Innovative laptops for innovative companies

The choice of laptops affects how your business is perceived

• Customer: Elicit — Part of Omegapoint
• Location: Gothenburg, Sverige

Elicit is a consulting company founded in 1999 in Gothenburg. They have gone from being specialized IT consultants to today, taking on much broader assignments where they handle everything from the ground up, not just developing IT solutions.

Corporate culture is everything

How the company has managed to get where it is today, is largely due to the fact that it has always wanted to stand out from the crowd. It has done this by offering a wider range of products than its competitors, always ensuring that it is at the forefront of technology and, not least, by investing heavily in personal contact, where the company's culture has taken centre stage.

It has always been important for Elicit, that the employees live and breathe what they work with and with technology. Working as an IT consultant at Elicit shouldn't just be a job, it should be something you love. In this way, you create personal connections that last and it becomes a win-win for both the customers and Elicit.

This company culture puts employees first and that becomes very clear when you visit their headquarters in Gothenburg. There, focused work is interspersed with pleasant coffee breaks on the couch or a game of ping pong to recharge the brain cells.

 

The challenge: a boring supply on the market

This willingness to always be at the forefront and to stand out, has attracted a certain type of employee; people who are interested in technology. This is naturally great for an IT consultancy, but it also gives you a very discerning target group to buy new equipment for.

"Our employees are interested in new technology. Genuinely interested. They are technology nerds. Not all of them, but many. So we need our computers to reflect that." - Pelle Andel, CEO

When it came time to replace a large share of the laptops at Elicit, Pelle Andel wanted to explore the market from scratch.

"We have been buying computers for 20 years from the big classic giants and we were a bit tired of it being the same and a bit boring."

If you ask employees what they want, you often hear brands that are big on the consumer side. They often focus on wanting great design, gaming performance and cool features. Unfortunately, laptops focused on those things aren't always that great for businesses. For example, gaming PCs are usually optimised for FPS numbers and prioritize performance over stability and battery life.

For businesses, security features, battery life and, not least, durability are often more important. Sure, durability is important for everyone, but business laptops often get a lot more abuse than personal laptops and they need to be able to handle it.

The problem for Elicit so far, has been that it has not been able to find laptops that have both a modern design language, unique features and the latest technology but that do not compromise on security and durability. Not least, it also needed a supplier that could offer the extras; good service agreements, warranty and infrastructure to support Elicit in case of need.

The solution: ASUS laptops that stood out from the crowd

This is where ASUS came in. ASUS was a brand mostly known from the consumer market but also liked by a lot of people. What first attracted Pelle and Elicit to ASUS were the many unique features such as the focus on OLED screens, customised creative computers, trackpads with built-in numpad and the like. And of course the design. These things make ASUS computers stand out from the crowd, something that Pelle valued very highly.

"We needed our computers to stand out, to have something special. Something that creates a wow feeling. It's clear that things like that make a difference, it creates an impression of Elicit that is reflected with how we want to be perceived." - Pelle Andel

That said, it's not everything a company like Elicit needs to consider when buying new laptops. After all, buying laptops from a new supplier doesn't just mean changing the logo on the laptop lid. It means entering into a partnership where customer dialogue and customer service are a big part of what determines whether it was a good choice or not. At this point, Pelle already feels confident that they made the right choice.

"For us, it's been important to feel that we have someone who cares about us in helping us get where we want to go. With ASUS, we got a supplier who was there personally. Met us in conversations, helped us listen to our needs, our different roles and what computers would be the best fit. And as a result, we've been able to make the right choice. Together." - Pelle continues

This resulted in the purchase of several different models. The ASUS Zenbook Pro Duo, with its dual monitors, found a home with the developers to make it easier to work on the go when you don't have access to external monitors. This while the ASUS Zenbook Flip 13 was felt to be the optimal choice for other employees.

Annica Lörstad explains why she felt it was the right choice for her: "I'm often on the go and want a light and agile laptop. However, I'm also a bit forgetful and it's not uncommon for me to forget to take the charger with me. That's why good battery life is key for me, which has been great with this laptop."

How has it gone since the purchase

One of the big factors before deciding to go with ASUS was the parts related to enterprise delivery. Even the best laptops sometimes need service and for an employee to be without a laptop for an extended period, is not a feasible situation. That's why it's hugely important that service agreements and quick contact and more are absolutely top notch.

For Elicit, ASUS was an upstart on the market that was untested in this particular area. However, the laptops suited Elicit's needs exactly, so when the initial contact and pre-purchase assistance delivered everything Pelle wanted, he felt no apprehension about testing. Something he hasn't regretted since:

"What we possibly hesitated with about ASUS, was the whole business package. How does it work with the on-site warranty and such. ASUS has excelled in every aspect. They've been quick to help us along and all the time, there's been a commitment that we haven't seen anywhere else”.