IT Support

[MovingIn07]

We've been using a friend from NZ for our IT support for the last year, but it's becoming a tad inconvenient especially with our office move coming up.

Does anyone know of any good IT support people available on an adhoc or retainer basis?

They would need to be familiar with windows and mac, dropbox, google apps and speak English (ideally native-level speaker). Typical issues are "windows is not working"; "I can't print"; "where did all my email go?" and that kind of minor crap. Not website - I have found someone else just for that.

And be happy to come into the office from time to time to sort out any problems if they arise - soon to be relocated to the wilds of the NT (well, actually in Kwai Fung).

Is this the kind of thing you can find a firm to do, or is it better to get an individual? All suggestions/warnings/comments welcome.

[100LL]

Finding a (local) person right away I guess will be difficult but probably depends on the budget. But I don't have any experience with these PC Doctor companies that come in and fix problems, you might want to try contacting a few of them with your exact requirement list. But be careful with your data (I found r_admin installed on a Windows Server after one of these companies hired by our legal firm came to do "stuff").

I took care for years myself or one of my partners did, whoever was around. But after a certain size we hired staff (ie. customer support email reply person) that also had computer knowledge and we preferred people that grew up overseas but still with HKID for those jobs. It always helps if the leadership also knows what they are doing though.

We then started to create knowledge documents "how to setup email" (with email server info etc), "how to create a backup" (where to find software, how to install, location of backup files), etc. The person in trouble and the person troubleshooting the PC could then rely on them.

Maybe something to keep in mind when you hire in the future. I understand you are in a different field than I was, so you probably don't need technical support engineers or customer support engineers who often come with added computer knowledge, but if you hire locally it never hurts if they have a bit of computer knowledge on the side. Let them setup their computer and let them create these documents. Builds understanding and something for the future. If the first version is not perfect, let somebody else who you hire in the future look over them and revise them. Having a bad document is better than having no document.

Another alternative would be for your NZ guy to look into remote admin tools. For most computer problems you don't have to physically be in front a of a PC. This may require a bit of planning and setup (opening up firewall), installing/enabling remote desktop/remote assistance on Windows or other stuff on the Mac, but it works very well. This way you call him to explain the problem, and he then logs in to the computer with the problem to have a look. It's just like if he would be sitting in front of the computer. And since you are moving, somebody will probably have to plan/setup your firewall and internet anyway, so it goes without extra effort. Let me know if you need any (free) "consulting" with this and we can discuss this over a coffee at Starbucks down at the Metroplaza.

It's Kwai Fong. We don't like Fung's around here

Good luck.

[MovingIn07]

Thanks 100LL. Where do I find the 'PC doctor' type of firms?

I guess what I am looking for is a company or individual who specialises in outsourced IT support. We don't need that much - a few hours a month usually - so it's not worth hiring an employee yet, but certainly in Aus and NZ there were companies you can hire who do this.

Our NZ consultant does already have the remote stuff on all of our laptops but it's not really working out. The timezone is something of a problem really, so my other partners are really looking for a body who can come into the office if needed, as well as give email support for minor stuff.

[dtb]

There are companies doing such service (like microware/Toppan form etc) and their tech can visit your office on a regular schedule. The tricky part is finding some native speaking Technicians.

[ycchai]

I wouldn't mind taking a few hours of this guy's time as well as, if you guys have someone who's good to share. I don't have the capacity to trouble shoot everyone's missing files or email as the company gets larger.

[Khema]

When I needed to put extra memory in my home laptop I had Bobby from Sekaitech:
Computer Repair Hong Kong | PC & Laptop Upgrade | Web Design Hong Kong | Home & office Networking Setup | Technical Support

He also did an general check up and maintenance. As far as I remember, he is native English speaker, but I don't remember where he is from. Very professional, but a bit more expensive than a local-local computer man.

[MovingIn07]

Thanks - I'll take a look.

[mumofone]

I know people who have used this company for IT support - give them a call and see what they can offer.

http://www.qsolutions.hk.com/pages_eng/support.htm

[vmlinuz]

I know people who have used this company for IT support - give them a call and see what they can offer.

http://www.qsolutions.hk.com/pages_eng/support.htm

Without going into details, because there are personal things involved, I wouldn't recommend Q Solutions at the moment...

[MovingIn07]

And since the thread is 6 months old, we did find someone! Integra IT group.