FAQs

This page contains questions we are frequently asked by prospective clients, and our answers.

About mercury1

What type of IT do mercury1 specialise in?

We offer a full range of IT services from web design, application development, website/application hosting, email provision, domain management and strategy consultancy to internet connectivity, network hardware and configuration, PC and printer hardware & supplies, software and training.

We specialise in providing tailored solutions for small businesses; our strategy is to provide free consultation and use this time to work with you to assess your needs, and propose a solution fitted to those needs.

In terms of technologies, we are experts in the following: html, css, java, database (sql), javascript, flash, vb and more.

What do mercury1 do differently to other IT firms?

Our strategy is to provide free consultation and use this time to work with you to assess your needs, and propose a solution fitted to those needs.

It is our firm belief that the right way to do business is not to look for sales at the expense of our clients; we will only accept a contract if we believe our solution is suited to you, and will benefit your business.

Our aim is to become your IT "guardians"; a company you trust to advise and assist you with all of your IT issues, fairly and honestly.

Working with mercury1

How would you analyse the IT in my current business and what would it cost?

Our strategy is to provide free consultation and use this time to work with you to assess your needs, and propose a solution fitted to those needs.

The consultation can be either in person or remotely (telephone, email etc), and would involve gaining a full understanding of your business and your existing IT systems. We then identify areas where our services could provide you with a solution to improve your business; either in terms of increased efficiency, faster working, more sales or other areas

Of course, sometimes clients approach us with a clear idea of what they need already, in which case we work with them to design the final outcome within that framework.

What happens if I don't like your proposal? (website design, application specification etc)

You say so, and you pay us nothing. If you like, we can rework the proposal according to your feedback, but there is no obligation.

How do I know that your services are good quality?

We will never attempt to sell you something we don't fully believe will benefit your business, but of course we recognise that you would require concrete examples. Our portfolio page presents some examples of our work, and we are always happy to provide references.

In addition, we always provide detailed no-obligation proposals explaining exactly what we intend to deliver.

Charities and mercury1

Why/how do you donate services to charity?

We aim to select a charity to donate our services to every six months. This is down to the personal goals of our senior staff - who believe that there is a lot more to life than making money.

IT is what we are best at, so this is how we choose to give back to the world.

How do you choose which charities you support and donate services to?

Some charities we are already aware of, of course. In addition, the UK charity commission details all registered charities in the UK. We look for charities working in areas close to our hearts. We also invite charities to contact us for consideration.

What are the ongoing cost implications for charities you donate to?

Exactly the same as the upfront cost - nothing. We do not seek to gain any revenue from these chosen charities - this is something we do for personal fulfillment only.

On occasions a charity might require a product we would source from a third party - a license for Microsoft Office for example; in this instance we provide products at cost price.

What can we offer charities that don't get awarded a free service?

Not every charity may be able to benefit from our free services, but ALL charities will be able to take advantage of the 10% charity discount we offer.