Ryde based PC Consultants provides IT support, hardware supply and infrastructure maintenance to predominantly Island businesses. The company looks after more than a hundred different businesses, employing over 15 people on the Island and overseas offices in Moldova and Bulgaria. The company was founded in 1993. Jonathan joined in 2001, originally taking up a position in the workshop. He’s been there ever since, becoming Managing Director in 2010. He’s also recently joined the Chamber’s Economic Development Board.
The internet has made many businesses unrecognisable since 1993. Companies across the board have had to keep up with advances in technology. As an IT provider you’ve needed to stay a step ahead of the needs of your clients, or at least find the answers quickly. Is that a challenge?
We enjoy IT and we have a passion for what we do. It’s not a normal 9 to 5 job. We enjoy testing things and experimenting with new software. As Microsoft partners we have access to beta versions of new software and we like to try something new. I’ve always found it to be an interesting field. I used to go home and spend hours at night playing with computers after work. We supply hands on support for a variety of very different businesses and it’s fascinating to see how their IT needs have evolved in two decades. They haven’t stood still and neither have we.
What are businesses looking for?
We’re fortunate that our client base is very established. IT is one of those things that, when everything is working fine, you don’t worry about. If there’s a problem with a single machine, that’s usually not too serious. If you have a problem with a network or a server, that’s more serious, often with staff sat doing nothing as a result. There’s obviously a significant financial impact on the business, so for us as a business it’s all about responding to an issue very quickly and allocating resources accordingly. People do expect things to be fixed instantly now. In the old days, if a computer was down for a day, you could get on with something else instead. Now a failure impacts hugely on running a business and profitability. We’ve always worked very quickly because people expect it, and rightly so, and it’s about managing those expectations.
What sort of problems do you end up fixing? Are they hardware, or software, or dare I say it, people?
In our industry it can sometimes be easy to try and blame problems on user error. There is even the phrase PICNIC – Problem In Chair Not In Computer! But while hardware and software can cause problems, even issues which do turn out to be user related can be resolved for example through better training and support rather than playing the blame game.
Another important point is that for many companies we work with, they recognize that their job is not doing IT. So while most people can find workarounds to small problems, would your time not be better spent getting on with running your business? We look after a lot of professional service companies and their fee-earners are obviously much better off doing what they’re meant to be doing, rather than trying to troubleshoot IT issues.
How do you grow the business? Does getting bigger mean expanding to the mainland?
Last year was our busiest year ever and we’re continuing to grow year on year.
If you’re going to serve the south coast well, then you do really need a mainland base and that’s not for us at the moment. You need to have engineers based near to your customers. As a local example, on a smaller scale, we’ve opened a satellite office in Cowes at WightFibre. We’re supporting an increasing number of Cowes or Medina-based businesses. At the moment our mainland business is probably around 10 per cent but we’re growing that fast, often through referrals which is always the best way to new business.
PC Consultants is very keen on apprentices and developing staff from within. You didn’t go to university in the end and joined PC Consultants with A levels and some experience from working for small businesses. Does that experience inform the way that you recruit?
Yes. We see the value in giving young people on the Isle of Wight an opportunity. We try and give back where we can, whether that’s with work placements or apprenticeships. We really try to look after our people, most of whom have worked for us for 10 years, some up to 20 years. Our clients become very familiar with our team and we have a very low turnover of staff. That’s good for us and good for the customer too.
You’ve recently joined the Chamber’s Economic Development board. What perspective do you bring? How do you see the Island as a place to do business?
We’ve been Chamber members for almost 20 years, the bulk of our history. It’s only in recent years that we’ve taken full advantage of our membership, and we see membership as hugely valuable. We make the most of networking opportunities and we’re looking forward to Expo in September. We use the Chamber to meet other businesses, network with clients and also to reinforce those relationships with existing customers. I’m personally passionate about the Isle of Wight and being part of the Chamber helps to promote and improve the Isle of Wight. The Island is already a great place to do business. As a company we’re doing an increasing amount of business off-Island, in central London for instance, and that’s a great example of customers who are willing to use an Isle of Wight company for their IT support, despite having other companies practically on their doorstep that could do the same thing. We’re still cost-effective, we deliver on service, and we’re also promoting the Isle of Wight as a great place to do business as well as live.
First published in the June 2016 issue of Island Business Magazine.
