ASK Testimonials - A mountain of technical knowledge. Managed IT services, AS400 and Lotus Notes support.

Business Background: Draths Corporation is building a next generation chemical company focused on manufacturing biobased materials used in everyday products. The company's products, rooted in its platform technology, enable nylons, plastics, paints, resins, and other materials currently made using petroleum-based chemicals to be manufactured from renewable feedstocks.

Business Need: As a result of their tremendous growth Draths needed a partner who could manage the move and installation of a new I.T. infrastructure at their new corporate headquarters in Delhi Township. Additionally, Draths needed a provider with the experience and expertise to design and implement an infrastructure to support both their current needs and the anticipated hyper growth of the company. Furthermore, the design had to incorporate a mixed use of both Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh systems.

Solution: Draths chose ASK based on their outstanding reputation for customer service and technical expertise. ASK not only successfully managed a complicated move but also coordinated the work of other providers (phone, internet, etc.) to ensure that the company was able to move in on schedule and that systems were in place in order for Draths employees to continue their important work.

Draths also selected ASK Total Care for ongoing I.T. management and support. With Total Care, Draths receives the benefit of knowing that their computer systems are monitored and maintained 24x7x365. Furthermore, the ASK Help Desk provides unlimited technical support for all Draths employees.

According to Roger Cook, Chief Operating Officer:

I could not have asked for a more professional and thorough team. Every ASK employee lives out the company motto "the customer's best interest will drive every decision that we make". Their Total Care program provides me with the peace of mind in knowing that ASK is taking care of my technology so that I can run my business.

For over 75 years, heat Controller, Inc. has based our success on providing quality products in a timely, efficient and professional manner to our customers. Our commitment is to provide solutions that meet or exceed industry standards.

In ASK we have found a partner that shares our vision for value and our commitment to customers. Their Total Care program has given us the ability to manage our business and to utilize technology to do so. ASK has ensured that technology is a tool that helps us do more business, instead of a nuisance that seems to constantly get in the way of growth.

ASK's Total Care program takes the hassle out of technology. Out I.T. infrastructure is managed 24 hours a day and problems are eliminated before they become business impacting. Their Help Desk service also provides us the ability to have a full I.T. staff at our disposal when we need assistance with issues. Their technicians are all experienced and able to resolve problems quickly. Even better, they speak in plain English as opposed to "techno-babble".

ASK Total Care is a program that provides a tremendous Return on Investment. In today's economy there is a way that a small business can provide their own professional I.T. service for anywhere near the same cost. Like most businesses, we depend on our technology working and ASK ensures that it works and that it supports our business goals.

David Duane, C.M.A.
Vise President
Heat Controler, Inc.

MSU Food Stores Order Entry

Business Background

The MSU Food Stores is a centralized food and beverage distribution center servicing the entire Michigan State University, including the cafeterias in all of the resident halls, the Kellogg Center as well as all of the sports and entertainment facilities.

Business Need

Their existing Order Entry software was written using the RPG language on the IBM iSeries with an OS/400 operating system. This software required people to use a 5250 text based session emulator. New employees frequently expressed frustration with the application due to the text based emulation used to place and track the orders. These newer employees are often young college students very familiar with web browsers but who have never seen a 5250 session emulator. In addition, because of the lack of familiarity, training sessions were taking two full days.

Course of Action

The Food Stores staff contacted ASK for help with a planned course of Order Entry redevelopment. PHP was a logical choice because PHP executes natively on servers using OS/400. ASK was also a logical choice because of their years of experience with OS/400, the RPG language and the PHP language. The ASK development team of Gordon Larkins and Leo Orsini were able to convey to the Food Stores staff the course of action they would take and the time frame expected to complete the conversion. The course of action and time frame were acceptable to the Food Stores staff and the project was approved.

Using PHP as the base along with HTML, Cascading Style Sheets, Javascript, SQL and AJAX the conversion project from RPGL/ILE was completed within the allotted time frame and included training and learning transfer.

Customer Benefit

Customer Acceptance: Overwhelming. Previous training sessions requiring two days, and sometimes more, are now done in two hour blocks. Most people actually finish in a little over an hour.

