Our Process: From First Conversation to Ongoing Care
Our process is the same ten steps on every Granite Tech engagement, from the first conversation through the years of support that follow. Technology is what we do, but customer service comes first, so here is exactly what to expect at each stage of the relationship.
Small projects follow the same steps. Each one simply takes hours instead of days.
Process is the difference between good technology and great outcomes
Most technology projects fail at the same places. Three months in, the customer is back to feeling abandoned by the same kind of vendor they hired a new partner to replace. Over 22+ years and more than 1,200 businesses, we have refined a ten-step path that closes those gaps. Every step has a purpose, every handoff is documented, and every project, regardless of size, follows the same structure so nothing slips through the cracks.
The same ten steps apply whether the work is managed IT services, a new business phone system, a cybersecurity program, or structured cabling for a new office. Only the time each step takes changes.
A vendor jumps straight to a quote without learning the business. Our Discover step comes before any design or price.
The install gets rushed because the planning was rushed. Plan and Stage, Check, Test, Validate build in time for verification before go-live.
Training is the first thing dropped when a deadline runs long. Onboard is its own step, so your team knows the portal, the guides, and how to get help.
Promised at kickoff, forgotten at closeout. Build and Propose each produce a written record of what was agreed to and why.
From first conversation to ongoing care
Hover or tap any step to see what happens at that stage, what you walk away with, and who on our team leads it. Use the arrows to walk the whole path in order.
Engage
Come to us with a need. We welcome you in so our businesses can engage and find a mutual connection, and you will quickly see that your needs become our needs.
Step one is a no-pressure conversation about your business, your current technology, and your goals. Nothing is quoted yet.
- A real team member responds within one business day
- A conversation about goals, not a sales pitch
- A clear sense of whether we are a fit
Discover
We gather the facts that set the foundation for everything we build. We ask questions, assess the environment, and validate the information you provide us, so the design rests on what is actually in the building.
This is where issues that would otherwise become invoice surprises get caught.
- A 30 to 45 minute discovery call
- An assessment of your current environment
- Your pain points and what success looks like, written down
Build
We collaborate to put the right pieces in place to solve your problem. We create designs and determine how many phases are needed to get the job done.
Larger projects get broken into phases here, so a multi-location rollout is planned as a series of manageable stages instead of one risky weekend.
- Designs for the work
- A phase count for larger projects
- A written record of what was decided and why
Propose
We present our findings and recommendations and get your feedback on our ideas. Once the proposal is refined, we create an agreement.
You see the full scope before any work begins, and your feedback is built in before anything is signed.
- A written proposal with scope, pricing, and timelines
- Room to push back and refine
- An agreement once the proposal fits
Plan
We create a detailed custom plan so the work can be carried out effectively, and we assemble a project team that is just right for your business.
Planning is where the schedule gets real: who is on site, in what order, and what has to be ready before each phase starts.
- A detailed custom implementation plan
- A project team sized to your business
- Timing set by what Discovery found
Stage, Check, Test, Validate
We collect the granular data needed to complete the job, configure anything necessary to get the project moving, and run final testing and validation before going live.
This step builds in time for verification, which is what keeps an install from falling apart in week two.
- Granular data collected before install day
- Configuration done ahead of go-live
- Final testing and validation before anything goes live
Implement
This is where the action happens. We turn on the phone system, add the software, ready the network, and execute the migration. Whatever the project is, we bring it to fruition.
Because the planning and testing already happened, go-live is the execution of a plan your team has already seen.
- Phones, software, network, or migration brought live
- Work carried out by the project team from the Plan step
- Go-live on the timeline in your plan
Finishing Touches
We work together with your team to finalize and customize the setup and confirm the project implementation is completed properly.
Small adjustments that only show up once real people are using the system get handled here, before the project is called done.
- Adjustments made with your staff
- Customization to how your team works
- Confirmation the implementation is complete
Onboard
We pass you the backend reins: how to use our customer portal, where to find training guides, how to open a ticket, and how to get help. The goal is to set you up for success.
Documentation is delivered and contacts are introduced, so your team can operate the system day to day.
- Customer portal access and training
- Training guides for your team
- How to open a ticket and a clear escalation path
Customer Care
We are your partner for the lifecycle of the system: ongoing service, scheduled business reviews, and account consulting on industry trends and active security threats.
