We Are Your Bay Area Computer Solutions Provider

Have you ever looked out your office window and thought, “Hmm… three stories down… What a crash my computer would make on the pavement!”

Tempting sometimes, isn’t it?

That was exactly my thought one Tuesday last September.

I had heard more than enough complaining from my leadership team about our slow computers, and my own laptop had just taken a full ten minutes to start up.

It had been a hard morning already. I hadn’t slept well the night before because of a loud party next door that lasted most of the night and as a result, had slept in. Sleeping in didn’t put me late to work, but it did put me off my routine, and I had to hurry to make it on time.

So, sitting down at my desk and staring at a computer that didn’t seem to be doing ANYTHING pushed me to the point of wanting to commit “computericide.”

Yes, “computericide.”

I made up my own word for tossing laptops out of third story windows.

But let me back up just a little bit.

My name is Tony Bachland. I run a mid-size financial services firm here in the Bay Area, and that day nearly ten months ago now was both the final straw and the push I needed to go searching for a Bay Area computer solutions provider.

What Was I Looking For In A Bay Area Computer Solutions Provider?

That day, when I finally got my computer started, opened up the browser, and typed “Bay Area computer solutions provider” into Google I really didn’t have a list in front of me of what kind of IT support company I wanted to find, but there were a few things that were clear to me.

• First: I needed someone that knew what they were doing. – No fly-by-night, one man I wanted a professional technology services team.
• Second: I needed someone that would take my call and come that day. I wasn’t in the mood to play phone tag or to wait weeks.
• Third: I needed a company with common sense pricing and billing transparency.

I didn’t figure that I was asking too much.

But I also didn’t take into consideration the fact that IT services is an unregulated industry. With no regulations, it’s kind of like the old wild west, and there are a lot of cowboys just doing their own thing.

What did this industry reality mean for my day?

It meant that I made a lot of phone calls that were disappointing to me.

Sure, I found websites that said they were Bay Area companies that delivered computer solutions for professional services companies.

Some of their websites looked professional…even impressive.

But when I got someone on the phone, “impressive” went out the window and it didn’t take long to realize that that company wasn’t the right IT support partner fit for my business.

After the seventh call the statistics were as follows:

• One wrong phone number
• Two no answers – not even an answering machine
• One secretary who promised, “Someone will get back to you.” – No indication of who was going to get back to me…or when.
• Two technicians that could speak technology, but couldn’t seem to explain what they were saying to me. (If I can’t understand what a technician wants to do, how can I expect him/her to work well with my employees.
• A guy who ran a “one-man show” who said he’d “Try to fit you in next Friday.”

“I give up, I thought.”

I just couldn’t believe that finding a company that offered serious computer solutions for mid-size businesses would be that difficult to find here in the Bay Area.

By the time I had made those calls and evaluated my options I discovered that it was time for lunch, and I was thankful for the distraction. I gave up the search, put on my jacket and headed to the nearest steakhouse.

I figured, “I deserve a steak for lunch after all that frustration and nonsense this morning.”

My doctor – and my wife – probably wouldn’t have approved, but they weren’t there, so it was full steam ahead. 12-ounce steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, onions, mushrooms…the works.

In that particular restaurant, you get your bill at the table, but you have to pay it at the bar.

As I was standing at the bar, I noticed a brand new point of sale system and thought to myself, “They must have someone to keep their systems running…”

I didn’t think too much more about it until I realized, “This restaurant’s a regional chain. Someone is likely taking care of every computer and POS terminal in the entire system.”

I thought I’d take a chance and asked the bartender about their computer support solution and whether they used a local, Bay Area IT services team.

Her answer?

“OnTimeTech”

“Do you like them?” I asked.

She assured me that they were professionals and that they were good guys to deal with, so I took a chance, looked up OnTimeTech on my smartphone and called before I left the restaurant.

Before the end of the day, two guys showed up from OnTimeTech.

The bartender was right.

These guys looked, spoke, and acted like professionals.

Most importantly, they understood the workflow of a financial services firm and how much we depend on our computers.

We talked about billing transparency some.

You see, I had been burned before by surprise break/fix bills from other Bay Area computer services companies that had done little and billed WAY too much.

What the OnTimeTech team told me about billing surprised me.

They said that they would put together a complete IT care package for my business and that they would provide all the IT support, management, maintenance, security, and help desk services I need in return for a steady monthly subscription price.

That kind of made sense to me…

Pay OnTimeTech to keep our thirty-two computers and two servers running rather than pay someone to come and fix them when they break down.

So, I signed up with OnTimeTech.

Well, that was months ago now.

Since then I haven’t had any thoughts about throwing my computer out the window, but I have had thoughts of recommending OnTimeTech to another business leader.

What about you?

Need a Bay Are Computer Solutions provider to keep your IT systems running at full speed?

Do what I did.

Give the OnTimeTech team a call.

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