An IT Helpdesk That Closes Tickets, Not Just Opens Them
Phone, email, portal, or chat. Real people on the other end with the access and authority to fix things instead of escalating in circles. SLA-backed response times and clear monthly reporting.
North Star provides remote helpdesk support across Canada through the channels included in the selected agreement. Physical work is scoped and scheduled from the two real dispatch locations in Prince George, BC and Grande Prairie, AB. Response targets, covered users and devices, escalation, billing and exclusions are documented before service begins.
What Is Included
Channels: Phone, Email, Portal, Chat
Submit support requests the way your team already works. We respond on the channel you used, not the one most convenient for us. Tickets opened by phone are not re-routed to email for the reply.
SLA-Backed Response Times
Acknowledgement and response targets are defined by ticket priority, selected support hours and the service agreement. Actual resolution also depends on access, client authority, connectivity, vendor availability and the nature of the issue.
After-Hours Coverage
After-hours escalation is available only when it is explicitly included in the selected agreement. The proposal identifies support hours, on-call handling, response targets, access requirements and any third-party dependencies before service begins.
Monthly Reporting
Ticket counts, average resolution times, recurring issues, and recommendations. You see what is actually breaking and why, so you can decide whether a recurring issue warrants a permanent fix rather than repeated helpdesk calls.
First-Touch Resolution
First-touch resolution is a metric we track rather than a blanket promise. We review tickets that require more than two interactions, because repeated work may indicate a process or infrastructure issue worth addressing.
How It Works
Step 1, Submit
Open a ticket your way: phone, email, portal, or chat. We pick it up and confirm acknowledgement within the SLA window.
Step 2, Triage
Tickets are classified, prioritised and assigned under the agreed workflow. Escalation and status visibility follow the selected service, priority definitions and available access.
Step 3, Resolve
Most issues closed on first touch. Complex issues get a clear status update and an ETA. You are not left wondering whether anyone is working on it.
Step 4, Report
Monthly summary: ticket volume, resolution times, recurring issues, and any infrastructure recommendations that emerged from the period's ticket data.
Who This Is For
- Canadian businesses with 5 - 200 staff that need reliable IT support without the cost and risk of hiring in-house helpdesk staff
- Organisations currently using break-fix IT support and spending more than expected because every incident is billed hourly
- Businesses with after-hours operations or remote staff who need support outside standard business hours
- Companies whose current helpdesk tickets are escalating in circles without resolution and who want predictable response times backed by an SLA
What buyers ask before they sign
How are critical incidents and response targets defined?
Priority definitions and response targets are documented in the service agreement. Scope commonly considers affected users, business impact, security risk, available workaround, support hours and the authority North Star has to act.
What is the difference between the standard and enterprise plans?
Plans differ by included support hours, users or devices, response targets, escalation, onsite scope, reporting and billing model. The proposal states the exact inclusions; no after-hours or fixed-rate term is assumed unless it is written there.
Do you support remote staff?
Remote support is available across Canada when connectivity, authorised access, supported systems and client cooperation permit it. Physical work is scoped and scheduled from North Star's Prince George, BC or Grande Prairie, AB dispatch locations when required.
What about hardware issues that require physical intervention?
When physical intervention is required, North Star scopes and schedules the work from its Prince George, BC or Grande Prairie, AB dispatch locations. For other locations, we coordinate with local technicians or ship replacement hardware where applicable.
How does flat-rate pricing work?
Where a fixed monthly helpdesk plan is selected, the agreement defines the covered users or devices, included ticket work and exclusions. Projects, hardware, travel and other out-of-scope work are quoted separately.
What if our volume is very low one month?
A fixed monthly agreement does not vary solely with ticket count during the agreed term, but user or device changes and out-of-scope work can change charges under the contract.
Why North Star
North Star is based in Prince George, BC, with a second dispatch location in Grande Prairie, AB, and serves businesses across Canada. Our helpdesk is staffed by the same team that manages your infrastructure and security, not a separate tier of support staff with no access to your environment. Flat-rate pricing. Real people. SLA-backed response times that are in writing.
Get a Quote on Managed Helpdesk
Tell us your user count and current support setup. We will come back with a flat-rate proposal within two business days.