Ease of use: The order entry was designed using AJAX. The user is presented with a list of items that they are allowed to order. Each line of the list has a quantity field. As soon as a quantity is entered into a field, the order totals are automatically updated and presented to the user.

Server response: Tremendous, often sub second. users do not even realize the server is being updated each time they update a quantity field.

USA Lamp & Ballast / Cleanlites Recycling is extremely grateful for our partnership with ASK.

The staff at ASK understand the meaning of customer service and immediate response. The staff at ASK are friendly, polite and the most technically astute group we have ever worked with. We are very thankful for their management of our IT infrastructure, we have 3 locations in other states and their remote response to our satellite locations has been impeccable. I would highly recommend ASK to any organization that requires first class IT solutions, and their ability to customize any solution you need to meet your ever changing business needs.

Rick Wright
IT Manager
USA Lamp & Ballast / Cleanlites Recycling, Inc.

We're a financial services firm so if our technology isn't working, neither are we. Our customers know it as soon as we do, too. By phone and by web, our clients can use our services 24/7.

Finding a partner which shared our philosophy of great customer service wasn't easy, but neither was finding a technology services company which understood that network administration should be pro-active. The people at ASK understand better than any technicians we've worked with that the problems in IT need to be solved before they become problems to our clients.

As a business, we educate our participants to monitor their accounts throughout their careers. Retirement is an ongoing process, and it needs to start early.

ASK's Total Care solution treats our network the same way. Twice ASK resolved potentially serious issues in our network before the hardware failed. Products and services ASK has implemented prove to be stable and are rolled out with care. I am particularly appreciative that ASK's employees take the extra time to explain to us, using layman's terms, how new systems work.

ASK has implemented more stable solutions which allow me to spend more time doing my job, managing the operations of the business. We are finding we have fewer network problems, and desktop issues. When there are problems, they're dispatched with great communication, excellent customer service, and first-rate expertise. I don't know why I didn't partner with ASK sooner.

Mike Scott, QKA
Director of Operations
PensionTrend, Inc.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, Matt Kolberg, Jeff Shannon and your entire staff for a job well done before, during and after the implementation of our VOIP phone system.

As you know, we have experienced one VOIP implementation in the past, and yours was handled in a much different manner than the first. From the start, ASK's implementation process was handled professionally and efficiently. Before our implementation, you communicated with me on a regular bases and provided me with timelines for each step of the process. During the actual implementation, I received phone calls to keep me informed of the progress. After the implementation, a meeting was held to inform me of any changes we would be experiencing compared to our previous service. The communication I received from ASK throughout the entire process was outstanding. We experienced no downtime due to your implementation, and it was completely hands-off for my company. Everything you said your company would do was done well and on time.

I am very pleased with the level of service we've received not only from you, but from your entire staff. I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to recommend ASK as an implementation partner for VOIP phone service or any other computer-related service.

Sincerely,

Kay Udry
Schiffer Mason Contractors, Inc.

ASK's ArtForm form's design product has significantly improved the 'quality of presentation' of all forms, notices and documents mailed to our customers. ASK customer service is second to none and their technical support staff is wonderful to work with. This is a relationship that we plan to keep!

Joanne Lose
AVP Operations
First National Bank of America

Variety Die & Stamping is a full service manufacturer specializing in high volume progressive dies, metal stampings and assemblies since 1954.

Our value to our customers is in our ability to be immediately responsive their needs and to provide outstanding quality and service every time. In ASK, we have found a partner that shares these values. ASK has an extensive knowledge of technology and how to leverage that technology to meet business goals.

I would gladly recommend ASK to any organization that needs first class IT solutions tailored to meet business needs.

Chris Perryman
Systems Engineer
Variety Die

All too often we talk about schedule, price, the next project etc. As I sit here and do my PQM, safety reports and daily reports, I realized how far we have come. ASK is made up of true craftsmen in their own right and I thank them for all of their work and dedication to Wieland-Davco. Their expertise is invaluable!

