Does your company need occasional IT support, but find an annual maintenance contract too onerous? Are you tired of paying full price for every emergency intervention? If so, the computer hours book may be just the solution you’re looking for.
This formula, halfway between ad hoc troubleshooting and a maintenance contract, offers Swiss SMEs maximum flexibility while guaranteeing substantial savings of up to 30%. In this article, we explain how the time book works, for whom it’s suitable, and how it can transform your IT support management.
What is a computerized time book?
The principle is simple: you purchase a batch of IT service hours in advance, at a preferential rate. These hours are then consumed as and when you need them, with no time commitment or obligation to use them.
In concrete terms, instead of paying the standard rate for each intervention (generally between CHF 150 and 200 per hour), you prepay a package of 10, 25, 50 or 100 hours, which gives you access to a reduced rate of up to 30%. These hours remain available for 2 years and can be used for any type of intervention: troubleshooting, consulting, installation, training, optimization.
The advantage? You keep your IT budget under control, while benefiting from priority treatment when you need an intervention, depending on availability. For the service provider, this prepayment guarantees a relationship of trust and enables resources to be allocated more efficiently. It’s a win-win solution.
5 advantages of the time book
1. Immediate savings of up to 30%.
The first advantage is financial. By opting for a book of hours, you instantly reduce the cost of your IT interventions by up to 30%. If your service provider usually charges CHF 180 per hour, your rate with a book of hours drops to CHF 126. On a book of 50 hours, this represents a saving of CHF 2,700.
2. Budgetary control
One of the biggest IT management challenges facing SMEs is the unpredictability of costs. One month without a problem, then suddenly a major breakdown that generates a bill of CHF 3,000. With the Time Book, you can turn an unpredictable expense into a planned investment. You know exactly how much you’re going to spend when you buy the logbook, and you can spread this expense over 2 years.
3. Priority intervention
Customers who have a time book benefit from priority treatment of their requests, according to criticality and the availability of the technical team. When you call with a problem, your case is given priority over other pending requests. For an SME whose business depends on its IT, this prioritization can save costly downtime.
4. Total flexibility
Unlike a maintenance contract, which defines precise services, an hour book is totally flexible. You use it as you wish, when you need it. Urgent troubleshooting, security audits, small migration projects, user training… The logbook can be used for any type of IT intervention.
5. Valid for 2 years without loss
Booklets are valid for 2 years, with the balance carried forward automatically. If you haven’t used up all your hours by the time they expire, they are refundable on request. This “no-risk” policy takes the pressure off.
For whom is the time book suitable?
Companies with no in-house IT department
If your SME doesn’t have a dedicated IT manager, and you’re managing IT “as best you can” in-house, the time book is an excellent solution. It gives you access to professional expertise when you need it, without committing you to an expensive monthly contract.
Companies with irregular needs
Some activities generate IT requirements in waves. You can go 3 months without any problem, then need 15 hours of intervention in one month. The hours book is perfectly adapted to this irregularity.
Companies testing a service provider
Are you considering entrusting your IT to a new service provider, but first want to test the quality of their services? The hour book is the ideal entry point. Less binding than an annual contract, it gives you a concrete assessment of the service provider’s responsiveness, expertise and communication.
To complement an existing contract
Even companies that already have a maintenance contractcan benefit from a book of hours to manage one-off projects that go beyond the scope of the usual contract: migration, installation, training, specific audit.
Carnet vs. other formulas: what’s the difference?
Time book vs. one-off repairs
With spot repairs, each job is billed at the standard rate, with no discount and no priority. The hour book offers savings of up to 30%, prioritization of requests, and greater budget predictability.
Verdict: If you call on an IT service provider more than 3 times a year, the time book is systematically more advantageous.
Hours book vs. maintenance contract
A maintenance contract implies a monthly presence, proactive monitoring and preventive support. It’s the most comprehensive solution for avoiding breakdowns. An hour book is less expensive and less binding, but it’s still reactive rather than preventive.
Verdict: The maintenance contract is recommended for companies whose business is heavily dependent on IT. The hour-book is suitable for companies with a simple, stable infrastructure, or who already have in-house IT skills.
Concrete use cases for the notebook
Troubleshooting and fault resolution
A server that refuses to start up, a workstation infected by a virus, blocked e-mail… These urgent problems take between 1 and 4 hours to solve, depending on their complexity.
Small installation projects
5 new computers to configure? Installation, network configuration, data transfer… Allow 2 to 3 hours per workstation. With a 25-hour booklet, you can cover this project at a preferential rate.
Migration and upgrade
Migrating to Microsoft 365, moving to Windows 11, changing backup solutions… These projects generally require between 10 and 30 hours, depending on their scope.
Consulting and one-off audits
Doubts about the security of your infrastructure? Need expert advice before making an investment decision? A technical audit takes 3 to 6 hours.
