Questions answered
The short version is above. Each heading below answers one question a buyer actually asks, with the answer in the first sentence. You can skip straight to a quote at any point.
Deeper dives
- Hourly vs monthly IT support: which is cheaper?Hourly support looks cheaper until you count the hours nobody calls about. Here is the break-even math with my published rates, the hidden costs on both sides, and how to pick for your office.
- IT support without a contract in DallasYes, you can get business IT help in Dallas without signing anything. Here are the published hourly rates, how a call works, and an honest look at when pay-as-you-go makes sense and when it does not.
- Server down? Emergency IT support in DallasWhen the server or the network goes down, you need someone who picks up, starts remotely right away, and drives over if that is what it takes. Here is how I handle emergencies and what they cost.
- One-time IT help setting up new computers in DallasYou bought new computers and you want them set up properly, once, without signing anything. Here is what a real business setup includes, what it costs by the hour, and when repair is worth it.
How much does hourly IT support cost in Dallas?
Hourly IT support from Cross River Tech costs $100 per hour remote and $150 per hour onsite during business hours, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM Central. After hours, on weekends and on holidays it is $150 per hour remote and $225 per hour onsite. There is a one-hour minimum, work is billed by the hour, and there is no contract, retainer or monthly fee. I am Anthony Omini, the owner of Cross River Tech and the person you will deal with, and I publish the rates so a Dallas business owner can decide whether to call before picking up the phone.
| When | Remote | Onsite |
|---|---|---|
| Business hours, Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM Central | $100 per hour | $150 per hour |
| After hours, weekends and holidays | $150 per hour | $225 per hour |
Remote means I connect to the affected computer or network over the internet, with your permission, and fix it while you watch; onsite means I come to your office, billed at the onsite rate from arrival. The pricing page shows how these rates compare with monthly managed IT.
Who does break/fix computer support for businesses in Dallas?
I do, for any Dallas business that would rather pay for a fix than sign a monthly agreement. Break/fix is the plain name for IT support that starts when something breaks and ends when it is fixed; on-demand, hourly and pay-as-you-go IT all mean the same thing. Nothing is monitored between calls, nothing is patched on a schedule, and you owe nothing in the months when nothing goes wrong. The calls I get most are a computer that blue-screens after an update, an office that is suddenly offline, Wi-Fi that drops every afternoon, a mailbox nobody can get into, a suspicious login that needs shutting down, and a backup that has been failing quietly for a month.
Anything that turns into a project, such as an office move or a new email system for the whole company, is quoted as a fixed project instead of billed by the hour, so you know the number before the work starts. One-time IT help setting up new computers is a good example of a job small enough to stay hourly.
What happens if it is an emergency, a weekend or a holiday?
You call, I answer or call back, and I start remotely as soon as I can; onsite visits in Dallas are often possible the same day, including weekends. Remote support is available around the clock, every day of the year, including holidays, at the after-hours rate of $150 per hour remote and $225 per hour onsite. Publishing that rate is deliberate: it lets you decide whether a server that died on Saturday morning is worth fixing at once or can wait until Monday, and nobody is surprised by the invoice.
What I will not do is put a response time in writing, because Cross River Tech is a small company and some days I am already on a ladder in someone else's IT room. My team keeps the routine work moving while I am there, but I would rather tell you honestly when I can start than sign a number I cannot keep. If a written service level is a requirement for your business, a larger provider with a rota is the right choice, and I will say so rather than take the job. Emergency IT support when the server is down covers what to do in the first ten minutes while you wait for a call back.
Is hourly or monthly IT support cheaper for my office?
Hourly is cheaper when you need help occasionally: a few computers, a couple of calls a year, and someone in the office who can handle the small stuff. It stops being cheaper at roughly three or four hours of help a month, which is where a managed IT plan billed per user or per device usually costs less and includes the work hourly support leaves out: scheduled updates, monitored backups, antivirus, email security and the preventive fixes that mean fewer calls in the first place.
| Hourly break/fix | Managed IT | |
|---|---|---|
| You pay | By the hour, when something breaks | Per user or per device, monthly |
| Contract | None | Month-to-month, cancel anytime |
| Between calls | Nothing is monitored or patched | Updates, backups and security handled on a schedule |
| Onsite visits | Billed at the onsite rate | Included when remote cannot fix it |
| Best for | Occasional help, one-time jobs | Offices that depend on IT every day |
I do not push anyone from hourly to monthly; if the numbers say you should switch, I will show you the numbers. Hourly vs monthly IT support works through the break-even for a typical small office, and IT support without a contract in Dallas covers what to expect from pay-as-you-go help.
