Startup life means moving fast, pivoting faster, and in all likelihood wearing more than one hat on any given day. That’s certainly the case for Joe Martin, IT Manager at Qualified, maker of an AI-powered sales pipeline automation platform.
“I’m kind of everything,” Joe tells us, “IT, information security, audio/video support, and SSO [single sign-on] stack management all land on my desk.” So when it came time to move offices, Joe went looking for a partner that would not only save him money on licensing subscriptions but who might also take the project manager and network engineer hats off his head for a while.
Enter Meter.
Pre-installation: end-to-end internet infrastructure support from Meter
Joe’s assessment began before he’d even spoken with the sales team. “We’re in sales here. We make an AI SDR, so everyone here has to know a lot about sales. For me, if you don’t hit me back within 10 minutes of me reaching out, you’ve lost the sale.” When he clicked “submit” on the contact form, Joe’s stopwatch started running.
“When your sales team called literally five minutes later, I was like ‘OK, these folks are good.’” Joe continued his glowing review of Meter’s team, “And I don’t have to simplify my language when I’m asking about highly technical networking issues, there’s no need for layman’s terms. Everybody I’ve talked to knows their stuff inside and out.”
“I did a cost analysis on Meter vs Cisco, Aruba, and Meraki. It was unreal, I don’t know how you offer what you do, but I’m glad to have found you.” Joe Martin, IT Manager, Qualified
For the new office build, going with a legacy hardware provider like Meraki or Aruba would have cost approximately $70,000-$80,000 upfront for hardware and software licensing alone. Then he would have had to find vendors to handle the installation, a new internet service provider (ISP), and be on-site every day to manage the project.
“Between the zero upfront cost and Meter’s team managing the end-to-end installation project, it was incredible,” remembers Joe. “I’m sure that Cassie, our implementation manager, grew tired of my calls, but she certainly didn’t show it. And having Meter there to handle everything from selecting an ISP through flipping the switch that turned on our new office internet infrastructure was an amazing experience.”
Post-installation: ongoing management and support from Meter’s team of professional network engineers
After the installation was complete, Joe had only good things to say about the experience. “Every single member of the installation team was amazing to work with. Their attention to detail is on par with my own, which made it super easy for me to leave everything in their capable hands, knowing it would be done right the first time.”
“I don’t think I could have asked for a better vendor experience.” Joe Martin, IT Manager, Qualified
Next, Joe set about running some tests and getting everything finalized for opening day. “I needed to change a few settings on our public and private networks and was ready to do it myself via the Meter Dashboard, but thought I’d submit a ticket and see what that process was like,” Joe remembers. “Your team hit me back within minutes saying, ‘sure we can do that, but as a reminder those changes take 24 hours to take effect, so the best time to make them will be after hours Friday..’ They offered to take care of the set up that afternoon, and I was able to grab a beer with friends knowing that by Monday when everyone was in the office, everything would be good to go.”
Meter’s support teams are made up of highly qualified network engineers, and it shows. “Wherever you find your support folks, they’re fantastic,” Joe tells us. “They function seamlessly as an extension of my team.”
Meter: your one-stop-shop for office internet infrastructure
When you’re an IT team of one like Joe, sometimes what you need most is support. Office moves are stressful, full stop. So having a partner in Meter was a game changer for Joe. Knowing that this partnership goes deeper than simply having someone else install the APs went a long way toward easing that stress for Joe.
“When someone asks me about using Meter, I say ‘imagine not having to do everything on your own,’ because with Meter’s team at my side, this was the easiest, smoothest office move I’ve done,” he tells us. “Honestly, now I love geeking out over watching the real-time info on the dashboard. I can just sit back and watch the traffic fluctuate as people come in in the morning, watching the network handle it all in stride.”
“Meter’s attention to detail is second to none, and that extends to their vendor partners. The installation went off without a hitch, and I look forward to years of the same level of support going forward.” Joe Martin, IT Manager, Qualified