Onboarding

AR & Associates Switches from a Solo IT Provider Seamlessly

Working with a small or solo IT provider is great when you're starting out. They cost less and oftentimes, are easier to work with. But as your business continues to grow, these pros suddenly become cons. What if your provider suddenly becomes unreachable and your server needs some maintenance? What if they go on vacation or is out sick and your entire email system stops working?

Company spotlight

AR & Associates Limited is a New Zealand-owned and operated civil engineering, surveying and environmental consultancy that has been operating in Auckland since 2003. They work with both the public and private sectors providing their expertise in civil, water, wastewater, stormwater, environmental, roading, infrastructure and RMA planning.

However, as AR & Associates look towards growing their business, they faced the challenge of having an IT provider that was a solo provider. If something were to happen to their provider or suddenly become unreachable, AR & Associates would be left in a difficult position.

This pushed them into looking for an alternative IT partner who could provide them with reliable support in their journey as they continue to grow.

Sandy Sharp, Business Support Manager at AR & Associates, sat down with us recently to discuss the challenges the company was facing, the search process of finding a new IT provider, and detail the onboarding process after switching to one of iT360’s Managed Services clients.

AR & Associates Logo
industry
Construction
Year founded
2003
Services provided
Engineering and Consulting

The Problem

The problem faced by AR & Associates was that their IT provider was a solo provider. This meant that if something happened to them or they had to travel overseas, the company would be left without any support.

This presents a huge risk to the company that needed to be addressed in a very short time frame.

Moreover, AR & Associates is rolling out 12d Synergy—a software for surveying, civil and water engineering that necessitates specific technical requirements—which means the new IT provider needs to have the relevant technical experience and capability.

The Search for Something Better

To find a reliable IT partner, AR & Associates looked at 4-5 other companies, some of whom were companies some of their staff had previously worked with and another from 12D Synergy themselves.

Since they are a Spark Business Hub customer, they also reached out to their Spark provider for additional referrals. This was where iT360 was recommended.

After a quick turnaround, ultimately, iT360 stood out as the most suitable partner for AR & Associates.

Going The Extra Mile

What ultimately put iT360 ahead of its competitors was the eagerness to understand the specific business requirements of AR & Associates—the same approach we use for all our clients. Here’s what Sandy has to say about this entire experience:

iT360 really shone to me…the prompt delivery of a proposal was incredible. It was provided to us in a very professional way within a couple of days. I can see the breadth and depth of knowledge…even though we had software programs that they weren’t familiar with, they were keen to understand them…I was very impressed with the enthusiasm by Dave, CEO, and also the technical team to go and get more information about what these software programs are so they can better equip their help desk support team. It was a really interesting exercise and we’re really thrilled to have iT360 onboard.

Sandy Sharp, Business Support Manager

One of the things that reassured Sandy and the directors at AR & Associates with their decision to switch IT providers is the feedback from 12d Synergy—which was that they were really impressed with the level of understanding and experience iT360 had brought to the table.

Instead of winging it, or worse, lying about our knowledge on a software AR & Associates rely on heavily, we went the extra mile to learn more about these tools. We hopped on calls and met with them in our office to discuss their requirements in detail.

It’s this level of commitment that can be found throughout our organization and is reflected in the service we provide to all our clients.

An IT Partner You Can Count On

During our interview with Sandy, she shared a common pain point a lot of businesses often have when dealing with other IT providers—which is not having systems in place to allow for continued support if something happens.

At iT360, we take pride in having an entire team of professionals providing services to our clients. If one person is out on vacation or sick, there’s an entire team ready to step in and support the client’s needs.

Closing Thoughts

iT360 has since successfully onboarded AR & Associates and is providing them with reliable 24/7 IT support for their business. We are delighted with the progress of our new relationship, and we anticipate providing AR & Associates with even more services in the near future.

When I think about where we’ve come from and where we’re at now, having that peace of mind that there’s a company with a number of people and experts in their field behind us. Certainly, I think helps the directors sleep better at night.

At iT360, we believe that no business should have to suffer from a lack of quality support. With the right IT partner, you can have an entire team behind you ready to provide professional and reliable services that are tailored to your business needs. Reach out today to book a free consultation to learn more about how we can help!

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