Scott Mason
Project Superintendent
Management Representative
ISO 9001:2000
Wieland-Davco Corporation

United Bank of Michigan has 11 locations throughout West Michigan. At United Bank, we pride ourselves on superior customer service. Technology is the backbone that enables us to deliver that service, and the people at ASK play a vital role.

In ASK, we found not only a commitment to great customer service, but a company with a deep knowledge of technology and an understanding of how it can be leveraged for success in an overall business plan.

The products and services that ASK has implemented have proven to be stable and are implemented with care. If issues come up, they are dispatched with great communication, excellent customer service, and first-rate expertise.

I would recommend ASK to any organization, but especially to the small business that needs technical support and expertise that they can rely on and believe in.

Norman Galang
Information Technology Officer
United Bank

Since ASK started servicing Maguire Mailing Systems, our IT issues have gone away and we are able to focus on running our business again. We had spent over two years with several different IT providers and many thousands of dollars and were unable to get numerous issues resolved within our environment. A week after ASK got involved with our account they had identified and resolved all of the outstanding issues. They also were able to eliminate the nearly an hour a day each employee was spending on deleting spam.

The quality and professionalism of the ASK people are the highest that we have encountered from any service provider in the IT industry. They all seem excited to work with Maguire and stay with a problem until it is resolved. ASK provided us with a Service Level Agreement (SLA) under their Managed Service offering and have exceeded all of the response times and support they committed to.

Along with ASK handling all our IT issues, including internet service provider, phone and printer support, we are spending no more than under our old break-fix model where we had to spend much of our time managing these issues.

ASK's service is of the same high level that we deliver to our customers and it is a pleasure to work with an organization that shares our obsession for superior service and follow-up. I only wish we had found them sooner.

Lorie Gewirtz
Director
Maquire Mailing Systems

DIFFERENCE MAKER HONORED BY DART DEVELOPMENT GROUP

Dart Development Spotlights ASK, Inc.

Lansing, Michigan, April 5, 2010 - The arrival of spring brings refreshing change and new growth. Change and growth are also key business elements in making a difference in today's business world. The Dart Development Difference Campaign seeks and recognizeds those businesses that are driving economic development in our state and local communities. Each Difference Maker is featured in a live radio interview on the Michael Patrick Shiels Show, broadcast on the MI Talk Network, locally at 1240am, and on Fox-47 TV. April&aapos;s Dart Development Difference-Maker ASK, Inc., was chosen for its continued expansion and growth in a lean economy.

At a time when other businesses have cut back, ASK, Inc. has expanded its staff and its computer/IT market with new products and services. They have doubled their staff in the past 6 years in order to meet costumer demand. "ASK is Making a Difference in the region's economy, adding new jobs to employ Michigan residents and adding new products and services to support Michigan Businesses,"e saidMarsha Zimmerman, Marketing Manager of Dart Development Group.

ASK is a leading provider of technical solutions in the Midwest. Value services are key to their business success, including a completely unique form of an IT support package, an affordable flat rate "all you can eat program" called ASK Total Care. ASK's customer service values are reflected in their motto, "We take the hassle out of technology so that you can run your business." In addition to their up-to-the-minute proficiency in the computer/IT industries, ASK also invests in the community, giving back through multiple charitable programs.

Dart Development Group values the Difference that sets successful businesses apart from the rest. The Difference with Dart Development means greater flexibility in working with business partners and tenants, proven experience in developing and leasing quality business space, and successful delivery of customer space that fits the needs of today's businesses. Throughout each month, listeners of the Michael Patrick Shiels Show will hear additional Dart Development Group highlights of companies in Michigan that are making the Dart Development Difference. Nominations for Dart Development Difference-Maker are welcome and may be submitted at www.dartdevelopment.com.

Dart Development Group
Dart Development owns and manages business partks in Michigan, California and Florida. The parks offer office and warehouse options as well as build to suit to lease options. Michigan's Wixom Business Center and Oakwood Executive Park are State Certified Business Parks conveniently located near major highways and centrally located in the Midwest business corridor. For details on park features and land available for development visit: www.dartdevelopment.com