On Line Support, a versatile Vancouver-based technical support company with throughout the Pacific Northwest, has been in business since 1998, when founder Eric Olmsted (working for GST Communications at the time) decided that he’d prefer having his own business to working at a large company. Within eight months, the business had grown to the point where he had to hire additional employees, and more than 15 years later the outlook for his firm remains sunny.
“We’ve seen a lot of growth in certain aspects of our business. In the past three to five years, our [information] backup product has grown and grown and grown,” Olmsted said. “This year, a lot of people are replacing phone systems. My guess is people are growing, expanding and moving, and they’re getting new phone systems. We’ve just seen a lot of growth in that everybody is using technology and everybody is using it mobile-y.”
On Line Support’s original customer base consisted of Internet companies requiring tech support, but has since expanded to include a wide variety of primarily small- and medium-sized businesses. Their services provided have expanded as well to include technical helpdesk support, computer support and consulting, establishing their firm as a multipurpose standout within the field.
“There are a lot of computer guys out there, but we’re different. For one, we have 10 employees; most tech companies don’t have 10 employees. We also provide more services. We’re not just a cloud company or just a phone company, we do all kinds of things,” Olmsted explained. “We take a holistic approach to supporting the tech of our customers. One of the things that differentiates us is that we tend to keep our customers for a long time.”
Despite On Line Support’s strong relationship with computers and technology, Olmsted and fellow owner Mickey Kramer said that a key venue through which their company is advertised is word-of-mouth.
“We’re on Facebook and LinkedIn and are actively participating in social media, but I think it’s as much customer referrals and the community work that we do,” Olmsted said. “Each of us has the community volunteer work that we do, and we tend to get customers from that also. When you work alongside somebody in volunteer work, and when that person has a need, they come and talk to you.”
“Word-of-mouth is the most reliable way,” Kramer added. “I think customers have been more confident in investing in their infrastructure. In the last couple of years, there’s been a lot more confidence that business will be stable, and that’s helped us.”
With several high-profile hackings around the country making the news in recent months, more and more people are drawn to advanced security for their devices and systems. Olmsted indicated that this, as well as the potential cost of a breach to a company (both in terms of mishandled data and damaged reputation), is providing an additional boon in business to On Line Support. He specifically referenced a security product called Two Factor Authentication, which involves a standard username/password component, but also the entering of a number that changes every 90 seconds – therefore heightening the defenses of any system or product that utilizes it – as an increasing popular item.
If there’s one thing about On Line Support that truly sets it apart, Olmsted said, it’s the atmosphere in the office. Employees bring their dogs to work, and there’s an upbeat, enthusiastic air to everything that goes on.
“We love what we do,” he said. “Every one of us here are nerds by design, and the fact that we get to apply it to business is just phenomenal. With the rate of change, there’s never a dull moment.”
Editor’s note: On Line Support is a member of the Vancouver Business Journal’s Strategic Partners Program. To learn more about the program, contact Irene Pettengill at 360.448.6013.