Call 672-983-1174 or book a free assessment online.
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Request a Quote Back to Managed ServicesSmall business IT support that closes tickets, not just opens them.
An IT helpdesk is the first line of response for user and device issues such as password access, printers, VPN connectivity and Microsoft 365 application problems. North Star documents how requests are received, prioritised, assigned, escalated and closed under the selected service.
North Star assigns tickets to technicians under the access and authority granted in the agreement. For example, a field team's tablet connectivity issue may require remote diagnosis, client approval, a vendor dependency or scheduled physical work. Resolution notes, recurring-issue review and reporting are provided where included in the selected workflow.
Helpdesk deliverables, written down.
- Multi-channel submission: phone, email, web portal, or Microsoft Teams chat. We respond on the same channel you used.
- Documented response targets: acknowledgement and response objectives are set by priority and support hours in the selected agreement.
- Remote desktop support: we connect to Windows and macOS devices via managed remote access tools without requiring you to install anything ad hoc.
- Microsoft 365 administration: password resets, mailbox issues, Teams configuration, license adds and removes, SharePoint access.
- Network and VPN troubleshooting: connectivity issues, VPN client config, firewall rules for new software.
- Device triage and escalation: if a device needs a hardware repair or replacement, we document the fault, initiate warranty claims, and arrange a loaner where available.
- Optional after-hours escalation: coverage, on-call handling, response targets and any third-party dependencies are stated in the selected agreement.
- Monthly summary report: ticket volume, average resolution time, recurring issues, and recommendations for reducing future ticket load.
SMBs that need a real IT team, not a phone tree.
The service can be scoped for small and mid-sized organisations with no internal IT team or for teams that need co-managed helpdesk capacity. Fit depends on user count, devices, applications, locations, support hours, access requirements and internal ownership.
What these businesses share is that IT problems cost them real money per hour of downtime. A staff member who can't log in is either idle or working around the problem in a way that creates a security risk. They need a helpdesk that picks up quickly, understands their environment, and has the authority to fix things without six levels of approval. That is the model North Star uses.
Compare break-fix and managed helpdesk options using total cost, included work, response terms, internal effort and downtime exposure. North Star can supplement an internal IT role or take responsibility for the defined helpdesk scope when the agreement and access model support it.
Flat-rate pricing, not per-ticket billing.
Helpdesk can be priced within a managed IT agreement using the approved user or device count and documented scope. Pricing depends on environment complexity, support hours, response targets and responsibilities. Projects, hardware, travel and other out-of-scope work are quoted separately.
What buyers ask before signing up.
How fast will you actually respond?
The agreement defines acknowledgement and response targets by priority and support hours. Resolution timing depends on the issue, authorised access, client decisions, connectivity and vendor dependencies. Ticket priority and escalation are documented in the service workflow.
Do you support Macs and Windows?
Yes. We support Windows 10 and 11, macOS Ventura and Sonoma, and mixed environments. We use Microsoft Intune for device management on both platforms. If you are running Linux desktops for specific workloads, contact us to discuss scope. Most SMB environments are Windows-primary with some Macs in the mix, and that is our wheelhouse.
What if I have a line-of-business application we use?
We document your software stack during onboarding. For off-the-shelf applications we support the operating system and connectivity layer. For vendor-supported applications, we coordinate with your software vendor on your behalf. We do not support custom software at the helpdesk tier, but we can scope that separately as a managed application support agreement.
Can you handle after-hours emergencies?
After-hours emergency handling is available only when the selected agreement includes it. The proposal distinguishes business-hours support, on-call escalation, response targets, access and third-party dependencies so the coverage can be evaluated before signing.
How do I know what's being worked on?
Ticket status, closure notes and reporting follow the tools and cadence included in the selected agreement. Where recurring-issue review is included, North Star can identify patterns and recommend a separately approved corrective action.
Prince George and Grande Prairie dispatch. Canada-wide remote support.
North Star provides remote support across Canada and schedules physical work from its Prince George, BC and Grande Prairie, AB dispatch locations. Connectivity, distance, site access and industry-specific applications are assessed during scoping. Technicians remain responsible for ticket decisions and documentation when approved tools assist the workflow.