PC Assistance

Once a small computer repair business whose start-up costs were financed using personal credit cards, PC Assistance Inc. has grown into a successful information technology management company with a multimillion-dollar revenue stream.

PC Assistance, founded by Ben Thomas in 1994, specializes in outsourced IT support and 24/7 network management, providing help with problems and working to prevent problems before they occur.

Ted Clouser, executive vice president of PC Assistance, attributed the company’s success to its empathetic relationships with clients.
“In any sort of situation, I think, ‘How would I want to be treated in this?’ Clouser said. “And that’s how we treat our clients.”

By employing this “Golden Rule,” the company that started with three
employees and first-year revenue of about $196,000 has swelled to a staff of 16 people and 2008 revenue of about $2.7 million, which reflects a 12.5 percent increase from 2007.

Clouser said PC Assistance had been relatively unscathed by the recession because many companies don’t consider functioning technology and communication to be expendable.

A major challenge in the IT industry, Clouser said, is finding “clear and concise ways” to help clients and prospects understand the value of outsourced IT services.

Clouser added that adapting to the ever-changing technology industry can be challenging as well. However, PC Assistance’s ability to stay nimble has been a large part of its success.

Clouser said he expected the IT business to continue to evolve into “a managed services platform” through which PC Assistance could remotely manage and correct issues that arise without the client having to report the problem. With such technology, Clouser said, the remote management could keep clients from even knowing a problem occurred or was about to occur.

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