TEKConn

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're a public charity with a 501(c)3 status that supports artists and the emerging arts organization with a variety of programs providing resources to funding opportunities, administering grants, and fiscal sponsorship. 

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the director of finance

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with TEKConn?

It was for information technology support.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

We have 25 full-time employees and three to four part-time employees. There's 30 workstations. Anytime we have issues with our PCs, TEKConn is who we go to. Usually they troubleshoot our problems remotely. Sometimes, they need to send people here to look at the issue. They keep our workstations and PCs in healthy status. 

They also provide service to our servers. We have four servers in the office. On an annual basis, I sit down with one of the presidents there. I work directly with Steven Dyke. He gives me a consultation on the equipment. With our financial management system, we use a Blackboard product called Financial Edge. From time to time, they send up patches to update our system. TEKConn helps us with that.

What was your process for selecting TEKConn?

I've been with this organization a little past five years. After the first year, I realized we needed a different IT group. We put out an ad on our website. There were three or four bids we received. I liked their model of a flat monthly fee based on the amount of workstations. 

The incentive is on them to keep our PCs working. From their perspective, if it's a flat fee, you don't want to be called 100 times a month. If that was the case, they're there for you. So, the incentive is for TEKConn to keep the PCs working appropriately. 

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative?

It was from $30,000 to $40,000

When was the work completed?

It's ongoing. We've been with them four years [since 2011].

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics on the project?

No, but our systems have been running smoothly. We haven't had any long instances of employee downtime.

Are you satisfied with their performance?

I've been satisfied. I can't think of a time that we reached out to TEKConn with a problem that they couldn't solve. There may have been times it took longer to solve, but there was never a time they couldn't find a solution. We have some old machines, and they were still able to keep them running until we replaced them.

What differentiates TEKConn from other partners?

They have a good help desk. They're always responsive. Most times, they try to work with you on the spot. If it's a more complicated issue, then they have to get back to you. Whenever we've had to deal with a third party, they've been willing to be on the call and help us along. It's comforting to know that you have someone there. I'm not a technology guy.

What advice would you give to future clients of theirs?

I've been satisfied, so it's hard to say be careful about anything. Keep the communication going on a more regular basis. You don't want to be caught by surprise. I've had a positive experience.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

Rather than doing an annual meeting, it would be helpful to do twice a year. Then, there would not be budget surprises later on. That's partially my fault.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are an accounting firm.

What is your role and responsibilities?

I am the office manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with TEKConn?

The company we used before was not local, and we prefer to have someone local that could come in to do hands on work when necessary to improve our network and computers.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

We needed someone capable of managing our IT [information technology] needs and security issues.

What was your process for selecting TEKConn?

Someone we worked with previously had worked with them. He came in and met with us.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative?

It was from $10,000 to $50,000

When was the work completed?

We've been with them four or five years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Do you have any statistics or metrics on the project?

We have had few instances of technical problems or employee downtime because they have a strong record.

Are you satisfied with their performance?

Yes. We stick with them because we are completely satisfied.

What differentiates TEKConn from other partners?

They're responsive. TEKConn has a wide range of staff in diverse areas of technology. Typically, if we have a question about anything they will have someone on staff who can support our inquiry. It could be an operating system, equipment, or software. 

They always seem to have someone available that can answer questions and give us recommendations. The company is growing. Their staff is not stagnant. They grow and change positions based on their current knowledge base. There's always growth within the company.

What advice would you give to future clients of theirs?

Listen to them. Take their suggestions to heart. As long as they have a clear understanding of what your needs are, they're very adept at being able to come up with a plan that will suit your needs.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or that you might do differently?

No. They're very close to our office, so the turnaround and response time is always very good. If there's an issue with anything it's addressed immediately and taken care of. If something slips through the cracks, they respond quickly. That hasn't happened very often.