Frustrated with your IT? It may not be your provider

Both sides are usually right. The gap is the problem.

One point of contact. Requests go through someone who knows what to ask for and how urgent it really is.

Translation, both ways. Business needs become clear, prioritized requests. Technical answers become plain decisions, with the cost and the risk.

Expectations, written down. What the contract covers, how fast they respond, what counts as extra, and who on your team can ask for what.

A plan, so it's not all firefighting. A roadmap and budget your provider can work to, instead of a stream of surprises.

Accountability on both sides. Your provider is held to the service they promised. Your team is held to the process you agreed on.

A regular check. A service review every quarter, with the ticket data, the bills, and the roadmap on the table.

Most IT providers run their help desk on two kinds of platform: one that monitors and manages your devices (RMM) and one that handles tickets, contracts, and billing (PSA). The industry leaders are ConnectWise and Kaseya. We know how these platforms work and what they record, so with your provider's cooperation we can read what's in them and see where the work actually stalls:

• Intake. How requests arrive, from whom, and how many arrive as emergencies.
• Triage and priority. Whether urgent work is actually treated as urgent.
• Response and resolution. How long tickets wait, and where they sit.
• Repeat issues. The same problems coming back, and the root causes nobody has fixed.
• Escalation. Who handles what, and where handoffs drop.
• Automation. Patching, monitoring, and alerts that could prevent tickets instead of creating them.
• Documentation. What your provider has to rediscover every time because nobody wrote it down.

Then we work with your provider to fix it. Fewer tickets, faster fixes, and a bill that reflects the work. Michael has done this before: at STOCK Development, the standards and documentation he built cut help desk calls by more than 90 percent.

1. 1

   Review: find where it's breaking down

   We read your contract and service agreement, look at the ticket history and the bills, and talk with your leadership, a few of your staff, and your provider. You get a written answer: is it the process, the contract, the plan, or the fit?

2. 2

   Reset the relationship

   Most of the time, that's the fix. We reset expectations with your provider, adjust the contract if it needs it, set up a simple request process and priorities, and agree on how service will be reviewed. Nobody gets fired.

3. 3

   Stay in the middle

   As your fractional CTO, we stay the buffer: the requests, the roadmap, the budget, and the quarterly review. The relationship stays healthy because someone is minding it.

4. 4

   If it still isn't the right fit

   Sometimes it isn't. Then we write down what you need, build a short list of providers that fit your size and industry, negotiate the contract, and run the handover with both providers, so you never have to sit in the awkward meeting. Every contract we negotiate says you own your passwords, domain, licenses, and documentation.

We've been on the provider's side of the table. Michael spent nine years at an IT services firm, as an engineer and then running its operations and help desk, before leading technology in-house. We know what good providers need from a client, and what makes a relationship go sideways.

We know the platforms behind your provider's help desk. We know the industry-leading platforms, ConnectWise and Kaseya, and we've run help desks on ConnectWise, Atera, Zendesk, and Intercom. We work in the tools your provider already uses. No new platform to buy.

Good providers like working with us. Clearer requests, fewer emergencies, and a client who knows what they're buying.

We don't sell managed IT. We're not angling for your provider's contract.

Nothing in it for us. We take no referral fees from any provider, and if we've worked with yours, we'll tell you in writing.

The same approach works with your phone and internet carriers, security monitoring, software vendors, and anyone else you depend on but can't seem to get through to.

Will you tell us to switch?

Rarely as a first step. Most relationships can be fixed, and switching is disruptive and expensive. If it really isn't the right fit, we'll say so, and handle the move.

Will our provider see you as a threat?

Good ones won't. We don't sell what they sell, and we make their job easier. We'll meet with them early and set that tone.

Do you get paid by any provider?

Never. No referral fees, commissions, or bounties. You're the only one who pays us.

What does a review cost?

It's a fixed fee, scoped to your size, and it's credited toward ongoing work if you continue with us.