Protek-IT

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the deputy director of the Chicago Bungalow Association, a nonprofit organization. We assist homeowners with technical and energy-efficient solutions for their homes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Protek-IT?

We needed to update our workflow and daily operations, including our database because we wanted to migrate to remote and on-site work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Protek-IT helped us with IT Services. They updated our software and hardware, including larger screen monitors. In addition, they modernized our database with a new program. Moreover, their services included security, troubleshooting, and hosting efforts.

What is the team composition?

We worked mainly with around three members of their team, including data specialists and project leads.

How did you come to work with Protek-IT?

I found them through online research when looking for local providers.

How much money have you invested in this partnership?

We invested $20,000–$25,000 with them on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February–June 2022. Currently, they’re only monitoring our system in case anything comes up.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We became 100 times more efficient as an organization since they came and redesigned our database. Overall, they improved our workflow, saving us a lot of time working with old technology.

How did Protek-IT perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was timely and communicative — every step was straightforward, and they ensured to keep us informed throughout the engagement. We had weekly meetings that were fun, seamless, and empathic with our concerns throughout the process. Regarding tools, we used Microsoft Teams and online meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We liked the relationship we developed with them because engaging with them was always pleasant. In addition to that, they went above and beyond working after hours to accomplish our pending work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I didn’t think there was anything they could improve on — I recommend them to any nonprofit trying to become more updated with their technology for their workflows.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a lawyer and the owner of a law firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Protek-IT?

In 2018, I was working with a different IT company, and I thought they were great, but everything went downhill very quickly. Unfortunately, at the time, I was moving my office into my home to make it a home office, which created a disaster. Thus, I needed a new IT partner rapidly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Firstly, Protek-IT helped me solve the IT issues I had with my office’s relocation. They came over, learned about my systems, answered my questions, and explained the different options I had for the equipment and upgrades I needed because what I currently had was insufficient for my business.

From there, they were in charge of the entire office system setup, which included helping me buy and install the hardware and software needed. Although I thought I would work with Protek-IT for this one-off project, our relationship evolved, and they’ve been handling my IT needs ever since.

What is the team composition?

I’ve interacted with 5–6 people from Protek-IT over the years, including the person who handled the system setup project and another person who usually answers when we call their help desk.

How did you come to work with Protek-IT?

They were referred to me by someone else who had worked with them before.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent around $20,000–$25,000, including the costs related to the initial setup and the hardware we had to buy. Currently, I pay a very reasonable monthly fee for their ongoing support.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around Q1 2018, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What was the scope of their involvement?

Firstly, Protek-IT helped me solve the IT issues I had with my office’s relocation. They came over, learned about my systems, answered my questions, and explained the different options I had for the equipment and upgrades I needed because what I currently had was insufficient for my business.

From there, they were in charge of the entire office system setup, which included helping me buy and install the hardware and software needed. Although I thought I would work with Protek-IT for this one-off project, our relationship evolved, and they’ve been handling my IT needs ever since.

What is the team composition?

I’ve interacted with 5–6 people from Protek-IT over the years, including the person who handled the system setup project and another person who usually answers when we call their help desk.

How did you come to work with Protek-IT?

They were referred to me by someone else who had worked with them before.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent around $20,000–$25,000, including the costs related to the initial setup and the hardware we had to buy. Currently, I pay a very reasonable monthly fee for their ongoing support.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around Q1 2018, and our engagement is ongoing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and president of Unipaq, a packaging designer and provider. Our core product line consists of protective packaging, stock packaging, and decorative tins.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with PRO - Technology Professionals?

Our e-commerce website for our tin products was really outdated and was failing miserably, so we needed someone to build a brand new website for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

PRO built our website and migrated our old Joomla site to a new platform. They got the breadth of our product lines, our sales process, ordering process, shipping, and delivery. They even provided us with great suggestions on how to improve and streamline our process, which we’ve gotten tremendous feedback on.

Furthermore, they made the website more user-friendly for our customers. We’ve got about nine categories of tins and accessories that users can just click on and order easily.

What is the team composition?

I talked with Florian (CEO & IT Consultant), but I was assigned to Laura (Help Desk Technician) who was our point person in the development.

How did you come to work with PRO - Technology Professionals?

PRO had done great work for me in the past, and I go back with Florian probably as long as I’ve been in the business. I chose them because they were responsive, practical, and economical — they also had very competitive pricing.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from March–August 2021. We’re up to speed with how the site’s going, and not it’s just a matter of marketing and touching up some photos.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of our newest customers who came on board and spent around $60,000 with us last year, told us that they loved the new site, and they’re looking forward to doubling their spending with us this year. 

