Patrico

OGL go above and beyond to help Patrico get up and running after major disaster

Patrico is very much a family run business and has been using OGL for their IT support since 2000. Throughout the years, OGL has helped progress Patrico into the leading nationwide industrial container company that they are today, managing to overcome the devastation of one of the worst cases of localised flooding in recent history.

We met up with John Herbert Operations Director at Patrico, to find out why they chose to use OGL for their IT support. 

John explained: “Our previous IT company couldn’t offer us what we wanted and we knew if we wanted to expand we would need to upgrade. We were looking for a company that could understand our needs and OGL was recommended to us. 

“We sell industrial containers, we’re not IT experts and we needed someone to work alongside us and offer their expert knowledge on how to help us grow as a business. We generally knew what we wanted but didn’t know how to go about it. I remember when we first met OGL, they were very professional and offered solutions to our issues straightaway. They told us what we actually needed to achieve our ambitions and helped deliver it, and since meeting them we’ve had no complaints.”

OGL doesn’t just provide comprehensive IT support services to Patrico, but also a whole host of online communication tools via Microsoft’s Office 365 package.

John continued: “Using 365 gives us the ability to work remotely, which is great. The sales team now have laptops at home so they have access to the right information that’s needed 24 hours a day. It allows us to stay up-to-date as we can pick up our work emails on our smartphones as well, which is fantastic and helps increase productivity. Skype with 365 also helps us to constantly stay connected too. 

“Technology is always changing and every couple of years OGL moves on leaps and bounds. I remember five years ago, when they brought in some of our servers and I thought to myself “Wow, this is amazing, nothing’s going to get better than this”. Here we are five years later and they now provide servers that are smaller and more powerful, I love it and if I’m honest with you these are exciting times.”

The future is looking good for Patrico, however, back in 2007 they weren’t so fortunate as they were hit by major floods that nearly saw Patrico cease trading. Luckily, OGL was with them throughout the disaster to support their IT issues. 

John said: “Working with OGL has been a revelation. What really helped forge our relationship with them was back in 2007, when we were hit badly by floods. It was a major disaster in the area. We literally lost everything overnight. OGL really showed their character as a company and helped us as much as they could. I remember our OGL Account Manager at the time came to help; he rolled up his trousers to get through the disgusting water and carried servers that were far too heavy for him. He managed to get us up and running in no time at all from a different location. It makes you realise just how important IT is.

“You forget how much you rely on computers; we, like everyone else, rely on them 100%. At a critical time for our business OGL went above and beyond to help us get up and running again. We soon realised that not every IT company would have been that dedicated in getting us operational again. OGL rallied round and did everything they could and we soon realised that they weren’t your everyday IT company.”

You might also like to watch our interview with John Herbert: