At Patete, it’s IT management for everything but the kitchen sink
11/21/17 Filed in: Case Studies
As the President and CEO of Patete Kitchen and Bath Design Center, Erenrich has helped hundreds of families in Western Pennsylvania choose everything from fixtures to faucets to flooring in the process of renovating and remodeling the most important rooms in their homes.
“We do the best we can to help our clients narrow down their options,” Erenrich said with a grin.
And that’s an understatement. Patete has been remodeling Pittsburgh-area homes since 1960 with an ever-changing array of materials, designs and environments, all with an eye on creating the perfect kitchen or bathroom space. Variables? Seemingly endless. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, are shared with Patete clients every month.
So when it comes to managing the technology that drives his business, you can’t blame Erenrich for choosing the path of least resistance, a simplified approach with the fewest options.
“We depend on our technology for many things,” Erenrich explained. “Our website, search engine optimization, pay-per-click and social media. We model and design with technology. We use FileMaker to automate our operation. We invest a lot of money in these processes, so it’s critical we keep downtime to a minimum.”
Patete is an all-Mac shop, one that started with the original blue iMac desktops and white iBook notebooks. In the late 1990s, as both the remodeling industry and information technology were concurrently evolving, Erenrich hit the proverbial tiled wall with how he was leveraging that technology. Or rather, not leveraging it.
“As an example, we used to hand write every proposal for our customers,” he recalled. “It became too complex for our technology to map to our growing business. We needed help, and we found it with CranstonIT.”
It was a quick fix at first. As a FileMaker consultant, CranstonIT created a custom FileMaker application specific to Patete’s needs for process automation. The result was an easy-to-use tool that offered client, project and workflow management, each with inherent time-saving efficiencies. Better!
But as Patete’s Mac network expanded over time to two dozen computers, and the business continued to grow, Erenrich needed to outsource his IT management. Again, it was CranstonIT that offered the right solution through its cost-efficient Managed Services program.
Managed Services from CranstonIT eliminates variables. It’s a tested approach that provides ongoing monitoring to identify and solve small issues before they become widely disruptive and compromise productivity. Managed Services performs routine maintenance that updates software and refreshes hardware, when needed. Plus, CranstonIT's remote Help Desk delivers robust support service for fast and efficient problem resolution — a highly effective first option unless onsite service is necessary.
Best of all, Managed Services helps businesses reduce operating costs. Not just from the controlled costs of a flat-fee billing model, but from a well maintained, proactively serviced computer network that will always perform at optimum levels. There is no need for dedicated IT staff, no concern for turnover, no stress over a fluctuating budget for IT support.
“CranstonIT keeps our hardware and software up to date and maintains our email servers,” Erenrich explained. "They impact our business in so many ways, and they are constantly getting us out of trouble.”
Patete Kitchen and Bath Design Center has a decades-long reputation for offering its customers inspiring concepts, innovative designs and precision installations. Management chooses not to tarnish that reputation through IT inefficiencies that can compromise quality service and the customer experience. Through CranstonIT, that has been accomplished with a single point of contact.
“In this case, fewer options are way better,” Erenrich said.
CranstonIT is an Apple-centric professional IT services company based in Pittsburgh, PA. The organization provides certified consultants, technicians and developers for IT solutions in Managed Services, On-Demand Projects and Business Application Development. CranstonIT serves small business, enterprise, K-12 education and university customers driven by Apple and FileMaker technologies in the tri-state area and beyond.
For more information, contact us today at 888-813-5558 or support@cranstonit.com
Patete is an all-Mac shop, one that started with the original blue iMac desktops and white iBook notebooks. In the late 1990s, as both the remodeling industry and information technology were concurrently evolving, Erenrich hit the proverbial tiled wall with how he was leveraging that technology. Or rather, not leveraging it.
“As an example, we used to hand write every proposal for our customers,” he recalled. “It became too complex for our technology to map to our growing business. We needed help, and we found it with CranstonIT.”
It was a quick fix at first. As a FileMaker consultant, CranstonIT created a custom FileMaker application specific to Patete’s needs for process automation. The result was an easy-to-use tool that offered client, project and workflow management, each with inherent time-saving efficiencies. Better!
But as Patete’s Mac network expanded over time to two dozen computers, and the business continued to grow, Erenrich needed to outsource his IT management. Again, it was CranstonIT that offered the right solution through its cost-efficient Managed Services program.
Managed Services from CranstonIT eliminates variables. It’s a tested approach that provides ongoing monitoring to identify and solve small issues before they become widely disruptive and compromise productivity. Managed Services performs routine maintenance that updates software and refreshes hardware, when needed. Plus, CranstonIT's remote Help Desk delivers robust support service for fast and efficient problem resolution — a highly effective first option unless onsite service is necessary.
Best of all, Managed Services helps businesses reduce operating costs. Not just from the controlled costs of a flat-fee billing model, but from a well maintained, proactively serviced computer network that will always perform at optimum levels. There is no need for dedicated IT staff, no concern for turnover, no stress over a fluctuating budget for IT support.
“CranstonIT keeps our hardware and software up to date and maintains our email servers,” Erenrich explained. "They impact our business in so many ways, and they are constantly getting us out of trouble.”
Patete Kitchen and Bath Design Center has a decades-long reputation for offering its customers inspiring concepts, innovative designs and precision installations. Management chooses not to tarnish that reputation through IT inefficiencies that can compromise quality service and the customer experience. Through CranstonIT, that has been accomplished with a single point of contact.
“In this case, fewer options are way better,” Erenrich said.
CranstonIT is an Apple-centric professional IT services company based in Pittsburgh, PA. The organization provides certified consultants, technicians and developers for IT solutions in Managed Services, On-Demand Projects and Business Application Development. CranstonIT serves small business, enterprise, K-12 education and university customers driven by Apple and FileMaker technologies in the tri-state area and beyond.
For more information, contact us today at 888-813-5558 or support@cranstonit.com