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$1,000 for Five Minutes Joke May Be Reasonable

An email (joke) I received this week read: A mainframe computer on which everyone in the office depended suddenly went down. They tried everything, but it still wouldn't work. Finally, they decided to call in a high-powered computer consultant. He arrived, looked at the computer, took out a small hammer and tapped it on the side. Instantly, the computer leapt back to life.

Two days later, the office manager received a bill from the consultant for $1,000. Immediately, he called the consultant and exclaimed, "One thousand dollars for fixing that computer? You were only here five minutes. I want the bill itemized!"

The next day, the new bill arrived.

It read:
Tapping computer with hammer: $1
Knowing where to tap: $999

While this scenario seems unlikely (we've never tapped a computer with any magic hammers) the basic premise of billable, production time vs. down time from computer failures and network engineers that can fix them is not so far fetched.

Let's compare it to this: According to Blue Cross Blue Shield the national average doctor's visit is $60. We all know this setup. Go to the doctor, wait around to finally get in to your now 30-minute, past due, alloted time to sit with a physician for 5-10 minutes and walk away with a fix (the prescription) that will no doubt cost another $50 or more. We are all willing to continue this process for a couple of reasons 1) the doctor knows what he's doing (he'd better for as much schooling as he had to endure) and 2) if it takes a doctor to help us, he is probably our best bet at a resolution; or else we continue to walk around with our ailment which will either get worse or eventually disappear or heal on it's own.

Computer problems may not be so different. Network engineers have extensive training and the tools required to get you and your company back on track. Without these trained professionals, the amount of costly production time lost due to a down system far outweigh that of the invoice you might receive. The biggest difference is, this time, you get the pro to go to you and they usually leave with the problem fixed; your hands are clean of it.

Some companies discover problems within their network but for one reason or another, choose to ignore them. These are like medical symptoms. If you ignore them, they might just go away, but they will more likely get worse. Calling a professional at the first sign of trouble can save you a lot in the long run. Not only from a payables point of view, but also in the sense that small problems can lead to big losses in production and billable time.

IT work is considered a necessary expense in most businesses because even computers slip up every now and again. But, with the right people to do the job, the cost will surely be less than the production time lost. So, if your experiencing small problems today, contact us and let us help you keep them from becoming big problems tomorrow. And we promise... we won't show up with a HAMMER!