How did PRO - Technology Professionals perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great from a project management standpoint and were really receptive to our requirements. We’ve had conference calls with the PRO team through Zoom, where we would screen share, provide feedback, and send screenshots; it was a pretty simple way of communicating.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with their professionalism. PRO was the easiest company to work with compared to the ones I’ve dealt with in the past. They were very clear about what they needed, and they gently reminded us about delays — I really appreciated their polite way of pushing us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be hard for me to find what I was disappointed in. They provided me with a very fair price for what they built, so I’m really happy.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise staying in touch with them and provide their team with everything you possibly can. PRO values every little piece of information, whether it’s a photograph, product description, or even your process. Give them feedback and address every concern so they can help you with suggestions you might not even consider.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a real estate company that specializes in real estate investment, property management, and construction.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with PRO - Technology Professionals?

We needed someone who could take care of our IT needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They run all of the IT support we need. They take care of our QuickBooks, alarm systems, tracking systems, payroll systems, and anything else that’s computerized. They’re also my go-to team in case I need to help me point in the right direction whenever I’m looking for a certain kind of software for our business.

In terms of providing prior documentation, we helped them with whatever information we could give them, and if we didn’t understand some of our IT needs, they’d do the research themselves. They also did wireless networking for us; I own a house in Costa Rica, and they set up everything so I can be able to work seamlessly from there by putting all my information in the cloud.

What is the team composition?

We work with Casey (Help Desk), Florian (CEO), and Laura (Help Desk). There are 4–5 people involved in the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $105,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2014, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The fact that we’ve kept them so long in our business shows that their IT services have been positive. They take care of our needs, and they’re up to date with the new stuff that comes around. 

How did PRO - Technology Professionals perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform great. Whenever I have a problem, I send them an email to what they call a ‘’repair desk’’, they issue a ticket, and somebody from their team calls me back to remote in on my computer and fix my issue. Whenever I want to talk to them, I can give them a phone call on a first-name basis to handle any situation we have going on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think their customer service is what stands out the most about them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s something they can improve on — they’re absolutely fine. 

Any advice for potential customers?

I think that developing a personal relationship with the owner is important.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder, chairman, and CEO of a new technology startup in Chicago that is six and a half years old and on the verge of launching. We’re a global company and we’ve been developing a new methodology in the shipping container intermodal world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with PRO - Technology Professionals?

A year or so after we started, we needed to have everyone in our company phase into using Microsoft 365. As we grew and began to have multiple people working globally, we wanted to have a more unified platform with security and software versioning. We decided to stay on the Microsoft platform and work with PRO - Technology Professionals to add layers of security against suspicious phishing activities. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We consider PRO - Technology Professionals as our remote IT department and as our general networking consultants. They do everything from 24/7 customer service to maintaining and updating the Microsoft license agreements for all of our users. They’re growing their services as we grow. 

Right now, we’re still using our own computers, but in our next phase of growth, we will probably move towards company-owned PCs. The team currently has remote access to our machines should we need servicing, and they’ve installed software that sends notifications back to them if it detects malware. In our second phase of growth, we will be exploring Salesforce for new business pipeline tracking.

What is the team composition?

Between phone calls and the website, they have around 8–10 people, and we’ve been in touch with six or more members in the last six months. We’ve worked with Florian (CEO) and he’s got an account manager for us as well as people manning the helpdesk, migration, and other aspects of the project.

How did you come to work with PRO - Technology Professionals?

I researched small IT support groups in Chicago and added a filter for those who specialized in Microsoft 365 Office Suite. I found maybe three companies that fit the description within a 30-minute Google search. PRO - Technology Professionals was also on a reviews platform similar to Clutch, where they had high scores.

I called PRO - Technology Professionals and was impressed with Florian, who walked me through their services and what they could and couldn’t do for us. From a size perspective, they were a good fit for our startup and Florian seemed very hands-on with his team.

When we met with them, they gave us their price and were very flexible on negotiation since we’re a startup. Their attitude during the whole process was very positive and supportive. Besides us being convinced that they knew Microsoft Office very well, PRO - Technology Professionals knew what we were looking for in terms of security and protecting our files. 

