Tech-savvy solutions

Mitech has been offering advice and service to Kootenay businesses since 1979

The Mitech team, based in Cranbrook, finds satisfaction in improving work flow and productivity for businesses, large and small, throughout the Kootenays. General manager Darryl Price is pictured front and centre. —

Marie Milner photo

With 11 employees (compared to just two when the business opened its doors in 1979), Mitech in Cranbrook is the largest dedicated office solutions business in the region. General manager Darryl Price took time to answer a few questions from Kootenay Business.

Mitech has been in business for 33 years. So, what are you doing right?

Customers first, our people, commitment to service—we are not always perfect, but have always placed a high priority on working diligently to satisfy customers.

How has the business changed in the past three-plus decades?

Advancement of technology (has been huge), from typewriters and calculators to copiers (document management, work flow management, colour advancement); telephony function (VoIP, messaging, call management large or small); modular workplace design and systems; and HD camera systems. The reliability of our products has improved greatly and our customers have a much wider range of needs that typically must be integrated across voice, data and document management systems.

Considering the rapidity of technological change, are there services you offer now that would have been unheard of in 1979?

Colour copies, email, electronic document storage, faxing, voice over Internet, cloud portals on copiers, call forwarding, voice mail, automated call distribution, twinning, unified messaging—and literally hundreds of other advancements—have occurred over the last 30-plus years. (As a result), training has become an important element of our offering to customers. The technology offers improved productivity to our customers, but without the knowledge gained from training to leverage their investment, the returns may not be realized. We focus on ensuring our customers know how to get the most out of the technology.

What's the most interesting and/or complicated problem you or your team have encountered with a client, and what was the solution?

There is always a challenge with integrating new productivity tools and technology solutions into situations where we must link to legacy systems across multiple locations in the Kootenays. Planning and project management becomes critical to successful implementations. Our decades of experience has been invaluable in ensuring the migration to new technology is completed with minimal customer interruption. Most customers in today's environment don't have the luxury of being down for any length of time during a cut-over.

What gives you and your team the most joy at work?

It's a cliche, but solving problems for our customers and watching how technology has improved their productivity. It's satisfying to find the best possible fit for our customers and knowing how much that has improved the work flow and productivity within their organizations—large or small.

What is the most challenging part of the work at Mitech? The most rewarding?

Our customers' demands are increasing—(they need) flawless implementations, on time and on budget, and the assurance that the technology delivers as promised. All of these requirements are baseline expectations of our customers. The most rewarding is working through the challenges inherent in every project and having the customer tell us at the end of the implementation that we delivered as promised.

Where do you predict Mitech will be five years from now?

Technology will continue to advance with better price performance for our customers. Service will become critical for our customers' success and there will be even more emphasis on training our customers to use the tools they have invested in.

Can you describe a typical day at Mitech?

Everyone is coming and going with their own responsibilities. We have a large, distributed customer base across the East and West Kootenays that can only be managed effectively with empowered employees. When these tasks overlap, it is common to find a service representative brainstorming with a sales representative to come up with the best possible fit for our mutual client. Communication is the key to maintaining a solid team.

What was your first job, and what did you learn from it?

IBM—I learned the importance of processes and procedures as a tool for ensuring consistent customer satisfaction.

If you weren't doing this job, what would you like to be doing?

Skiing, biking, riding motorcycles, sledding—anything that allows me to enjoy the amazing outdoors we have in the Kootenays.

What's your idea of a dream vacation?

Backpacking for extended periods off the North American continent.

Do you have a mentor or someone who inspires you?

No one person in particular, but several—at various stages of my life and my professional and personal development I have learned from several mentors.

Knowing what you know now, what career advice would you give your younger self?

Build a plan for your life. I would be bolder with my aspirations and take more risks. I wouldn't dwell as long on my mistakes but learn from them . . . and move on fearlessly to the next challenge.

Do you have a favourite motivational quote?

In particular, the last line of this quote has always resonated with me (author unknown):

"It is not intelligence alone that brings success, but also the drive to succeed, the commitment to work hard, and the courage to believe in yourself. Know that your dreams must come from your heart's deepest desires. Only then will the barriers come down before you. To know your heart, you must know yourself. You are who you decide to be, not who other people decide for you to be. Be noble. Stand on the higher ground. Create your life and then go out and live it."