So apparently it takes 75 hours to install and configure Microsoft Exchange for a small company with five employees.
At least that’s what a third-party IT provider is trying to tell me. They billed a client I audited this outrageous number of hours at $150/h.
I cannot blame the owner of the company for calling me asking to look into it. It seemed unbelievable to him that it could cost this much to install some software.
Tip: Don’t hesitate to ask different companies to quote you for the same kind of work. Let them know that they are in competition and it will keep them on their toes.
Nonetheless be careful because they can always find excuses afterwards to justify adding hours to the billing to cover ‘unforeseen issues’ and ‘complications’. This is how the new IT systems in our hospitals in Quebec actually ended up costing us 10 times more.
You can always call me If you need to check on your external providers or if you have doubts on what you are being billed for.
Alexandre
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