I’m a pretty fast decision-maker and the team’s customer service, bedside manner, and flexibility on pricing made them an easy choice compared to the other two finalists.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $10,000 for getting and installing all the software. We’ve also paid $1,500 a month, so for the last 12 months, we’ve spent $18,000. All in all, we’ve invested $25,000–$30,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with PRO - Technology Professionals around April 2020 and we’re still on a rolling contract with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

PRO - Technology Professionals easily cut the number of phishing emails in half. We now get less than 50% of what we used to. Prior to their involvement, we also had three breaches where people were identifying themselves as legal employees but were not. Since they came on board last year, however, we’ve had zero cases of that. 

There is a 90% approval rating among our users. Everyone on our team, including the VP of operations who also decided to hire PRO - Technology Professionals, has given very positive feedback. We had one employee who did keep blaming the protocol, but that was entirely his fault as PRO - Technology Professionals responded and did everything correctly. 

How did PRO - Technology Professionals perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve reached out to all 18 of our employees, including the people set in other countries with 12-hour time differences. PRO - Technology Professionals has been very accommodating to work with people in India and China to make sure that everyone in our company, even those not in the US, gets the same level of customer service.

They have an automated ticketing system where support usually follows up in two hours. When I feel anxious and bypass the system to call the owner directly, they answer immediately. They’ve been very responsive, even for mild inquiries, and never seem to be irritated when we reach out to them. 

PRO - Technology Professionals are very good at identifying who on their staff is handling any given project or task. They have assigned different people for managing the security, Microsoft Office Suite, the database, and the Helpdesk, and each of those members have given us their contact information.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Customer service and a strong knowledge of Microsoft distinguish PRO - Technology Professionals from other providers. They know the platform inside and out and are really good resellers and service providers for it. They always understand what we’re trying to accomplish on Microsoft as a small company. 

Florian is a good guy and all his people are very personable. It could be due to their size or their company culture, but they’ve never given us attitude. We’ve never encountered friction or challenges with them. They never hesitate to jump on a Zoom call to help us out, which is much better than exchanging 30 emails to try to explain the problem. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could use better marketing. As a person who’s spent 30 years in marketing, I believe they can do better in terms of their website if they want to attract more business. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t be shy in getting to know Florian and each of the members of PRO - Technology Professionals. It would be good to invest some time in building a relationship with them becuase they’re good people, and it will pay off later on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the office manager for an insurance agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with PRO - Technology Professionals?

We needed help managing our IT needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’re our key technology partner. They helped us move offices and did our whole IT setup, including computers and equipment. The team comes in about once a quarter. They also came in the day our Xerox machine came and helped us set it up, too.

What is the team composition?

I work with 3–4 people from their team.

How did you come to work with PRO - Technology Professionals?

I learned of them through someone who worked with our office around a decade ago.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend around $2,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2010, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They always get back to us right away. They’re very easy to work with.

How did PRO - Technology Professionals perform from a project management standpoint?

There have been times where I’ve come in the morning and my computer won’t turn on, and they’re able to get to our office within the hour. We just email or call to keep in touch.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very efficient and get back to us very quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

No, they’re just easy to work with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Kriha Boucek is a law firm handling cases for School Districts, Universities and Municipal clients. I am the Director of Operations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Protek-IT?

We hired ProTek to migrate us from a server to the cloud environment. This included upgrading all devices, software and Prolaw billing software which was complicated and needed to be coordinated with the Prolaw tech team.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I contacted 6 local providers and based on research of the company's websites, reviews from multiple internet sites, and in person interviews we selected ProTek. The deciding factors were a combination of their sound understanding of what the project would take, the exceptional customer service we received before even being hired, the responsiveness of their group to all questions.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We had many meetings from discovery of the project to actual detailed implementation of the structure. We worked closely with the Owner, Florian, the Account Manager Nick to a plan in place. We would migrate from a server to an Azure cloud, using a remote desktop environment for our 2 locations. This would allow us to access everything on all devices at any time. We also rolled in a tech upgrade on laptops and ipads. Their team comes onsite to finalize all stages and ensure that all employees are up and running.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

• Owner, Florian
• Account Manager, Nick
• Adin
• Casey
• Andrew
• Andrew

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The cloud migration was a great success. Moving to the cloud or upgrading tech always comes with little issues in logging, settings, software upgrade issues but ProTek has handled everything that has come up smoothly and with little difficulty. We actual have so many less problems and issues with ProTek as our tech team.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We have a really great Account Manager in Nick. He is great to work with, clear on what needs to be done to accomplish the task and has a very calm demeanor. He always pulls together whatever it takes to make sure we are running smoothly.

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

The Teams quick responses to any and all questions or requests. No waiting days on end only to be scheduled further out. This group is always at the ready.

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

I would say that there are no areas for improvement per say but as a future looking idea I would recommend they provide an option for after hours help.