What happens on a typical call, and what do I need ready?
Have a name and phone number for whoever is at the office, make sure someone can let me in if it turns into a visit, and for a remote session stay near the computer so I can ask what you are seeing. The rest is my job, and it runs like this:
- You call (214) 612-7080 or email. If I am on another job I call back, and I will say when.
- Quick triage. A few questions to decide remote or onsite and rule out the simple causes. This is not billed if it turns out to be a thirty-second answer.
- Remote session. You approve the connection, watch everything I do and can stop it at any time. Most fixes finish inside the first hour.
- Onsite if needed. I bring the common parts. If a visit needs a part I do not have, I tell you what it is and what it costs before ordering it.
- The explanation and the invoice. What was wrong, what I did and whether something should change, in writing if you want it. Time rounded to the hour at the published rate, nothing added.
One thing to expect: while I am in there, I will notice things, such as a backup that has not run in months, a firewall on factory settings or a computer three versions behind on updates. I will mention them. I will not fix them without asking, and I will not turn a printer call into a sales pitch.
Where do you come onsite, and can you help an office outside Dallas?
Onsite visits are easiest for offices in Downtown, Uptown, Deep Ellum, the Cedars, the Design District, Oak Cliff and North Dallas, and along Central Expressway, I-35E, LBJ Freeway and the Dallas North Tollway; Cross River Tech is based in Dallas, TX 75215. I also visit businesses across the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex by appointment, including Plano, Richardson, Addison, Irving, Garland, Fort Worth and Arlington, and the service areas pages have details for each city.
Remote support has no such limit. I support businesses remotely anywhere in Texas at the same hourly rates, which suits a company with a small Dallas office and staff in Houston, Austin or San Antonio. Wherever you are, the first step is the same: call, or describe the problem through the contact page, and I will tell you what I think it is and how I would fix it.
Questions people ask about hourly it support (break/fix)
How much does hourly IT support cost in Dallas?
Cross River Tech charges $100 per hour for remote support and $150 per hour onsite during business hours, Monday to Friday 8 AM to 5 PM Central. After hours, weekends and holidays are $150 per hour remote and $225 per hour onsite. There is a one-hour minimum, work is billed by the hour, and there is no contract or monthly fee. The rates are published so you can decide before you call.
Is there a contract or a minimum commitment?
No. Hourly break/fix support has no contract, no retainer and no monthly fee. The only commitment is the one-hour minimum on each job. If you find yourself calling often enough that a monthly managed IT plan would cost less, I will tell you, but there is no obligation to move to one and no penalty for staying hourly.
Do you offer weekend IT support for businesses in Dallas?
Yes. Remote support is available around the clock every day of the year, including weekends and holidays, and onsite visits on weekends are often possible by appointment. Weekend work is billed at the after-hours rate of $150 per hour remote and $225 per hour onsite, with a one-hour minimum. Publishing the rate lets you decide whether a problem needs fixing on Saturday or can wait until Monday.
Can you come to my office the same day?
Often, yes, for offices in Dallas, and by arrangement across the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Because Cross River Tech is a small company and I come onsite myself, visits are by appointment rather than promised in writing, and I start remotely first whenever the problem allows, which is usually faster than any visit. When you call I will tell you honestly when I can be there and what I can do remotely in the meantime.
What can be fixed remotely, and what needs a visit?
Most problems are fixed remotely: email and cloud account issues, software errors, slow computers, malware, printer setup, network settings and server services that will not start. A visit is needed when hardware has to be touched, such as a dead switch, a failed drive, a new computer to unbox or a cable to trace. Remote work is billed at the lower rate, so I always start there when I can.
Do you do one-time jobs like setting up new computers?
Yes, and they are a good fit for hourly support. Setting up a few new computers, transferring data from old machines, cleaning up a virus, adding a printer or moving a couple of users to a new email system are all done by the hour with no contract. Larger jobs, such as an office move or a company-wide email migration, are quoted as a fixed project so you know the number in advance.