GulfCoast Networking Case Study

Small IT service provider cuts down on travel costs using appliance-based remote desktop support solution

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The Challenge

With four support reps providing IT services to approximately 1,000 customers in New Port Richey, FL and the surrounding area, GulfCoast Networking (GCN) has to be able to service its customers quickly in order to keep up with support requests. And because GCN's largest customer base is in the medical field, along with a strong presence in the legal field, they must ensure that all interaction with their customers is secure and compliant. Previously, GulfCoast Networking relied on phone communication to support their customers when on-site visits were not practical. However, this often proved ineffective, requiring support reps to guide non-tech-savvy customers through fixes.

The Solution

In March 2006, after evaluating several remote control support solutions, including WebEx™ Support Center, GulfCoast Networking chose Bomgar™ to fill their remote desktop support needs. ¹ "WebEx was a nice package, but it struck us as being designed primarily for doing presentations rather than support," said Network Engineer Rob Marlowe. "It was a bit clunky compared to Bomgar for our specific application." After using Bomgar's subscription service for a year to test the waters, GCN purchased the Bomgar B100™, an appliance made specifically for small IT shops. "At the time we started using the hosted service, I was not at all positive we would use Bomgar enough to justify the expense of buying an appliance," said Marlowe. "However, it became apparent very quickly that not only could we justify the expense, but it would be absolutely indispensable."

With the Bomgar Box™, Marlowe and his team no longer have to play puppet master with the enduser. "Our customers are not technically astute and don't particularly want to be computer geeks," said Marlowe. "I was trying to walk a customer – someone with a four-year nursing degree – through a fix, but she was unfamiliar with some of the basic terminology I was using, so it was very difficult to get the job done. If we'd had Bomgar, I could have fixed the problem without having to translate from geek to nurse to tell her what to do."

The Results

Marlowe and his team were able to get the B100™ up and running quickly. "We plugged the thing in, got it configured, and probably spent more time customizing the presentation to the end-user than anything else," said Marlowe. "We wanted it to be distinctly ours, and Bomgar lets us make those modifications. From the time we had it out of the box, we had it minimally functioning in 15-20 minutes, and in about an hour we had all of the tweaks set up."

Bomgar™ has enabled GulfCoast Networking to fix their customers' problems directly rather than guide their customers' actions over the phone. "I had a situation where a customer had an anti-virus package that was disagreeing with her Windows® Vista™ machine," said Marlowe. "She was not technically inclined, and it was easy for me to get onto her computer, uninstall the anti-virus, and reinstall the latest build of that package and get her up and running."

Marlowe estimates that GCN acheived return on investment versus Bomgar's competitors in less than two years. And GulfCoast Networking's customers are also reaping the benefits, as their problems can be fixed faster and less expensively. "It has helped our response time," said Marlowe. "Instead of taking an hour to make a five-minute fix, we can just get it done. It helps us be more responsive and meet our commitments to our customers. At the same time, it saves the customer huge amounts of money because they're not having to pay for travel costs. Customers think it's magic that we can do it."

About GulfCoast Networking

GulfCoast Networking, based in New Port Richey, FL, was organized to serve the needs of small to medium size businesses who need help managing their computer systems, but cannot afford to have a full-time IT person on staff. GulfCoast Networking specializes in local area networks, small servers, and custom workstations, all built to their customers' exact specifications.

About Bomgar

Bomgar™ is the only provider of appliance-based remote control support solutions, offering greater security and lower total cost of ownership. With the Bomgar Box™, Bomgar's clients can eliminate monthly fees and enhance the security of their helpdesks.

1. WebEx™ Support Center is a trademark of WebEx Communications, Inc.

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