Why location matters to clients

Why having a service provider closer to you can still make a difference in the age of remote working and support.

We have found that most London-focused IT service providers are based on the outskirts of London. There are obviously plenty of fair and reasonable reasons for this. The office rates are much lower than in the centre of the City, the staffing costs are lower because staff do not have the expense of working in the City, and the offices are easier to reach for many key staff.

It’s true that on an IT service desk, more than 90% of calls and requests can be handled remotely. However, what we have heard from clients is that with service providers based outside of the centre, when they really need somebody to come in for something that cannot be fixed remotely, or for items like desk moves, it suddenly becomes an issue with getting somebody in. There is a wait and a schedule, and sometimes chargeable travel time.

This is where we have made a real difference to our client base. By having our office right on their doorstep (and in the case of some clients, in the same building), we can provide this extra level of service, with no-quibble site visits when required, and easy scheduling of managed tasks. There is also the opportunity to meet the team and the account manager.

Our clients cite this as one (there are more) of the reasons that make our service a cut above the rest.