BACKGROUND

Derek Bok (president of Harvard University 1971-1990) said: “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance”. The same can be said of IT consultants. Starting a technology project, even as small a the purchase of new equipment, can be made less costly, more effective, and avoid more land mines by including a qualified IT consultant from the very beginning.

Finding and hiring a computer consultant doesn’t need to be a costly endeavor fraught with gotchas. This article, based on the original by Apple, Inc. provides you with a checklist to help make just the right choice.

SEARCH STEPS

STEP 1: SEARCH

Your first step is to locate an Apple Certified Consultant. Apple Certification ensures that your IT support professional meets or exceeds Apple’s standards of excellence. Apple makes it easy to locate members of the Apple Consultants Network with their Consultant Locator. This database allows you to search for Apple Certified Consultants within your geographical area.

With your search results, you can click on each consultant to view a page listing their areas of expertise and certification. The MacXperts may be found here. All New Mexico consultants may be found here.

STEP 2: INTERVIEW

Once you have a number of consultants that meet your initial criteria, it’s time to interview each to determine who makes the best fit for your project, business, and personality. Listed below are suggested questions as a starting point. Included are The MacXperts answers:

Qualifications

• Are you a current member of the Apple Consultants Network? Yes. The MacXperts has been a member since 2002.
• What certification do you hold? The MacXperts holds: 10.1 ACHDS, ACTC; 10.2 ACHDS, ACTC; 10.3 ACHDS, ACTC; 10.4 ACHDS, ACTC; 10.5 ACSP, ACTC; 10.6 ACSP, ACTC. No one in New Mexico comes close to matching this skill level or certification.
• How long have you been in business? Marc Mintz, President and Senior IT Consultant of The MacXperts, has been serving New Mexico for over 20 years. This is longer than any other New Mexico consultant or technician.
• Can you provide references? Yes. The MacXperts can provide references for large business, small business, home business, and home users.

Skills and Specialties

• What type of services do you provide? The MacXperts provide comprehensive service, support, and consulting. From initial needs assessment, to hardware, software, server, and network installation, then ongoing on-site and remote service. We continue to reduce your total cost of ownership with end-user training and IT-certification training. We do not sell products. We do not accept commission from manufacturers for recommending products. All of our product and service recommendations are based purely on what is the best fit for your environment.
• What is your specialty? The MacXperts specializes in providing the absolute finest customer service, unparalleled Macintosh consulting and support, at a competitive rate.
• Do you offer remote and/or on-location service? We offer both options for all clients. Our remote service includes automated hourly system diagnostics to catch small glitches before they cascade to large problems.
• Do you offer training or ongoing services? The MacXperts has been rated one of the nation’s finest trainers for both end-user and IT staff. Marc Mintz was selected from a world wide search to provide International field engineer training for both Digital Equipment Corporation and Motorola.
• How do you remain up to date with current technologies? The MacXperts typically spends 2-4 weeks each year attending continuing education at Apple. For 20 years we have maintained a higher level of training, skill set, and certification than any other New Mexico Apple Certified Consultant or technician. To further enhance the quality of consulting services offered by The MacXperts, Marc Mintz is currently a full-time MBA-IT student with an expected graduation of May, 2011.

Business Practices

• Will you provide a written or verbal contract that outlines your services, terms, and timeframes? The MacXperts always provides a “Technical Consultant Services Agreement” detailing all aspects of our work prior to providing services.
• Will you provide a complete plan that identifies specific goals and milestones for the project? For large projects we provide a detailed plan for all steps, timeframes, milestones, and parts and labor costs. For service and support, we provide estimates prior to the start of any work.
• How do you charge for your services: Hourly or by project? For large projects, we charge by the project. For consulting, service and support, we charge by the hour. For training, we charge by the hour for unstructured small groups, and charge by the training for structured large groups.
• What are your rates? Do those rates differ depending on the type of project or service? The MacXperts rates for on-site and remote service and support is $125 per hour, $150 per hour for server and database. We also offer significant discounts for purchases of time blocks. Though large projects are billed on a per project basis, their rates are based on this hourly rate. We are confident you will find that though The MacXperts are among the higher per-hour rates, total cost for our services is lower due to completion of work in less time, work done right the first time, and our 100% satisfaction guarantee.
• What are your billing practices? What are your payment terms and preferred methods of payment? All service and support payments are due at the time of service. Large projects are typically billed 1/3 at the start of work, 1/3 at the mid-point milestone, and 1/3 at completion. We accept personal and business checks, and all major credit cards.
• What products do you sell? The MacXperts is a true full service consultancy. Our mission is to create or recommend the very finest solution to your needs. However, we do not sell products as this creates a conflict of interest. We also do not accept commissions from any of the manufacturers, developers, or vendors we recommend.
• Can we get regular status updates so I can keep track of the project progress? Though this question does not apply to standard service and support, we do provide daily updates on large projects.
• How do your rates compare with competitors? Rates for Apple Certified Consultants range nationally from $75 to $275 per hour. In New Mexico the range is $75 to $175 per hour. When selecting The MacXperts your actual costs will be on the lower end, due to our ability to consistently complete work in a shorter time frame, remote support that eliminates waiting for an on-site visit, and preventive maintenance to reduce downtime–all of which contribute to a significantly lower total cost of ownership!

STEP 3: HIRE

With interviews completed, it is time to select a consultant based on the best overall combination of skill set, certifications, budget, and personal fit!

Tags: apple consultant, macintosh consultant, service, support