Xcel Office Solutions

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a CAD Technician, and I also double as an ad hoc IT liaison at an architectural firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Xcel Office Solutions?

We’re an office with a fairly good-sized staff. We have everything, including printers from our local on-site servers to our office 365 deployments to individual machines. Xcel is providing IT services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Xcel is making our IT services work and remote desktop connections. They’re managing anything that has to do with our servers and connections through our internet hub. Xcel works on-site and remotely, depending on what we require. When it’s necessary, they do on-site visits and take care of any needs that can’t be handled over remote connections. The team is helping us in troubleshooting we have with individual computers, too.

What is the team composition?

Matt (Director of IT) is my main point of contact, but I also work with David (System Engineering). Matt has set up most of our network in our system, so he’s usually the one who we go to initially. When Matt needs help, he works with David and determines if it's something to be handled on-site or remotely.

How did you come to work with Xcel Office Solutions?

Our company has had a long and very productive relationship with Xcel Office Solutions prior to my coming into the firm, which was seven years ago.

What is the status of this engagement?

I don’t have that information, but based on conversations I’ve had with my boss, we started working with Xcel in September 2011. The engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did Xcel Office Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate with Xcel through text, email, and phone calls. When something comes up that we consider an emergency, we often call Matt, and we’re able to get a hold of them immediately.

If someone in the office has a problem, I try to evaluate and ascertain what it is. If it’s something we can handle, we do. If it’s something beyond basic skills, I contact Xcel. Matt finds out how we need to proceed, and we move forward from there to get a resolution. Our partnership has been very successful.  Matt is excellent to work with and David has been very good at helping us deal with tasks.

We also have a ticket system. When we have an issue, we open the ticket into Xcel’s system and wait for their response to see what’s going on. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Xcel’s knowledge is fantastic. If we run into a problem, there’s a good chance they’ve seen it before and know how to handle it immediately. Xcel is also able to find solutions very quickly, even when they’re dealing with software or something new that they're not familiar with. 

I’m thoroughly impressed with the way Xcel handles themselves and takes care of issues. One of the benefits is that, since I have very limited tech knowledge, I’m able to communicate problems to Xcel more effectively, which is very helpful — it makes the communication easier.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d like to clone Matt. It would be awesome if we have him on-site, but that’s not realistic. There’s nothing I’d say at this point that I think Xcel could do better.

Any advice for potential customers?

My advice would be to sign on and hold on because they’re probably the best IT consultant that I’ve ever had to deal with. Xcel is willing to explain what they’re doing so that you can understand as well. The communication is excellent — just convey the information correctly.