Managed IT Services Revolutionise McGoff Group

Managed IT Services Revolutionise McGoff Group

Altrincham based construction company, The McGoff Group has facilitated business growth…by selecting innovative managed print services and IT solutions from Midshire. By carefully choosing Midshire, the Group has not only seen a massive reduction in overhead costs for both hardware and support, but a marked increase in uptime, which has translated into business progression.

The Problem: No Managed IT Services for Consistency

Problem 1: Over spending on print, IT hardware support
Problem 2: Struggling to keep track of spiralling costs
Problem 3: Downtime from general IT issues

Due to the Group’s massive growth in the years leading up to its partnership with Midshire, their spend on print, IT hardware and support had begun to spiral out of control. With no central department or support company to turn to the team at McGoff was tasked with purchasing hardware for new starters. Opting for the best pricing at the time of purchase meant staff struggled to troubleshoot in house and ad hoc support bills racked up.

Furthermore, the company’s lack of managed IT services was threatening to impact the development of the business by putting the procurement process into the hands of staff, taking them away from spending time on their own duties.

As well as trying to manage IT themselves, employees were experiencing a lot of downtime from minor everyday IT problems, such as being unable to open emails or files, being unable to connect to the internet, or being unable to print, which if left unchecked could have been detrimental to growth.

The Solution: Providing Innovative IT Solutions with Managed IT Services

Solution 1: Competitive pricing and product uniformity
Solution 2: Onsite IT Support Technician to manage procurement 
Solution 3: Take over IT admin from staff

As a certified Microsoft Partner UK, Midshire’s first port-of-call was to thoroughly research how McGoff was using the hardware they had. IT Sales Manager Stuart Carruthers then identified savings could be made, and suggested affordable HP and Lenovo laptops. Rich in functionality, these devices would drastically reduce hardware spend with no loss to performance, and because all of the devices would be the same, tracking spend and troubleshooting would be easier.

Next, in order to tackle the issue of time consuming self-management, and general downtime, a Midshire Onsite IT Support Technician was proposed. The Technician was to be at McGoff’s head office three days per week, with a view to source, build, configure and entirely manage the procurement of IT hardware and mobile phones, thus freeing the time of staff. The Technician would also be on-hand to help employees experiencing IT issues get back up and running, again reducing downtime.

“I have been supplying The McGoff Group with office technology and IT solutions for over 14 years now, and in that time both Midshire and the McGoff Group have seen phenomenal growth. It has been a genuine pleasure to have worked so closely with them for so many years, and I look forward to many, many more!” Stuart Carruthers, IT Sales Manager, Midshire

The Outcome: Scaled up IT Solutions

Because IT support is agreed as part of Midshire’s flexible support contract, the Group now profit from savings on a routine basis, at a fraction of the cost of hiring a permanent employee. Furthermore, now that support is readily available and hardware procurement is managed by Midshire, staff can spend their time more productively and work towards the business development. Devices now arrive at staff desks completely configured and fit for purpose. The resultant progress of the Group has also led to the Onsite IT Support Technician service being scaled up, from three days per week to four, in a bid to accelerate further growth.

“I joined the McGoff Group in 2008 originally believing I would introduce them to my previous company’s copier and technology supplier. However, after speaking with Stuart at Midshire, I soon realised they offered a much greater service. With Midshire, we have seen significant savings for hardware, support, and a vast improvement in service.” Emma James, Head of Support Services and Business Operations