New Century Case Study
July 2003

Internet access for business – don’t suffer in silence!

1. The symptoms

New Century, based in south Somerset, provide design and print solutions for a broad range of clients. Their services also include photography and web site design.

A speedy, efficient and cost effective method of Internet access is critical for any business that regularly transfers large electronic files to customers and associates over the Internet.

As New Century expanded, they felt their business was being held back by an unreliable and expensive Internet connection, resulting in significant and costly delays to their production process.

James Atherton, proprietor of New Century explains,

“Our business was growing rapidly, and critical files were failing to arrive, causing us all sorts of headaches. In a business that works to stringent deadlines, and a carefully scheduled production process, all the information we send and receive electronically has to be delivered securely and swiftly. We take customer service very seriously here. We simply have to meet deadlines and deliver on time.”

2. Why OfficeLink IT?

OfficeLink IT were recommended to New Century by a business associate.

Methods of Internet connection and service provision have grown rapidly in recent years. Wading through the pros and cons of different methods and services can be a daunting and time consuming task.

But, Internet access and electronic communication is an issue which all companies should consider and review regularly, to ensure that existing systems and services are aligned to support business objectives and growth. Complacency can lead to spiraling costs, and poor performance.

OfficeLink IT specialise in providing efficient and cost effective Internet access solutions and services for companies in rural areas. Richard Crabb, Managing Director of OfficeLink IT explains,

“Different types of business have very different needs when it comes to Internet access and service provision, yet very often a ‘one size fits all’ approach is taken. This can prove both expensive and inefficient, significantly impairing business performance. In over 90% of cases, we have found that we can make significant cost savings, whilst also improving efficiency for our clients. This can have a huge and immediate impact on the performance of a small or medium sized business.”

3. The Diagnosis

After an initial conversation, OfficeLink IT were able to ascertain that New Century were paying excessive costs for Internet access. They were paying standard local call rates, resulting in bills of over £500 per quarter. OfficeLink IT were able to reduce these costs to a much more reasonable figure of £120 per quarter.

New Century were also using an Internet connection speed of 64k, which meant that files were taking a long time to transfer. This resulted in expensive online call costs, and frustrating delays to carefully planned production schedules. OfficeLink IT installed a router that automatically doubled the speed of transfer for larger files, from 64k to 128k.

The business was also suffering from an unreliable and slow email service. Each of their four computers checked for email on the Internet individually, blocking their Internet connection for excessively long periods. OfficeLink IT installed an email server, which has dramatically reduced the time taken to check email, and enabled New Century to use a cheaper ISP package.

All of these factors have reduced costs and increased efficiency. James Atherton concludes,

“For a relatively modest budget, OfficeLink IT have been able to save us money and improve the efficiency of our service. This has had a hugely positive impact on the performance of our business.”

3. The prognosis

New Century are planning to expand further, and are currently working closely with OfficeLink IT to ensure that both their network infrastructure and Internet access, are aligned to support growth and enhanced performance.

4. Quotes from New Century and OfficeLink IT

James Atherton, proprietor of New Century surmises,

“OfficeLink IT were incredibly easy to deal with. I don’t have the time to sit down and try and understand all the different options and methods of Internet access, never mind networks and servers etc! The OfficeLink IT team took the time to explain the issues, and offer solutions which were easy to introduce.”

Richard Crabb, Managing Director of OfficeLink IT added,

”Many smaller businesses feel overwhelmed by the options available to them, and at OfficeLink.IT, we know we can offer the most cost effective solutions for Internet and office-to-office connections. Most importantly, we tailor everything we recommend to the individual client. In over 90% of cases, we are able to reduce costs considerably, whilst also improving efficiency. These factors can have a huge and immediate impact on the performance of a small or medium sized business, often within a relatively modest budget.”

Further details of OfficeLink IT’s range of Internet Solutions and Network Services, can be found at www.officelinkit.com.