Case Study: Perque Carpet and Drapery

How to Improve Internal Communications, Avoid Network Downtime, and Increase Overall Productivity While Decreasing IT Cost

Company Profile

Perque, a locally owned and operated retail company, is one of the New Orleans landmark companies when it comes to flooring needs in home décor. Perque is a family owned and operated company that holds its mission to becoming Louisiana’s number one flooring retailer at the forefront of their success. By listening to their customers and understanding the needs of those who live in areas that are susceptible to flooding and hurricanes, they strive to offer impeccable customer service and delivery of quality products.

In order for business to flow smoothly from their home office in Belle Chase, La to the five retail stores located throughout the city, the management of their IT (Information Technology) is a critical component of their company structure. Proprietary applications, internal networks, and daily communications with the retail stores must be fully functioning and proactively managed in order to provide the excellent level of customer service that their customers expect

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Business Situation

"There were days when all I did was run from here to there setting up printers or computers for the retail stores that are the frontline of our business." As Chief Executive Officer, Stuart Perque was spending too much time away from needed executive decisions. Instead, he was bogged down with the set up and troubleshooting of hardware and software for his stores. "There were days when all I did was run from here to there setting up printers or computers for the retail stores that are the frontline of our business", according to Stuart.

"It is vital for our retail stores to be able to function fully when customers walk through our doors. This meant I had to do whatever it took to get them working again, thereby impacting my daily role as CEO."

"The time it took for me to troubleshoot IT issues from our employees and attempt to resolve them kept me away from delivering time sensitive reports and information that was critical for my CEO."

Solution

In August of 2008, Stuart Perque knew that his company was in need of a new IT management strategy. He recognized what he was spending per year on IT support and the return on investment he was getting was not good enough. He began researching the cost to hire a permanent IT person to function as the Network Manager. For a small to medium sized business, this step can be costly as well as an unnerving experience because your IT network is what keeps your business running. Who do you trust with access to your sensitive information? How do you know they can support your specific needs to keep your business running smoothly? With these thoughts in mind Stuart did not think he could find the right person to fit this job. He then decided to look for another IT company.

How to go about hiring the right IT company to solve your IT needs is a critical decision. Stuart knew he was looking for someone who could proactively manage their current resources and work with them to develop the best strategies for their particular business needs. Like all good executives, Stuart brought this question to his peers. Receiving an excellent recommendation from a prominent local company, Stuart called My IT and requested a meeting. Within a few days, My IT met with the executive team at Perque and discussed their network health. My IT explained how they would bring Perque’s poor network health up to the level that Perque desired. Perque saw that My IT was offering them a solution to their IT problems that they so badly needed. Stuart and Delores made the decision to hire My IT to manage their network under a Managed Services agreement.

Benefits

Within weeks of hiring My IT, Stuart and Delores felt a huge positive impact. "They immediately visited all of our stores and gauged the current health of our networks." said Delores. "They set it up to where they can remotely access all our systems, integrated an online helpdesk, and made sure that everyone knew the different ways they could contact My IT for support. By immediately offloading IT support issues from us, yet making sure Stuart and I were kept in the loop, we were able to regain focus on our actual jobs."

For Perque, partnering with My IT has reduced IT management cost by 50% to 75% annually.

"Since we have been a customer with My IT, I am able to function fully in my CEO role with the confidence of knowing our IT is being managed proactively" Stuart said emphatically. "From equipment purchases to the installation of new applications, I have been taken out of the day to day set up and maintenance of equipment for the stores. I am now able to dedicate myself to the job of CEO which is vital to the future growth of our company. I am 100% satisfied with my decision to partner with My IT, and will gladly recommend their services to other businesses in the area."

Delores Troulliet states, "Since we have been with My IT, I am now able get my monthly reports done on time. Plus, I now have time left at the end of each month to focus on extra projects or research that may need to be done to improve our business. Many of times we get alerted by My IT about problems that they resolved that we were not even aware of yet! I love MY IT guys!"

My IT Overview

Since the beginning of 2000, My IT has provided customers with a unique and much needed IT service philosophy. The President of My IT, David Bourgeois states "When I started this company my whole objective was to provide strong IT support and philosophies to small and medium businesses. At My IT we follow best practices faithfully. By giving our clients this level of service we are able to elevate their IT to levels that they have never experienced before."

"At My IT we follow best practices faithfully. By giving our clients this level of service we are able to elevate their IT to levels that they have never experienced before."

Through this approach My IT helps clients develop superior IT strategies and solutions that are focused on increased productivity and long term cost effectiveness. Today, My IT serves a diverse client base across a broad spectrum of industries throughout the Gulf South area. My IT has an extended network of trusted partners and vendors in the Gulf South area that work with us to secure the IT needs for our client base. Our company works for your goals to be met in your business environment. Some of the certifications that the My IT team holds include:

• Microsoft Gold Certified Partner
• Citrix Certified Silver Partner
• GFI Authorized Reseller
• Cisco Registered Partner
• SonicWALL Silver Partner
• Websense Silver Partner

To find out how My IT can help streamline your company needs, and give back the valuable time you need to manage your company, please contact Account Manager Tracie Berkholz at tracieb@myitsupport.com or at 504-355-7337