When a new need comes up, we start again with you at step one.
- Ongoing service through our service desk
- Scheduled business reviews
- Advisories on industry trends and active threats
Built to remove what customers hate about IT vendors
Every step exists because we have seen what goes wrong when it is missing. Here is what the ten steps protect you from. Tap a step to jump to it on the path above.
No surprises
Discovery and Plan catch issues before they become invoice surprises. You see the full scope before work begins.
Clear timelines
Stage, Check, Test, Validate builds in time for verification before go-live. No rushed implementations that fall apart in week two.
Documented decisions
Build and Propose each produce a written record of what was agreed to and why. No “I thought we said” conversations months later.
Lifecycle support
Customer Care is a structured step of its own, with regular business reviews, threat advisories, and a partner relationship that lasts.
You will always know who is leading each stage
Different parts of our team handle different stages, and every handoff between them is documented. These are real Granite Tech people, based in Montana and the Inland Northwest, not a rotating offshore queue.
Account executives
Engage, Discover, and Propose are led by our account team. They learn the business, gather the facts, and come back with a written proposal. Most new conversations start with Bailey Elliott.
Technical Account Managers and engineers
Build, Plan, Stage, and Implement belong to the people who design and install the work. They size the project team, configure and test ahead of go-live, and carry the plan through.
Service desk and account team
Customer Care lives with our service desk and your account team for the life of the relationship: day-to-day service, tickets through the customer portal, and scheduled business reviews.
Onboarding hands you the reins. Customer Care keeps things running.
Onboarding hands you the working knowledge of what we built. Your team gets access to the customer portal, our user guides and training material, instructions for opening a service ticket, and a clear escalation path. Documentation is delivered and contacts are introduced, so your staff can operate the system day to day without calling us for every small question.
Customer Care is ongoing. We stay your partner for the lifecycle of the system with regular service, scheduled business reviews, and account consulting on industry trends and active security threats. Those reviews draw on our Healthy Business framework, so policies, inventories, and roadmaps get looked at on a schedule instead of only when something breaks. When a new need comes up, the process starts again at step one.
- Customer portal access and a walkthrough
- Training guides for your team
- How to open a service ticket
- A clear escalation path
- Documentation and contact introductions
- Ongoing service through our service desk
- Scheduled business reviews
- Advisories on active security threats
- Consulting on industry trends
What it feels like when every step is covered
Common questions about our process
Questions we hear most often from businesses evaluating Granite Tech as a long-term partner.
Timing depends on the project. A simple phone system migration might run from Engage to Onboard in four to six weeks. A multi-location managed IT engagement with cabling, surveillance, and cybersecurity could take three to four months. The Discover and Plan steps determine timing, and you will have a written timeline before work begins.
Yes, with appropriate scaling. A small phone migration follows the same structure, but each step takes hours instead of days. The process exists to confirm nothing important gets skipped, not to slow things down, and even small projects benefit from a documented Discover step, a written plan, and proper onboarding.
Different parts of our team handle different stages. Account executives manage Engage, Discover, and Propose. Technical Account Managers and engineers run Build, Plan, Stage, and Implement. Customer Care lives with our service desk and account team for the lifecycle of the relationship, and you will know exactly who is leading which phase of our process.
No. Step 10, Customer Care, is ongoing. We provide regular service, scheduled business reviews, and active account consulting on industry trends and security threats. When a new project comes up, we start again at Engage. Most of our customers stay with us for years, which is why we built the process to support a long-term partnership rather than a one-time transaction.
Onboarding hands you the working knowledge of the system we built. That includes access to our customer portal, training guides for your team, instructions for opening service tickets, and a clear escalation path. Documentation is delivered, contacts are introduced, and your team is set up to operate the system day to day.
Step 1 is Engage. Call 406-505-5061 or book a conversation with Bailey. We start with a no-pressure conversation about your business, your current technology, and your goals. From there we move into Discover, and the rest of our process unfolds at the pace your project requires.
Ready to start at step one?
Step one is a no-pressure conversation about your business, your technology, and what you are trying to accomplish. Book time with Bailey and we will take it from there, with a written proposal to follow if there is a fit.
Or email CustomerCare@granite.tech