CUSTOMER STORIES: EVO and Stones relationship comes full circle with refurbished tech
"The customer service we receive from Stone is always exemplary."
"Working with Stone is a positive experience and I have no hesitation in recommending them to other companies."
"As we buy refurbished machines from Stone, they are buying our old hardware to refurbish and sell on – great for both companies’ green credentials."
Paul Cruse-Morrell, Desktop Service Manager
Background
The EVO Group of Companies is the UK and Ireland’s largest specialist multi-channel business supplies and service distributors. It offers an array of tailored and specialist services within each channel, offering a true one-stop-shop, and the broadest multi-channel sales structure in the sector. With a centralised distribution network and distribution centres across Britain and Ireland, it relies on a robust IT system to deliver next day supply to its 50,000+ client base.
Paul Cruse-Morrell is Desktop Service Manager for the Group. Based at the company’s Sheffield headquarters, Paul and his team of six offer second line support and are responsible for deployment and delivery of operating systems, hardware and peripherals.
Key Information
- EVO wanted to migrate to Windows 10
- Need to refresh over 700 devices
- Had previously used Stone Approved in 2014 and were impressed with quality and service
- Stone rolled out high-quality refurbished kit across the business
- Handled the licensing process for EVO
- Offered a 360 degree solution by securely recycling their old kit
The Situation
The relationship between Stone and EVO dates back to April 2014. Window XP had reached end of life and Paul had to refresh around 500 desktops and upgrade them to Windows 7. “I had worked with several suppliers previously but with a major refresh coming up, I decided to do some research to see if I could find an alternative company and look at the various pricing on offer,” said Paul.
After researching providers online he came across Stone Group and was impressed with their credentials. He said: “Having found Stone I began noticing their trucks on my journey into work on the M1 and I realised what a sizable operation they had. I decided to get in touch to find out if they could help.”
As a private sector company, Paul has responsibility to prove to EVO’s Board of Directors that any capital expenditure offers value for money and this, together with customer service, were the driving force behind his buying decision.
Stone has always recognised that keeping up-to-date with the always evolving technology landscape, in combination with end-users technology expectations, can place budgets and IT teams under significant pressure. To help customers modernise their IT estates even on constrained budgets, Stone offer Stone Approved, an extensive range of high-quality refurbished hardware from the leading names in IT.
Stone Approved devices are professionally refurbished by experienced technical staff at Stone HQ, giving unwanted a kit a second lease of life. This not only provides a lower cost method for IT refreshes, but also helps contribute to greener operations, by extending product lifecycles and ensuring technology is not wasted and sent to landfill.
As a Microsoft Registered Refurbisher Stone offer an exhaustive, tried and tested process to ensure all refurbished machines enjoy longevity, backed by a 3-year no quibble warranty supported by vendor accredited Stone engineers. Each refurbished machine comes with a Genuine Certificate of Authenticity for added peace of mind and upgrade options to future proof your tech.
Impressed with the Stone Approved offering, Stone listened to Paul’s requirements, and recommended the most suitable devices to meet these needs.
“Stone talked me through the refurbishment process and I had every confidence in the quality of the refurbished machines,” said Paul. “The price was also a deciding factor as we were paying around one third of the price of a new machine and that included the operating system which Stone installed.”
The refurbished desktops were delivered to EVO in individually packaged airtight packs because the machines in 2014 had spinning disks at the time.
Paul was impressed with this level of service and care. “This was typical of the customer service from Stone,” he said. “From the great price, to the customer service and after care, Stone could not be faulted. I was really pleased to have found a supplier of this high-caliber.”
“From the great price, to the customer service and after care, Stone could not be faulted. I was really pleased to have found a supplier of this high-caliber.”
Paul Cruse-Morell – Desktop Service Manager
The solution
Due his positive experience with Stone, in 2019 when Paul faced a challenge similar to that in 2014, he reached out to his dedicated account manager at Stone to assist. With Windows 7 end of support date fast approaching, Paul wanted to migrate to Windows 10 before Windows 7 became completely unsupported in January 2020, and refresh EVO’s technology landscape with modern Windows 10 devices.
Impressed with the quality and performance of the Stone Approved kit previously purchased, Paul chose to utilise Stones professionally refurbished hardware offering once more. Paul was keen to implement devices with similar features and functionality to the kit in their current estate, and Stone helped find the most appropriate devices.
The new technology rollout will be completed the end of the year, at which point Paul will have implemented over 700 Stone Approved units with Windows 10, of which the licensing is being taken care of by Stones specialist software staff.
In addition to providing EVO with refurbished hardware at a cost-effective price, Stone taken their unwanted kit off their hands as part of their 360 degree recycling service. Many of the unwanted devices will have their data securely wiped, before being professionally refurbished and upgraded at the onsite, fully-accredited recycling facility at Stone HQ.
As there is no third-party involvement in the process, 100% of the remaining value goes straight back to EVO in the form of cash rebates to reinvest back in to their business. Any devices unfit for refurbishment will be securely and sustainably recycled.
“The relationship we have built with Stone over five years has come full circle,” said Paul. “Stone has purchased around 150 of our old computers to recycle, refurbish and sell on. The money we have received is helping to off-set the capital outlay for our new equipment and as well as saving money it’s good to know we doing our bit for the environment by reusing equipment we no longer need.”
