IT Solutions & the Value of Experience

 

I once knew a handyman who when asked whether something could be done would always respond, “Well we can do anything, it just depends on what you want to spend.”

 

The same is true of pretty much every IT solution this side of the Rosie the Robot. (though in a few years, you’ll probably be able to get the Jetsons’ maid too).

 

Not explicitly stated in the handyman’s constant refrain was that there are a lot of ways to do just about anything, but there is usually a best way for you.

 

Which brings me to one of my most common refrains – Hire IT Professionals to do your work – there’s a reason we have specialization, and you should always hire out for what isn’t either a) your area of expertise or b) your area of enjoyment.

Don’t DIY Your IT Solutions

 

A lot of people like to save money by doing things themselves but when you think about what your time is worth (especially if you’re using business man-hours) you can see that most of the time you’re best off hiring an expert.

 

When it comes to IT solutions, you can scour the internet finding equipment for the best price and then look up instructions and YouTube videos on how to install and program it (some of the time anyway) but at the end of the day what you will have, if you’re lucky, is only a solution to the problem you knew enough to look for.

 

What you won’t have is the benefit of years of experience and a perspective on how things can and do go wrong.

 

RCI customizes IT solutions to fit your business. Whether you have a state-of-the-art veterinary office with computer stations in each treatment room, a retail location, or a traditional office environment we will know the options you can use and can recommend the option that we feel will work best for your particular situation and budget.

 

2 Case Studies for IT Solutions

 

Case(s) and point, let’s take the first and last examples from the previous paragraph starting with the last one first.

 

We had a client with an office environment where every CSR was in the same room. They wanted each rep to have access to a digital whiteboard that they could each edit while the others could view it.

 

There are a lot of excellent products and programs out there that are specifically designed to cater to this.

 

The problem was at the particular point in time when they wanted the solution, none of the commercially available digital whiteboards were in their budget. We came up with a clever solution using a large monitor and a shared outlook document based on a shared server.

 

Because their needs were simple, this was adequate for the office and it saved them a lot of money.

 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, a veterinary client will often need computers in each room. Because we’ve had many veterinary clients, we understand that these workstations generally need to be sturdy, out of the way of treatment, and all need to be able to access a central data server.

Different vet offices may want a stationary PC or a laptop an employee can take with room to room. Most rooms likely require a telephone. If a vet were to come to us trying to figure out how best to efficiently set up an office, we would have all the foreknowledge.

 

Both examples are simple scenarios that we come across. But everyday there are others. And because RCI has been in business over 40 years and our employees have together performed work for thousands of clients, we have a lot of experience we take with us to every jobsite.

Could a vet office have bought their own equipment and installed the software. Probably. But would they know the problems that we know can arise with mounting equipment or connectivity?

 

Could they save money with a cheap wireless solution? Yes. But would they get the product that would allow them to make sure their work went seamlessly and didn’t slow down their functionality, possibly during a time when seconds mattered?

 

Similarly, could the office environment have simply bought a whiteboard that did what they wanted out of the box? Of course. But would it if have been more than they needed for more than they could afford?

 

We take the unique needs of each particular client into account when coming up with their IT solutions.

 

And we offer monthly contracts so that we’re always there for them when the unexpected does arrive.

 

Can you do it on your own? Maybe.

 

But should you?

 

Hard no.