Case Study: EST Marketing
Specialist marketing company benefits from Complete I.T.’s knowledge and expertise
Business Issue
To deliver a robust and reliable IT and communication infrastructure which is capable of supporting diverse needs of this rapidly growing, specialist marketing company.
Market Sector
Lead generation for the Information Technology sector.
Organisation
EST Marketing.
Business Description
EST Marketing has established itself as one of the leading providers of lead generation, telephone support and data provision within the Information Technology marketplace. The EST staff work closely with their clients to develop a thorough understanding of the key messages and target markets and to define campaigns and activities that will deliver qualified, high quality sales opportunities.
The breadth and complexities of the IT market demands a more consultative approach to lead generation so EST take time to make sure their staff have a thorough grounding in the language and messages of their clients. Individuals are assigned to a client and will work with them throughout the process. This clear focus and professional approach has allowed EST to successfully build up a number of long-standing client relationships in a highly competitive marketplace.
Specific Challenges
Since 2002, the company has grown organically and now employs 26 staff from their head office in Reading. Much of the business is completed on the phone so reliable IT and robust telecommunications are absolutely imperative. According to Mike Starnes, Sales and Operations Director, “If our communications are down, we can make no calls, deliver no customer service and generate no revenue”.
An increasing number of clients are now using web-based contact management systems so the EST team also need access to these systems so they can work as part of the client’s sales team. During 2011, EST completed a planned expansion into new offices which had to be fully connected and integrated within the existing IT infrastructure.
Approach
As EST Marketing grew in the early days, the decision was made to outsource the management of IT to an IT support company. A couple of smaller local companies were initially used but in 2009, the company’s needs began to out-strip their capabilities and expertise.
Mike Starnes found himself spending more time on IT support than he was on client work so the decision was made to find a specialist IT support partner that could provide the breadth of technical expertise and business knowledge that was essential to meet the future objectives of the company.
Selection
EST completed a detailed evaluation of four IT support companies. The remit was to find a proactive partner that could quickly generate trust and understanding from users across the business. It was also critical that the supplier had a large support team capable of responding to EST’s problems in a timely and positive manner.
EST selected Complete I.T. to manage their IT infrastructure including all servers and desktops and the provision of a full range of security and backup capabilities to ensure the long term success of the business. CIT impressed with their structured approach to providing regular onsite support backed up by a highly knowledgeable Helpdesk Team.
The Experience
During the evaluation, Mike was concerned that CIT may be too big for their needs but has found this to be a long way from the truth – “we know all of our account contacts really well and have developed great working relationships with them all. It’s a real bonus that everybody in CIT talks in plain English and we feel we can discuss any IT issue with them”.
Mike has found working with Complete I.T. to be a breath of fresh air – “I’m now spending far less time on IT issues and our team has a high level of confidence in their capabilities”.
CIT are working with Mike and his colleagues to plan for the future and to seek out new ways for IT to bring added value to the business. “The plain talking and regular communications with Complete I.T. are very effective and we now have an IT partner that is truly managing IT for the benefit of our business”.
IT Support
Cyber Security
Hosted Telephony