FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
CUSTOMER SERVICE
How much do you charge for the Managed IT service?
In many circumstances, cost is relative to the service offering. While some providers might charge a smaller fee, in usual cases, the devil is in the details. It is our belief that one should not merely judge on price alone. We are embarking on a journey together. We need to ensure that we are a good fit and a complement to each other. Cost and price isn’t going to be the sole deciding factor. Drop us a line, let us meet-up and let’s see if we of any assistance to you.
What are your opening hours?
We are open on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m and we do give all clients an emergency after hours direct access to the Service Consultants assigned to their account. In addition to this, we are monitoring your assets 24×7 and will work during the off hours to get critical faults rectified.
How fast will you respond to my problem and is it guaranteed?
On paper, we place a Service Level Agreement on contract of within 4 hours of a critical fault and next business day for non-critical faults. However, in reality, a large majority of all calls for service are attended within the hour.
Will you take time to answer my questions in non-technical-jargon?
We understand the need to explain technology in simple to understand terms. Many of our clients are business owners, not technical technology individuals. As such, all our Service Consultants are specifically mindful of using easy to understand terminology in their communications with clients. We do want to make a point but we also want to make a point that can be understood. Rest assured, we speak non-geek terms.
Do you offer ways to improve my network’s performance and provide technology guidance and recommendations?
That’s a major part of our partnership with you, our client. Every quarter, we will meet-up to carry out a technology review and guidance. It is precisely the objective of this meet-up to look for ways to improve your technology assets and your operations. Our goal is to ensure minimum downtime, maximize returns and future-proof your technology investments.
Do you provide detailed invoices that clearly explain what I am paying for?
Most of our services are based on a monthly flat-fee. This fee is stated in the contract. In addition, any work or charges outside of this flat-fee has been to quoted and pre-approved. Rest assured that all invoices you receive would have received your prior approval.
Do you guarantee to complete projects on budget?
Projects that we undertake are fixed priced, inclusive of all professional work and fees. We do not undertake projects that based on time and materials which may result in ambiguity.
MANAGEMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF WORKSTATIONS, SERVERS AND NETWORKS
Why do you require remote monitoring?
Our remote monitoring mechanisms allows us to watch over your technology assets to constantly look out for developing problems, security issues, missing patches and updates, so that we can address them at the soonest opportunity before they turn into issues that might result in downtime.
Do you provide any reports that show the work that has been done on our machines?
All clients get a detailed report that shows the overall health status of their technology assets. This report is as important to us as we see the report as a means of an assurance, informing the client of the work that we have done in preventing downtime, even when our Service Consultants do not appear on-site.
Do you document our technology assets?
Every client will be provided with a copy of the documentation that we create. This usually details all the assets, passwords, user information and configuration settings. Any changes will be updated quarterly, during the technology review and guidance meet-up. As this documentation provides an inside into your organization, we recommend that only key personnel have access to this.
*Note: You should always have a copy of all the critical technology information of your organization. If your existing technology service provider does not provide you with one, please request for a copy at the soonest opportunity. No professional service provider should retain critical information at your expense.
Do you have other staff who are familiar with our network in case your regular technician goes on leave or gets sick?
Your organization is assigned with a dedicated Service Consultant so that he is able to quickly identify and resolve issues due to his familiarity. At the same time, we expect all our Service Consultants to cross-train so that they are able to cover each other in times of need. Additionally, all documentation need to be updated and any of our Service Consultants will be able to take over with the documentation in hand.
One flat fee. Is there any fine print that I should know about?
We pride ourselves in providing our clients with a budgeted expense. Our one flat fee contract does just that. Its all inclusive with unlimited telephone, email, remote and on-site support. We do understand your concerns as we have seen a number of variations in the service offerings by our peers. They seem to be lower in price but the devil is in the details. If you are comparing service offerings, perhaps the following would be a list for consideration:
- Is there provision of telephone, email, remote and on-site support?
- Is on-site support unlimited?
- Are both the hardware and software of technology assets managed?
- Are technology assets monitored 24×7?
- Is there a quarterly meet-up with technology review and guidance?
- Is there a consequence for early contract termination?
- In event of a major disaster, would the recovery work be charged extra?
- Are upgrades, moves, adding, removing users chargeable? If so, what are the charges?
BACKUPS AND DISASTER RECOVERY
Do you check to see if our backup is working?
We monitor your backups on a daily basis. In fact, we insist on it. Data is critical to many businesses and we want to rest easy knowing that backups have been carried successfully. For many of our Service Consultants, data backup and the checking of backup jobs are high on their priority and are usually the first task they undertake at the start of the day. We strongly recommend all our clients to have facilities for carrying out both on-site and off-site remote backups and will do our utmost to ensure that all backups are done properly and successfully.
Do you do periodical test restores of our backups?
The success of data backups is in the restore. However, we understand that some client data can be sensitive and as such, would only undertake a restore at the request of the client. It is in our interest to ensure that all backup jobs are running successfully and will do the necessary to maintain a high probability of a successful restore.
Do you backup our technology asset configurations?
Yes we do, especially those with critical and custom configuration settings. Your up-time is important to us and we will undertake any measure that can help in the prevention of down-time or aid in the recovery process.
TECHNICAL EXPERTISE AND SUPPORT
Where are you based? Are all your technical staff based locally?
We are proud to be a Singapore based business. All our staff are Singaporeans and we do not outsource any day-to-day technical work. While working on projects, we may require the expertise of our partners but rest assured that their quality of work and delivery are under our purview and we will be fully responsible for them.
Do you maintain current vendor certifications and participate in on-going training?
Technology is rapidly changing and our Service Consultants do undergo internal and external training to keep themselves up-to-date. We are extremely fortunate to have a great team. Our people are our greatest asset. They provide the intelligence, the expertise and the teamwork that determines our very existence. Challenging them and upgrading them remain high on our priorities.
Are you familiar with our business application and our unique line of business?
We have a vast array of clients and they represent a broad cross-section of industries (accounting, chemicals, consumer business, electronics, engineering, environment, financial, legal, logistics and supply chain management, marine and offshore engineering, oil & gas, precision engineering, professional services). As your managed IT service provider, we will own and manage your business application. We will work with your application/software vendors to ensure that all necessary details and areas are covered, ensuring a high up-time for your business.
When something goes wrong with our internet access, email, phone system, printers, servers, network, workstations, what is your typical response?
Our service consultants are on-hand to receive the 1st reports from you or your colleagues. We will work to own the problem and to provide rectification. If problem rectification are beyond our scope, we will provide the necessary hand-holding and necessary follow-ups. As your managed IT service provider, we strive to be your first and only call for service and will work to get you back on-time at the soonest.