Texas Systems Group

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior membership analyst at a nonprofit association that advocates for retired public school employees in Texas. I liaise between the company and third-party vendors that assist us in terms of technology and software.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Texas Systems Group?

We’re a small organization with 12 staff members. As such, we don’t have the resources to employ full-time IT professionals. We look to Texas Systems to perform those functions for us; they keep us updated in terms of tech solutions and platforms. They also help us make decisions around future budgeting and upgrades. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At the beginning of the engagement, our previous IT provider gave us a document, which Texas Systems used for onboarding. Their team also did some research about our company to familiarize themselves with our business. Then, we worked together on equipment replacement and standardization. For context, we had a variety of workstations before. If a workstation went down, we had to check manually whether it was still under warranty or if any of its parts needed to be replaced. 

Given that, Texas Systems created an inventory system for all our equipment. They kept track of the age and warranty status of the equipment to keep everything standardized. Likewise, they helped me plan replacements for obsolete equipment or ones with expired warranties. If the vendors were no longer supporting a piece of hardware, we’d get rid of it. 

At present, Texas Systems handles all aspects of our business related to technology. They manage our physical server and keep our licenses up to date, safe, and protected while ensuring our tech compliance. Moreover, all of our networked equipment is handled by their team. These include desktops, laptops, printers, scanners, and VoIP systems — essentially anything that has to do with technology. 

The majority of their work is done remotely, but they’ve worked on-site as well. For instance, we’ve recently changed our wireless access points, and they’ve installed them on site. Every quarter, we sit down with them and talk about our business, how they can help us make decisions, and how to keep our company efficient. 

What is the team composition?

I have one main point of contact that I meet with every quarter. I also talk to him whenever I have questions or concerns. 

How did you come to work with Texas Systems Group?

When we were looking for a new IT service provider, I asked other associations and nonprofits of the same size as us for recommendations. I ended up selecting Texas Systems because of the number of resources and technicians they had. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $70,000–$80,000, not including the cost of the equipment we’ve purchased with them. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2017, and our partnership is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Texas Systems, our equipment inventory has been standardized. We have the same desktops, and I even have a spare one; if one desktop goes down, I can use another one. On top of that, we only have to wait for 15–20 minutes rather than hours or days to set up the spare desktop.  

Further, we’ve had to switch to a remote working setup because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to Texas Systems’ foresight, we haven’t missed a beat. Everybody has been able to go home and still work effectively. We’re now transitioning to a cloud-based server environment, and they’re also helping us do that. We’d never be able to do this without their help. 

How did Texas Systems Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Texas Systems is familiar with our operations. They take notes, so if one technician isn’t available, another technician can step in, review those notes, and service us. More importantly, whenever I go to their service desk, they never hang up on me. I won’t have to wait for one person to resolve my issue; the next available technician is ready to pick the work up and address my problems. 

To communicate, we often use emails. When I have a question or want to deal with something, I email my contact person, who puts me in touch with a teammate who can help me. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Texas Systems takes their relationship with their clients seriously, and they’re highly responsive to any concerns that I have. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We hit a rough patch a year ago when they tried doing things differently in their organization. We immediately noticed the difference in the quality of their services, so we contacted them to say we weren’t happy and that it wasn’t working for us. When we did that, they were highly responsive and got right back on track as they made changes. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with Texas Systems and be upfront; give them as much information as you can about your expectations and needs. Likewise, give them relevant information that they can truly use.