Managed IT Services for Consulting Firm
“They’re focused on making their customers happy.”
Project Summary
Teal serves as the managed IT services partner to a life sciences consulting company. Recently, they’ve been migrating the client’s IT infrastructure to meet new government standards.
Feedback Summary
Despite having about 100 interactions with the client’s staff each month, no complaints about Teal’s IT support have ever been logged. They are patient and understanding in troubleshooting technical issues, regardless of their complexity. The partners communicate regularly.
Background
Please describe your company and your position there.
I’m the IT director of a small life science consulting company that focuses on federal government work.
The Opportunity / Challenge
What challenge were you trying to address with Teal?
We needed a subcontractor to provide managed IT services to us. We needed someone to help us configure computers, provide technical support, install patches, coordinate repairs, and handle other tech responsibilities.
The Approach
What was the scope of their involvement?
When we signed up for their services, they began as our IT support contractor. Whenever we need support, any user can reach out to their help desk. If we need help with a larger initiative, another administrator or I can reach out to them and plan the project.
In the last year, they’ve also worked on migrating our IT infrastructure to increase our government compliance. New federal regulations came out for contractors handling sensitive information and our existing infrastructure needed a lot of work to meet these standards. They’ve broken this initiative into several sub-projects that we’ve completed in stages. Their team has done research into the security solutions that would meet our needs for this project, but their longstanding relationship with us has limited how much discovery they’ve had to do.
What is the team composition?
We’ve worked with one lead engineer who manages a team of several others for this project.
How did you come to work with Teal?
Our initial decision to work with them predates my time with the company. However, I know we’ve chosen to stick with them due to the breadth, quality, and scalability of their services. They’re also very amenable to my team’s suggestions. Their team is happy to handle everything related to the engagement but has no qualms with us stepping in as well. We could have gone with other vendors to help with our infrastructure upgrade, but based on these factors we chose to stick with them.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent close to $1,000,000 with them in total.
What is the status of this engagement?
We’ve worked together since January 2011.
The Outcome
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
In my time with the company, I’ve never received any complaints about their team. With about 100 interactions a month, this lack of complaints is really impressive. I’ve got a strong IT background, but they’re always able to help me with any complex problems I encounter. At the same time, though, they have no issue helping people with less computer experience through their tech issues. Their team is patient and understanding.
How did Teal perform from a project management standpoint?
They’ve done really well. With any new endeavors, we’ll hold a kickoff call in which I can easily set forth project requirements. From an IT support perspective, we have a quarterly update call. They also provide regular updates on our infrastructure upgrade projects. I’ve also really appreciated how honest they are about their timelines. They’ll give me a timeline at the beginning of a project and then meet that timeline. If they’ve got a lot going on, they’re comfortable with letting me know that they’ll need longer than normal to deliver.
We communicate via email and virtual calls. Prior to the pandemic, we had in-person meetings as well. I know they’re using project management tools internally, but we don’t collaborate in using any of these tools.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They’re focused on making their customers happy. They don’t just want to resolve problems. Rather, they truly want to accommodate our team’s availability and needs. They won’t walk away from a ticket until the person they’re helping is truly satisfied.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Very rarely, some of their field staff don’t understand the nature of our business. This issue seems to pop up when they onboard new staff, so I’d recommend that their senior staff focus on familiarizing their newer team members with the needs of their customers.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Reach out to them and tell them exactly what you’re looking for. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. They’ll let you know if they can deliver what you need.
Project Details
Category:
- IT Managed Services
- Other IT Consulting and SI
Length:
- Jan. 2011 – Ongoing
Size:
- $200,000 to $999,999
The Client
Industry:
- Life Science Consulting
Client size:
- 51-200 Employees
Location:
- Maryland
The Reviewer
IT Director
Client Review
- Quality - 5.0
- Schedule - 5.0
- Cost - 5.0
- Willing to Refer - 5.0
