We see RFPs that we consider pursuing occasionally. Some appear to have fantastic opportunities behind them, but they often have the whole process backwards. To illustrate, imagine you had some rare, life threatening condition. You obviously would be in need of some specialized and highly valued health care. How would you go about getting that…

I heard a great quote from a wise man (named Bob) a few months ago that really resonated with me. “We are not in the fixing problems business, we are in the setting expectations business”. Have you ever been excited about a company’s service simply because they called you back when they said they would?…

“Why bother with maintenance on computers when they’re so cheap? We just replace them when they start slowing down.” Sounds logical, right? Common sense, really. Let me set you straight. I heard the logic above from a prospective client recently. They figured they replaced their computers every two to three years (let’s call it 2.5…

I met with “someone” recently and discussed with them making the switch to using Smart Dolphins for their IT support. The meeting went really well. The company was in growth mode and was transitioning to a new level in many ways. Their existing IT support had been coming from a friend. This friend was doing…

September 1st marks a new fiscal year for Smart Dolphins. We wipe the slate clean and start over again. What will we accomplish this year? What will we learn? What new companies will join the Smart Dolphins family in the next year? What challenges and set back await? September is also the bang of the…

Almost a year ago, Smart Dolphins outsourced our tier-one reactive service. In other words, all our initial reactive service that our clients required was done outside of our office. We’re now really excited to announce that on September 1st of this year, that role will be coming back in-house. I am a firm believer in…

We’re looking for a new tech support dolphin, as is no secret, and for a variety of reasons I have been far more involved in the hiring process than I would usually be. Sure I’ve been to a lot of interviews in the past, but Dave normally goes through our resumes and meets our hopeful…

I can’t say this as fact, but I am pretty sure Smart Dolphins charges more than most of our competitors. Scary stuff to say publicaly, no? Well, I am also confident that Smart Dolphins also lowers our clients’ IT costs more than our competitors. “Huh?”, you say. A company’s IT costs go well beyond an…

Business professionals who we approach as prospective clients are hesitant to talk with us about helping them. They often tell us, “our IT is fine.” Sometimes the root source of this attitude is a fear of what is “under the hood” (i.e., what will they find? What will it mean? What will that cost? Do…

I just finished reading Shallows after hearing Dave’s recommendation earlier this month. What a great read. Shallows really speaks to me. I’ve noticed and commented to various people over the past few years how my ability to remember and absorb information has changed. I’ve been at Smart Dolphins for over seven years and the difference…