Have you ever bought something and then had buyer’s remorse a few months later? The same can happen when purchasing anew computer for your business. Continue reading
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The Best Way to Purchase New Computer Systems
You have decided to buy a new computer for your business or perhaps even a whole set of new computers. You can almost taste the excitement as you think about those sleek new machines and how much more productive your employees will be. There is just one thing left to do: actually choose which ones you need. This is where it starts to gets tricky. Most people pop down to their local retail store and look at the display models and then get overwhelmed when the salesperson starts throwing around technical jargon. This scenario almost always ends up with your business having the wrong computer. Here’s why, and what you should do instead.
Most retail salespeople are minimally trained
Unsurprisingly, salespeople are trained to sell! They may have an interest in computers and they’re certainly great at reading the words on the box to you, but that maybe the limit of their knowledge. Their main goal is to make the sale, earn the commission and go home happy. You want a computer to suit your business needs, which isn’t particularly high on the salespersons priority list. They are not equipped to deeply understand the way your business works and nor do they have the time or desire to find out. You are also more likely to be upsold extras you don’t need but can rapidly drain your budget.
Compatibility can be a problem
There are so many moving parts to your business network, from printers to routers, laptops to desktops and a variety of software programs that anytime you throw a new computer into the mix you could end up with compatibility problems. Salespeople don’t know what your current setup is at your office but may still make recommendations based on assumptions and hopeful guesswork.
Even the number and types of ports available on retail computers may cause a problem once you’re setting up. The last thing you want to do is end up with a collection of wobbly adapter plugs as you attempt to make do until it is time for a do-over.
Most computers sold at retail stores only come with the home versions of the operating system and MS Office software. This then leads to another round of compatibility issues.
Yes you can may be able to create workarounds but this then leads to efficiency and performance hits. It is best to skip the drama and get the right computer first time around.
Support could get tricky
Your IT provider will often stick to a handful of vendors to ensure all parts are kept uniform. That way they know which parts will work together, and should something fail, they can usually get replacements quickly. IT support providers often have special relationships with suppliers and vendors and can get special pricing, extended support and upgrades that a salesperson can’t match. Your IT budget goes further with your consultant, and not just on the day of purchase.
When you buy computers through your IT provider, you know you are getting the exact computer your business needs. They know your business inside and out, including your long and short-term goals and if needed will do more research before making recommendations.
IT providers will also provide business class systems with business class warranties. Remember, you will want your computers to last at least 3-4 years of heavy usage, so it’s a good idea to buy only business-grade computers and components. While the computers at the retail store are equally shiny, they are rarely as durable as the ones your consultant can supply.
As well as selling you the new systems your IT provider will also be able to set the new computers up, ready to go with the exact software you need. They can strip out all the bloatware (unnecessary programs and trials that come pre-installed) and configure your new computers to your needs. Your employees will then be able to enjoy the new systems and take full advantage of the productivity boosts you paid for from day one. That means internet working, internal network connected, your programs playing nice with each other, printing without problems and all your settings data and email transferred from the old computer!
If you are in South Australia we can help with your next purchase – ask us how by contacting us now on 08 8326 4364 or su*****@dp*********.au!
Shopping for a New Computer?
It can be overwhelming when shopping for a new computer! Choosing the right computer comes with so many options and questions abound. Helpful sales people offer RAM as it were a side of fries, measuring CPU’s in terms of the amount of ‘cores’ they have, and the specs of the various machines look like a foreign language.
What we do is first ask what the computer will be used for and try not to include tricky language that only makes sense to other computer geeks, we simply find out what you do on your computer and then recommend systems that suite.
Then comes the real fun.
Once you’ve got that new machine out of the box, you have entered another world again:
- Which cord goes where?
- It doesn’t work like your old one!
- Why is it doing that?
- How to put my programs back on?
- Does it come with security already loaded?
- How do I get all my data copied across?
If you’ve had your old computer for a few years, you know you’re in for a bit of inconvenience, as you now have to install all your programs, alter the settings to match your needs and then copy across all the data – as well as learning all the ins and outs of the new system. We can assist you through this transition period and make it all so much easier by helping to:
1) Transferring your old files for you.
One thing most people forget is how to get information off your old computer and onto your new one. If your old computer is not working then things become really hard. Our technicians can either copy across all the data or turn the old hard drive into an external drive for you.
2) Set up your email.
It is no secret that setting up email can cause headaches even for a tech person. Getting the settings perfect can sometimes be a bit of trial and error. The most common problem we see is email that can receive, but not send. It is a frustrating problem, especially when you’re sending important emails. We can set your email up successfully, copy across you old emails, contacts, calendars and tasks and ensure that it both sends and receives email.
3) Save your website favorites.
All those favorites and bookmarks you’ve made and carefully sorted (or not) are important. You may even have different collections of favorites in different browsers and the last thing you want to do is go find those webpages again. We can transfer your old favorites and put them onto your new computer, making your browser experience look and feel exactly as it did before, only faster.
4) Set up your software.
Software nowadays doesn’t come on a CD. While that’s forward thinking and reducing waste, don’t you miss having a disk you could install from and the license keys listed on the back? We can help you re-download your programs and set up the licenses good as new. As technicians, we can also make sure the new software is optimized, updated and working well. While we’re doing that, we make sure your anti-virus is up-to-date and you are as secure as possible against threats.
5) Connect extra devices
Sometimes it is a matter of knowing what cord goes where or getting the right adapter, but sometimes new devices can present software driver problems. Printers, webcams, game controllers, etc all have unique drivers that need to be installed before they work properly. Windows 10 is great at picking most of these up automatically, but if they are not playing nice or your new computer is suddenly missing the correct plug, we can help get you connected again.
We can install your new computer, transfer data and setup your new computer in no time. Call us today at 08 8326 4364 or su*****@dp*********.au to arrange a time.