User training
Microsoft 365 training, cybersecurity awareness… Half a day for 10 people consumes around 4 hours of the booklet.
Optimization and cleaning
Saturated servers, a network cobbled together over the years… An optimization session lasting 4 to 8 hours can give your IT a facelift.
How does the Infologo notebook work in practice?
Step 1: Choosing your package
You choose the package best suited to your projected needs over 2 years: 10, 25, 50 or 100 hours. If you’re not sure, start small. You can always buy a new book.
Step 2: Purchase and activation
Your logbook is immediately activated and valid for 2 years. You receive access to your customer area to track your remaining hours in real time.
Step 3: Run-of-river use
When you need an intervention, you contact your service provider, specifying that you have an active logbook. The intervention is carried out remotely or on site. Hours are automatically deducted from your balance.
Step 4: Transparent follow-up
After each intervention, you receive a report detailing the actions carried out and the time consumed. Your customer area is updated in real time.
Step 5: Renewal or refund
As the 2-year period approaches, you can buy a new logbook. If you have not used up all your hours, they will not be refunded.
How much does a book of hours really cost?
Let’s take a look at the typical rates for the French-speaking Swiss market. The proposed rates are on a sliding scale.
Without book of hours (one-off rate):
- Standard hourly rate: CHF 180
- 25 hours of support per year: 25 × 180 = CHF 4,500
With 25-hour booklet:
- Preferential hourly rate: CHF 126 (30% discount)
- 25 hours of support: 25 × 126 = CHF 3,150
Savings: CHF 1,350, equivalent to 7.5 hours free of charge.
For an SME consuming 50 hours a year, the saving rises to CHF 2,700 a year. Over 2 years, this represents a saving of CHF 5,400.
The limits of the time book
To be transparent, here are the main limitations of the time book:
Reactive, not preventive
The notebook remains a reactive approach. You use it when a problem occurs, not to anticipate it. Companies with preventive maintenance have 70% fewer breakdowns.
No continuous monitoring
Unlike a maintenance contract, the logbook does not provide continuous protection. No 24/7 monitoring, no automatic backup checks.
Prioritization subject to availability
Prioritization of requests issubject to the availability of the technical team. This does not guarantee immediate intervention, but rather priority treatment among requests.
Requires a certain amount of discipline
Don’t let problems pile up just to make a profit. A small problem solved quickly takes 30 minutes. The same problem ignored for weeks may require 4 hours of work.
Mistakes to avoid
Choosing a package that’s too small
Evaluate your needs over the past 12 months and choose a package that covers at least 80% of those needs. If you run out in 2 months, you’ll switch back to the standard rate.
Not keeping track of your consumption
Consult your customer area after each intervention. This also helps you to identify recurring problems that need a long-term solution.
Confusing with the purchase of equipment
The book covers technician time, not hardware or software licenses. A new hard disk will be invoiced in addition to installation hours.
Believe it’s a maintenance contract
The logbook is not a maintenance contract. It does not include regular scheduled visits or proactive monitoring. It is a cost-effective billing tool for one-off interventions.
How to get started with a time book?
You’re convinced and want to test the formula? Here’s how.
First step: assess your approximate needs over the next 12 to 24 months. Look at your past invoices, if you have any. List the one-off projects you’re planning (migration, training, audit). This will give you an idea of which package to choose.
Step 2: contact your usual IT service provider (or Infologo if you don’t already have one) for a detailed quote. Compare the cost of the book with what you would have paid at standard rates. The savings must be significant to make the investment worthwhile.
Step 3: Once you’ve bought your notebook, don’t let it go to sleep. Use it at the first sign of trouble. That’s how you’ll get the most value out of it: by solving small problems quickly, before they become big ones.
At Infologo, we offer booklets of 10, 25, 50 and 100 hours, with discounts of up to 30% and a validity of 2 years. Our book customers benefit from priority treatment of their requests according to availability and criticality. Ask for your personalized book of hours.
In conclusion: a winning formula for SMEs
The IT Time Book is neither a simple one-off breakdown service, nor a full maintenance contract. It’s an intelligent intermediate solution that combines the best of both worlds: the flexibility of no-commitment and the economic benefits of an established relationship of trust.
For Swiss SMEs with real but irregular IT needs, who are looking to control their IT budget without sacrificing quality of support, and who appreciate having priority access to technical skills when they need them, the time book is often the optimal formula.
The 30% saving is not just anecdotal. Over several years, this represents thousands of francs that stay in your company, rather than going to support costs. And prioritizing interventions can save you precious hours in the event of an urgent problem.
So, is the time book right for you? If, after reading this article, you think so, all you have to do is take the plunge. The investment will probably be one of your best IT decisions of the year.
