Situation

For 20 years, Quest has been providing business travellers with strategically located serviced apartments. As Operations Manager with Quest for seven years, Andrew saw at first hand the challenges faced by franchise owners seeking good IT support. He says, “IT poses a peculiar problem – it isn’t a skill most managers have, yet it’s always changing and most importantly, it’s mission critical to their business.” When Andrew left Quest for his own Quest franchise in North Ryde, he had some definite ideas about managing his IT needs. Andrew was aware of the problems his business would face if mission critical applications were not functioning when they were needed. He recognised that “time spent in solving an IT problem would be time away from attending to my core business operations.” Andrew also believes a business computer network isn’t something that just anyone can tinker with. “It is important to me that the person who works on my system not only knows its vagaries but that they understand my business and what is critical to its success.” From past experiences with Brennan, Andrew knew before he even had a problem just who would be fixing it.

Solution

When Andrew approached Brennan to discuss his IT needs, he was recommended an ActiveCare agreement including a Service Pack 20 which is a pre-purchased package of 20 support hours. Andrew used the Service Pack as a starting point for fixing his existing network problems and to optimise it for better performance. A Brennan technician updated all computers with the Quest Standard Operating Environment, solved issues of slow network and printing speeds and ensured that data was backed up regularly and that software that should talk to other software did so. The hours that remain, Andrew uses to handle one-off problems that crop up on a daily basis and for long-term planned changes such as converting his peer-to-peer network to a more robust and functional domain-based network. The ActiveCare agreement provides regular proactive care – each month, Andrew’s computers get an onsite health check from a Brennan technician.

Benefits

For Andrew, it’s the things he doesn’t have to worry about that are the key benefits to working with Brennan. He doesn’t have to worry about who to call when problems arise because Brennan’s Service Desk is available 24/7. He has a dedicated technician who knows his system and an entire team of skilled technicians backing him up. “In the hotel industry, our mantra is to give great service, so I expect that from my providers,” Andrew explains. “There’s no room for someone who says I’ll get around to that next week – I need a can do today solution and Brennan gives us the level of service we expect.” Andrew also likes working with a company that understands his industry. Matt Lovegrove General Manager – Sales & Marketing at Brennan explains “Brennan services over 230 hotels in Australia making us the single, largest provider of IT support services to the industry. Our client hotels are mostly small businesses like Andrew’s – they can’t justify employing a dedicated IT person and they can’t operate without timely, knowledgeable support.” “Having Brennan handling my IT issues means I can spend my time in my business, selling it, talking to clients and managing my staff,” Andrew concludes, “Brennan helps me make my business a success.”