Brewing Global Success: Intelligentsia Coffee’s Strong Partnership with BT Partners
Industry
Retail & Wholesale
Solution
Managed Services
Client Since
2024
Intelligentsia Coffee
Intelligentsia Coffee was started almost 30 years ago from an ongoing pursuit to provide the world’s best coffee. Husband-and-wife founders Doug Zell & Emily Mange saw a gap in specialty coffee in the Midwest. Using their love of the bean, they brought their West Coast expertise and knowledge of freshly roasted coffee from San Francisco to Chicago to open their first roaster and retailer business.
Today, Intelligentsia operates 12 retail stores and supplies wholesale coffee to a diverse range of customers worldwide. With each expansion, the complexity of operations also grew. Managing multiple retail locations, and navigating global logistics, while still delivering high-quality coffee required robust systems and IT expertise. Matt Riddle, Director of IT and Systems has managed their IT support for over 20 years, helping the company through many growth periods. However, as a department of one, he knew he need a strong partner to provide the level of service he wanted for all employees.
"They delivered on everything that I’ve expected of them. Everything comes in on time and correct. It’s done well and completed before it comes to us."
Trusted Technology Ally
To ensure seamless and secure global operations, Riddle wanted a knowledgeable and skillful Managed IT Services partner. For Intelligentsia, that was BT Partners. Riddle was already enjoying working with them for data retention and backups, stating “The response levels and the general nature of their team is that they want to work with you. You’re not a burden to be their customer.” Given this, he reached out to see if they provided desktop and network support. Thankfully they did. He recalls, “We decided to move forward and expand our relationship.” Shifting BT Partners from back up service provider to trusted strategic
partner turned out to be the right decision.
Network Stabilization
Previously, network hiccups and a lack of support desk for staff strained operations. Since relying more on BT Partners, Intelligentsia has enjoyed a dramatic decrease in system issues. “The level of expertise is far beyond my own. Having BT Partners, who have the desktop user support and network configuration expertise, has really assisted us to stabilize all of our networks across all of our offices and 12 locations. Having the assistance to make sure that all of our systems are secure and properly configured is well beyond our internal expertise,” explains Riddle.
Seizing Time for Innovation
BT Partners has mastered proactivity which is a game-changer for Riddle because with their support he’s freed from routine IT tasks that stole his time away from strategic initiatives. Riddle says, “BT Partners are very proactive. They look for ways we can do things more efficiently, more securely, or provide a better outcome for all of our employees. If they see something in your environment, or as a normal practice that could or should be different, they’ll definitely let you know, and not admonish you for it, but provide a solution.”
BT Partners’ ongoing strategic guidance allows Intelligentsia to focus more on growth and innovation while remaining confident their networks and IT infrastructure are secure and working efficiently. “They’re saving me hours every week just not having to worry if all the employees are properly protected. ‘Is their system up to date? Are they receiving the support they need?’ A lot of that has become invisible, in a good way, to me. That offers me the opportunity to really focus on moving the company forward, instead of maintaining the company,” says Riddle.
Safeguarding Intelligentsia
Cybersecurity is always a significant concern and BT Partners is proactive in managing the Intelligentsia network, performing regular system analysis. “BT Partners has been very, very helpful with our security,” adds Riddle.
A reliable and supportive Managed IT Services partner is crucial for ensuring smooth operations & secure networks, allowing Intelligentsia to focus on its core business objectives.
“Anytime I’ve needed or wanted to contact the support team they’re always super-fast, friendly, reliable, and thorough with whatever they do. It gives you peace of mind when not only do you get the feedback from end users that, ‘Hey, I put in a ticket, and it was fixed. I’m all good’, but you get the firsthand reassurance that people are getting the support they need,” explains Riddle. Outsourcing to BT Partners ensures staff get the answers & support to do their job quickly and meet their goals.
Beyond IT Support
BT Partners’ Managed IT Services team is available and responsive. Riddle says, “They are very much an extension of our team. Even if I have a quick question, I shoot off an email and usually within a couple of hours, I’ve gotten a response or at least an acknowledgment with a plan and some sort of estimation on timelines. There’s always a very comforting response level with them, which is reassuring.”
BT Partners doesn’t just check a box or passively provide a service – they partner with their clients and prioritize relationships over transactions. Riddle explains, “They’re definitely not your stereotypical trope of an IT professional, like the grumpy curmudgeon in the basement. It’s probably the furthest from that. Everybody that I’ve interacted with is very helpful, very willing and eager to get you any responses that you need. They’re fast and courteous, and just really willing to help. That’s a big relief when you’re trusting them to interact with your coworkers and other employees at the company. They’re a representation of me as much as they are of themselves.”
It takes a strong partner to truly understand a company’s unique IT needs and provide strategic guidance that proves invaluable long-term. Riddle says, “For better or worse, we’re a pretty straightforward business. We don’t have complicated multi-location setups and things like that. Despite that, it still takes a lot to make our business run and I think BT Partners has done a great job in making that a reality for us.”
Seamless Transition Ahead
Looking ahead, Intelligentsia plans to relocate its manufacturing and headquarters to the city’s south side. BT Partners is working to get all their networks properly configured and assisting with vendor relations for connectivity and hardware needs. “They’re really going to be an instrumental part of us successfully moving facilities,” says Riddle. This move involves significant logistic and technical challenges, but Riddle feels confident knowing BT Partners is there to help achieve a smooth transition with seamless connectivity & limited disruption to operations.
Riddle has complete peace of mind, knowing BT Partners stands by them as their reliable and dedicated partner. “They delivered on everything that I’ve expected of them. Everything comes in on time & correct. It’s done well and completed before it comes to us, which is nice. There’s not a bunch of iterations and back & forth,” says Riddle. He has high praise for the Managed IT Services team. He concludes, “The completeness and thoroughness of their work is greatly appreciated.”