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Why Choose RUWIRED?
Before trusting a new consultant, you should research the
consultants qualifications and make sure they are qualified to work on your
environment. Otherwise, you will probably be paying a lot of money while they
“figure it out” how to meet your needs. Here are 10 basic questions to ask when
interviewing a technology consultant:
1. How long has the consulting firm
been in business? Ninety percent of all consulting firms fail within the
first couple of years. RUWIRED has been established since 2002.
2. How big is your business? Consultants fall essentially into two
categories: Solo-practitioners and team players. Be wary of the
part-timer. If they decide to “go in another direction”, such as getting a
different job or simply move out of the area, they will take all the information
about your environment with them! RUWIRED has been around since 2002 and
employs multiple staff members.
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3.
3. Who is the lead consultant or project
leader and what is his or her background and experience? Consultants have a
reputation for pulling the infamous “bait and switch” on clients; they showcase impressive
partners with impeccable credentials to dazzle clients into signing contracts,
then junior consultants show up for the actual engagement. RUWIRED utilizes
highly certified systems architects for all implementation projects. We also do
our best to use the same person for your other needs, such as simple questions,
troubleshooting, continued maintenance. We do utilize junior support staff for
basic/common troubleshooting and setup requests, however, they have access to
our senior staff whenever they need us.
4.
4. What are the backgrounds of the other
consulting team members? Clients should understand that consulting is a
leveraged business: Junior team members often do most of the grunt work under
the direction of senior partners. And knowing consulting team members builds
trust and confidence for both the clients and consultants. For your technology
environment, ask the following:
a.
Are you certified? If so, are any
of those certifications specific to working with the technology you will
utilize?
At RUWIRED, the
system’s architect for all your advanced project work has the following
certifications: Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (2000 & 2003); Microsoft
Certified Systems Administrator: Messaging (for Exchange 2000 & 2003); Microsoft
Certified Technology Specialist (Vista); ITIL Practitioner: Support and Restore;
PMI: Certified Associate in Project Management; CompTIA Security+; CompTIA
Network+; CompTIA A+; Cisco Certified Network Associate.
b.
How many years have you worked with Windows
2003 server, Exchange 2003, Windows XP?
All of our support
professionals have at least 5 years of continuous hands-on experience, with
several having over 10 years of total technology-related experience. Most either
have worked for, or do work within companies that utilize complex computing
environments.
5.
5. Does the firm guarantee its work?
Most consulting firms will work to the client’s satisfaction, but rarely do
firms offer a 100 percent money-back guarantee. During the proposal phase,
clients should make sure that consultants specify their deliverable as precisely
as possible. Also, do not trust a consultant who does not have insurance! RUWIRED stands by its work and offers a 15-day guarantee for all
service work rendered. Hardware and software is purchased by the customer and
is covered by the manufacturer's warranty terms. Plus, RUWIRED is FULLY
INSURED!
6.
6. Can you reach your consultant when you
need to talk to him? Emergencies happen. Viruses strike or backups fail. Can
you get through to your consultant? Are you guaranteed a same-day reply? If the
answer is no, is that acceptable? Whatever emergencies you’ve had in the past,
you can be sure there’s something more gut wrenching awaiting you. Some
consultants take a curious, minimalist approach to communications. For example,
if you ask a question via e-mail or voicemail and they don’t know the answer,
they simply don’t respond. At RUWIRED, we pride ourselves on getting you the
answers you need as soon as you send them. If you are forced to leave us a
message or send us an email, take heart in knowing that we will never ignore
you. We promise to do our absolute best to provide you the service you require -
when you need it!
7.
7. Is your consultant prepared to share his
knowledge? You want your consultant to fix problems but you also want him to
transfer some of his knowledge to you. If your consultant doesn’t want you
watching over his shoulder now and then, if he doesn’t want to explain what he
has done, if he prefers to keep things to himself as much as possible, then
you’re not getting as much out of his time as you should. Sometimes consultants
don’t like to share knowledge or information because they aren’t good at
explaining things. Sometimes they fear that explaining what they’re doing will
expose their ignorance. Sometimes they keep things to themselves because they
think they can make more money from you that way. The less you know, the more
they can bill. It’s never a good thing when your consultant isn’t forthcoming.
RUWIRED always tries to transfer as much knowledge as the customer wishes to
take on. We even go so far as to create guides (typically free of charge)
that show you how to perform basic setup of new PCs, accounts, etc in your Small
Business Server environment!
8.
8. Are you always buying some new service
or product every time you speak with the consultant? Most
consultants get paid to sell – services, products, etc. If all they focus on
is helping you to spend your money, then they may not care about saving your
money by finding free or cheaper alternatives to the meet your businesses needs.
RUWIRED strives to find the cheapest, yet effective option available – period.
RUWIRED also has the running policy that if the call or request takes less than
5 minutes to answer, it is free of charge! Which is great for those simple "how
do I do this again?" questions.
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