It's a big deal when Sun
Microsystems takes out a full page ad in
the Wall Street Journal to honor a little
company based in Carson City, along
with a handful of other suppliers, for the
exceptional quality of its work.
It's maybe an even bigger deal when
the Carson City company, in business a
mere four years, was similarly honored
by Sun last year.
To be sure, Jeffrey Hall appreciates
the recognition accorded Sun
Microsystems to Datagate and its
employees.
But, the chief executive officer of
Datagate adds, the kind of high-quality
work recognized by Sun is just part of a
day's work for Datagate. And the proof
is this: Both sides of Datagate's business,
two different kinds of operations, each
have achieved awards for exceptional
quality.
The Sun award, for starters, recognized
the work of Datagate's team of 45
field engineers who get big, mission-critical
computer systems think of the
central computer for a major retail chain
or the computer for a bank with branches
across the country back onto line
as quickly as possible.
Dispatched from an office at St.
Petersburg, Fla., the field engineers are
stationed around the country, ready to
arrive at the site of a customer's downed
computer within two hours. The job,
Hall said a few days ago, is something
like that of a firefighter long periods
of boredom followed by moments of
sheer terror.
Once they get the call, Datagate's
field engineers know their job:
"The culture is making sure we do it
right the first time," Hall said. "You
never get in trouble for doing the right
thing for the customer."
To do that, Datagate hires very carefully
"They're professional and we
expect them to stay current with their
skills," Hall said and the company
supports them with the best training and
best supply system it can muster.
Datagate pays attention to its budget,
but it pays greater attention to the needs
of its customers. If the customers are
well served, Hall said, the budget will
take care of itself.
The company's engineers respond
with loyalty. The turnover rate is almost
zero.
"Turnover is expensive, both in terms
of money and morale," Hall said. And in
a business where customers want the
kind of expertise that can solve problems
quickly, experience counts for plenty.
After hiring them carefully, Hall gets
out of the way of his company's field
engineers, managing them through
phone calls and e-mails but respecting
their ability to get the job done without
micromanagement.
"That kind of field engineering doesn't
come cheap," Hall acknowledged. But
the customers who otherwise might see
key operations shut down for many long
hours are willing to pay the price.
The field engineers' work isn't a fluke.
The other side of Datagate's operation
a facility on Deer Run Road in
Carson City that repairs high-tech systems
used in missiles and aircraft is
so good that the federal government no
longer feels obligated to inspect
Datagate's work.
"We've been 100 percent on time, 100
percent quality for as long as I can
remember," Hall said of the repair operation
and its 12 employees. "We can sign
off on our own work. That's very hard to
attain."
In fact, he said, Datagate employees
sometimes find themselves in the odd
position of requesting a government
inspection if they want a second set of
eyes to look over their work.
Privately held Datagate got its start in
Silicon Valley in 1978 as Hall and other
founders of the company decided to
service Hewlett-Packard hardware. The
computer giant battled them hoping
to keep all the maintenance business
itself and the battle went to the U.S.
Supreme Court before Datagate won the
right to stay in the business.
The company moved to Nevada in
1993.
Today, Hall said, the field engineering
business is growing slowly, largely as the
result of the dramatic slowdown in the
technology industry.
The defense repair business at Carson
City, he said, has been slowing winding
down but the company believes it has
strong potential for growth and aggressively
seeks new customers.
