complex server-related issues.

They worked with our internal team through every process. Since we’re a team of tech-minded engineers, we were relieved by the level of their technical expertise. Their support analyst was up to par with our standards in terms of offering solutions.

In addition to their supplementing our service desk, they also buttress our operations department. There, they provide infrastructure monitoring. They worked to ensure our compliance with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC)’s regulations. What’s more, they assisted us in understanding and navigating critical infrastructure systems.

Their network group oversees the smooth functioning of our firewalls, routers, and network configurations. This entailed Exchange and Office365 migrations, storage upgrades, and establishing server infrastructure. In one project, they rectified all networking issues for a new solar park.

What is the team composition?

I liaise with 4–5 people from Genieall on a regular basis. Specific people on my IT team are responsible for managing every different level of service at the Genieall team.

For instance, my end-user support analyst works in conjunction with their service desk team to ensure that they receive all the appropriate documentation. In the face of unfamiliar applications or challenges, he provides their service desk with all the tools they need to be successful.

I have a system administrator who works directly with the operational group at Genieall, and he oversees their monitoring of the servers. I personally handle compliances, oversee reports, and manage general agreements. I approve of any changes and new projects, and anything to do with networking or critical infrastructure.

How did you come to work with Genieall?

I’d heard about them a long time ago. And, Genieall had executed some minor projects—relating to our billing facilities—for us a few years ago. We’d needed a server installed, and they’d done a great job.

When our project with another group was failing, I consulted my portfolio of industry contacts. We reached out to Genieall, who ended up really helped us out.

When it was time to seek a new managed services contract, we included Genieall in the tendering process. Their service offering beat out the competitors.

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed the managed services agreement with Genieall in November or December 2014, and we’ve just renewed it. However, we’d worked with them on 2–3 services projects prior to that.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were our saving grace in the face of a disastrously failing project with another company, whom my colleagues had dubbed the “helpless desk.” With their professional approach, bountiful experience, and high level of organization, they’ve provided services that have exceeded our expectations.

Our organization has quarterly district and management meetings, and before Genieall, I constantly had to address concerns about our help desk. After they took over, they’ve let me take a hands-off approach. They’ve received great feedback.

They really took the time to listen to us and understand our pain points. We’ve worked to build a good working relationship with them, and have found that our internal team has integrated very well with theirs.

How did Genieall perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re in constant communication with Genieall. We utilize multiple communication channels, like Skype, Teams, email, and phone calls. We have biweekly operational meetings and monthly meetings. We use SharePoint for sharing documentation. Our businesses are very much in constant contact.

While our company is undergoing global expansion, they’ve continued to make adjustments to support our needs. We have new offices set up in Europe, and Genieall provides 24/7 support but has even provided specialty services to us from 3AM just to ensure that our team members coming online have a live person to answer calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve skillfully navigated our niche market. They’re rooted in the IT industry, but they also have a deep knowledge of our operational technology requirements, which have to do with industrial control systems, compliances, and regulations we need to adhere to. These are specific to our market and business. Genieall’s wide scope of expertise has been critical and is a testament to their credibility and strength.

Genieall has taken the time to become trusted advisors about security and compliance, and their services have been crucial to our business. There are a lot of IT services companies out there that can handle storage, email, Office365, infrastructure, and networking, but not all of them truly understand our business or requirements.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They do have some staff turnover, but they ensure that their new staff hits the ground running. There are some issues that go unnoticed by them, but I see these as basic operational challenges that can be ameliorated with better training.

They’re front-facing, and basically an extension of the IT department—so they have to be educated on the client’s processes and technologies. We try to work with them to bring them to ensure that a standard level of support is maintained across the organization.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients have to ensure that the provider understands their business. It’s important to be direct in communicating requirements so they understand the underlying business objectives. There’s no doubt that the Genieall team is smart, and that they can do the work. As smart and crafty as they are, though, they still need to know what they’re working with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am a Department Head

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Cannabis products

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Genieall to accomplish?

• Migrate Gmail accounts to Microsoft O365
• Migrate all GSuite employee files and contacts to Microsoft O365

SOLUTION

How did you find Genieall?

Referral

Why did you select Genieall over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Genieall were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Key deliverables: 

• Instantiate corport O365 environment for email, shares, contacts, communications 
• Migrate all Gmail employee accounts to O365 
• Build HR, Sales and Market email flows

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Success in migration with 0 data loss and 0 business interruption

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

Very responsive and transparent. Very well organized and experienced providing very good guidance and seemless integration with my project team. They were knowledgeable, experienced, and committed.

What was your primary form of communication with Genieall?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Approachable, responsive, flexible, excellent ROI

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

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Genieall provides great IT services for our operation.Their team keeps our system on coarse and secure from all outside issues. Support is a call or email away , and is fast and reliable, this is why we trust and use Genieall since 2012.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Genieall?

it sever remote set up

What were your goals for this project?

to secure our operation

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

IT Show

Describe the project in detail.

New server with security and ongoing updates

What was the team composition?

Their team was amazing

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

our web and server has been secure with them for over 7 years

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

very effective

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The teamwork they exhibit makes them really enjoyable to work with.

Are there any areas for improvement?

no its perfect

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are forensic accounting services. I am the IT manager of the firm

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Genieall?

Exchange upgrade from 2010 to 2019 MFA for the email and other software External drive encryption

What were your goals for this project?

Making it happen in a given time from with less interruptions. Test the project before going into production Make sure the bugs are fixed ASAP when it is rolled out.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I have Nils Madi and his team before in several projet and was very satisfied the way they delivered the end project. I have been using Genieall for the past 6 years without any issues.

Describe the project in detail.

Once the projects are laid out. I had several meetings with Nils. Then with Yatan and his team. I made sure I was on board with the daily update's and made sure it was going to my preference. They were in touch with me throughout the project constantly and made necessary changes when there was a kink.They also invited me to their office to meet the team and i was impressed with them very much

What was the team composition?

They have very dedicated help desk, network, architecture teams. I found all members were talented, skilled and customer service oriented.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The exchange migration was smooth without a single minute of down time. When the outlook was acting up for some users Nil's team was quick contact my users and fix it. MFA was also a success with minimal helpdesk calls.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very smooth. Their team was always available when the need arose to fix something.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

It is kind of hard to find a company which has pool of talented people with good customer service skills. I was most impressed with this company with my current projects and past ones.

They were very helpful with my users even the issue was with the user not the project. This company is built on customer service which i was looking for.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not any I can think of. Nils and Yatan constantly at it work so hard to improve on their team and culture.