You have no problem setting up a new computer at home. It’s not difficult and doesn’t take very long. So why is your IT company adding hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars for labor to install new computers in your business?
This is the number one most common question we get when we install new or replacement computers.
So, let’s break down exactly what goes into installing a new computer in a business environment and what you can expect to pay for that service.
You’re right. You can, and likely have, purchased new computers for your business with little to no setup or installation costs. But what would your users say about their experience after receiving a new computer?
Did they get stuck the first time they tried to print?
Did they have to spend a whole day re-setting their bookmarked web pages?
Did they lose any files mistakenly saved to their desktop?
Were they confused by a new version of Windows?
When you don’t take the time (or pay someone to take the time) to work with your users and make sure everything gets put back how it should on the new machine, you end up paying the price in wasted time, lost revenue, and frustrated employees.
Taking the time (and making the investment) on the front-end to configure the computer correctly is always the most cost-effective option.
Innovative installs hundreds of PCs every year. After doing this for the past two decades, we’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) what happens when you cut corners during PC installs. It almost always leads to significantly more help desk tickets from frustrated end-users who can’t do some essential function of their job. Inevitably, something didn’t transfer from their old computer, or settings weren't configured for their needs.
Don’t get me wrong, we’re not perfect, and we can’t read minds. We always see a spike in support needs after installing new equipment. Your users are bound to get hung up on something that’s not identical to their old PC.
Innovative’s flat-rate support model makes minimizing headaches after an install project as much in our best interest as it is in yours.
To minimize headaches after new PC installs, Innovative uses standardized tools and checklists to ensure that computers are configured and installed with as little stress or impact on your end-users as possible.
In addition to standardizing the process, we also track the time new PC installs take, which is about four hours for the average single PC install.
Innovative typically does not charge additional setup or installation fees for single PCs purchased from us, as long as you have an active managed services contract with full support for PCs. Your strategy consultant can help you understand the scenarios when your specific partnership with Innovative does or does not include PC installs based on your warranty, service contract language, and situation.
When PC installs fall outside your service contract scope, additional setup fees apply. PC install fees vary by client and project. On average, Innovative currently charges $700 per PC for setup and installation. Your actual cost per PC fluctuates up or down based on the following factors.
We mentioned above that the average install takes about four hours. That means some take more and some take less time. Below are some factors that could make your install cost more or less.
Innovative usually installs individual PCs at no additional cost under your flat rate support contract. However, the replacement of more than one PC typically requires enough time and effort to warrant a project outside of the scope of your managed services contract. The more computers we install at once, the less we typically charge per computer due to the efficiency of working on multiple devices at one time, especially when we install multiple computers in the same office location.
The more large software programs and customized settings, the longer setup will take (and the more it will cost). This doesn't usually apply to average office computers requiring the standard Microsoft programs. But large systems like CAD software and large database programs sometimes take 10+ hours to install and configure.
Innovative keeps a log of time we spend on every computer setup and installation. After a while, we'll get to know your company, software, and preferences. And we'll adjust your specific per PC install cost accordingly. If we're consistently spending only an hour or two on your PCs, your standard cost decreases. If we're consistently spending five or six hours on your PCs, your standard cost goes up. However, depending on the volume of PCs you need in a given year, we can sometimes create customizations or file repositories specific to you to speed up your install time and reduce your future install costs.
OK. So, we've talked about why you take the time or make the investment to set up computers correctly. We've talked about how much that costs. But what do you do when you set up and install a new PC? Below we'll walk through the major tasks associated with new PC set up and old PC replacement.
First, name and inventory the device. This ensures a clear mechanism to identify which specific computer requires support, track any repeating issues, and maintain warranty and lifecycle management records.
After you document and inventory the physical device, you’ll want to save as much information as possible from the old computer and talk about customizations and preferences with the user.
Information gathering and data saving tasks include:
Once you’ve gathered as much data and information from the user and old computer, remove it from the workspace and replace it with the new device.
Every PC install requires some of the same basic initial things. Since Innovative installs so many new PCs, we’ve developed a custom script that automatically does a lot of these tasks. The script takes about 15 minutes to run and does what it took an hour of setup time to do in the past.
Functions of the setup script:
As an HP/HPE partner, Innovative tailored our setup script to HP drivers on HP devices. This custom setup script is just one example of how we can expedite service and support to HP devices simply due to the volume of HP devices we sell and support. That doesn’t mean HP is better than another brand or that we can’t support another brand. It means we’re often able to do things like expedite warranty claims and deliver faster support for those devices. If your IT company partners with a different brand, they’ve likely developed similar solutions to maximize the efficiency of support for devices built by their specific brand partners.
You’ll now install any other software not required by every computer install.
Other software setup tasks include:
Old computers are an information security liability. You don’t want them sitting around, and you must adequately destroy data. Depending on your industry or compliance requirements, you may even need to hold a certificate of data destruction for security or compliance auditing.
Decommissioning tasks include:
Following the install, spending some time with the user is essential to ensure the new device is working well. The tech will ask the user to open their email and any other key applications to make sure everything looks as it should. After verifying everything is in working order, give the user a few days with the new device and follow up to see if anything needs to be addressed before considering the new PC install complete.
Hopefully, you now understand why your IT company charges for PC installation and what actually goes into that setup. The reality is that, yes, it is a pretty straightforward task of plugging things in and letting software download, but it is time-consuming. You'll either pay for that time upfront to get the install as close to perfect as possible. Or, you'll pay for it on the backend when your users are frustrated and possibly can't do their work.
Investing in correct PC installs and replacements up front minimizes downtime and user frustrations. This is always the best option for your bottom line. Plus, after doing this for 20 years, we can tell you for certain that your users will thank you when things just work after their PC is replaced. At the end of the day, no one likes change, and it's in your best interest to minimize the negative impacts of PC changes as much as possible.