That's why we've launched a "Talk To Our CEO" interview series, to get deeper insights into the challenges our users face every day and how we can improve our tools and integrations to make them more efficient.

In this series, we will be talking to IT Consulting Managers, as well as thought leaders in the field of IT Security, Ethical Hacking, and other relevant fields.

The Ryan Butler Interview

This week, we're talking to Ryan Butler, from ButlerComputer.com, who pivoted his radio DJ host career six years ago to start the IT Consulting firm that bears his name.

Patrick (SherpaDesk CEO): Hi Ryan, thanks for speaking to us. What made you start your own IT Consulting business?

Ryan (Butler Computer): As you mentioned, I was a successful radio DJ announcer, with a #1 show in our market that had to give up his time slot to a nationally syndicated show. I used the opportunity to go back to school, get a degree in Networking, and started a career in the IT Consulting business. The first five years working for bigger firms and about a year, working on my own business, ButlerComputer.com.

Patrick: What services does Butler Computer offer to its users?

Ryan: Every time I'm asked that question, I tell people to visit my website (www.ButlerComputer.com) and check out our list of services. We do everything from setting up servers to helping little old ladies setup their emails (and everything in between!)

Patrick: How did you find out about SherpaDesk?

Ryan: A friend of mine across town that also has his own IT business knew that I was looking for a ticketing system recommended SherpaDesk to me. So, I went online and signed up for the free trial and was very happy with what I got. Specially for the price! The main feature that drew me to SherpaDesk was the ability to incorporate remote support into my tickets.

Patrick: So you use our Remote Assistance tool to serve your clients?

Ryan: I love being able to connect remotely and drive the computer, and sometimes I get to fix some issues in five minutes or less!

Patrick: What were you using before SherpaDesk?

Ryan: Can't remember right now! But I can assure you it was one of the big established ones out there!

Patrick: This is interesting because sometimes we see that people come to SherpaDesk because they have outgrown their homemade system, and some others come from established, existing tools.  Saying that, now that you've been using SherpaDesk for quite some time, where do you see the main benefits for your business? What are some of the SherpaDesk features and functionalities that have helped improve your business?

Ryan: The Remote Support tool. I also like the TODO tool; it helps me focus on the things I need to do and helps me be more efficient. The Invoicing tool has also allowed me to stop using QuickBooks Self Employed, even though it's probably not designed as an accounting tool!

Patrick: That's interesting, so you've been able to decrease one license (QuickBooks Self Employed) and roll that service into SherpaDesk?

Ryan: Correct!

Patrick: Once your business grows further, you'll probably need the full QuickBooks accounting package, but we've got you covered since SherpaDesk integrates seamlessly with QuickBooks.

Ryan: That will be a good problem to have.

Patrick: Since we're always working on developing multiple tools to help our users manage their business, such as our remote assistance feature, and our NinjaRmm Integration, are there any other SherpaDesk integrations you're currently using right now?

Ryan: Currently, I'm mostly using your core tools; I haven't had a chance to test out any of your third-party integrations yet.

Patrick: One of our main objectives is to keep our user's customers happy. How do you use SherpaDesk as a customer-facing portal, and how do you train them on using the application?

Ryan: When I first create an account for new customers, they receive an email letting them know that they have a new support account and also that they have been created as a user. They can then log in using their email address, change passwords, etc. The nice thing about this is that customers get updates of what tickets we're working on and how much time we're spending on each one, giving us complete transparency. I encourage my customers to log into their service portal regularly so that they can reply to me directly inside tickets. Other customers receive email updates and then respond to the email.

 Patrick: So, you do most of your onboarding remotely?

Ryan: I do go on-site frequently, and that makes it easier to demonstrate the system, but more often than not, my customers don't want me to spend time onboarding them but solving their tickets! Therefore, I encourage them to familiarize themselves with their service portal on their own time.

Patrick: Are there any other features within SherpaDesk that you want to use more or are interested in exploring?

Ryan: The Calendar. I like how the SherpaDesk calendar syncs with my Google calendar, and populates it automatically. Big fan of that feature.

Patrick: That's good because we have some new upgrades with our Google Calendar Integration feature. Stay tuned for that.

Ryan: Can't wait.

Patrick: As an entrepreneur, how can SherpaDesk be a tool to help you grow your business, and where do you see that growth coming from? What are your plans for Butler Computer? Do you want to keep it small, or do you want to expand it?

Ryan: I want to grow it. I'm doing some online advertising, and I even have a plan to hang a banner from a drone above a busy intersection downtown!

Patrick: I love it.

Ryan: I want to be as big as I can, but more realistically, I want to grow slow and steady and have a couple of guys working under me in the near future.

Patrick: How can SherpaDesk as a company help you grow your business?

Ryan: SherpaDesk as a platform, is very scalable, so there's no problem growing my business knowing that the system can handle it. The biggest challenge facing small business owners like me is marketing.

Patrick: Marketing? That's interesting. One of the things that we're working on is creating an online community of our users where idea exchanges can flow freely, hence our new Reddit subreddit (R/SherpaDesk). We hope that this user community will enable our customers to bounce ideas from each other, learn how other users are growing their business, etc. Our goal is to help our users become successful, and we hope that this subreddit becomes a great resource to help you reach your goals.

Ryan: You're making my customers happy, so I'm happy.

Patrick: Thanks again for your time, and feel free to reach out to us with any questions or suggestions.

Watch The Full Video Interview

You can visit Butler Computer via this link.