Ad hoc IT support in Adelaide, job by job
Ad hoc means you ask for help when you need it and we bill the time the job takes. Nothing renews, nothing sits idle on a monthly invoice. This page explains what a typical ad hoc job looks like, how the billing works, and how to tell when a plan would suit you better.
Last updated
Remote help from $115 an hour. Booked on-site work from $180 an hour. Urgent and after-hours work is $360 an hour. See all our prices
The short answer
Ad hoc IT support from WaTo Consulting in Adelaide is pay-as-you-go help: you ring or email when something needs doing, we agree the scope and a rough cost, do the work remotely or on site, and invoice the time used. There is no contract and no monthly fee. It suits businesses with occasional IT jobs. Businesses that need the same help every week usually do better on a managed plan.
What ad hoc support means in practice
Ad hoc is the Latin for "for this purpose". In IT it means help arranged for one job at a time. You are not on a plan, so nobody checks your systems between calls and nobody is watching for problems. You get an experienced person when you ask for one, and you pay for what that person does. If you want the broader on-call service, including break-fix and emergencies, see our on-call and remote support page. This page is about the job-by-job side of it.
Typical ad hoc jobs
A new starter's laptop
Unbox, update, join it to your Microsoft 365 or Google account, install the programs they use and hand it over ready. Usually a booked job of a few hours.
The printer that stopped printing
A driver, a changed network address or a scanner that no longer saves to the shared folder. Often fixed remotely in under an hour.
Moving mail to a new phone or PC
Set up email, calendars and contacts on a new device, and move the old ones across without losing anything.
Wi-Fi that drops in one corner
We test the signal, find the cause and either adjust the setup or recommend a different access point position or model.
A quote to check
You have a proposal from another supplier and want someone independent to read it. We tell you what looks fair and what looks padded.
A one-off project
A new office network, a server replacement or a move to the cloud. We scope it, agree the approach and bill the time or a quoted amount.
Who ad hoc suits, and who it doesn't
- Businesses that call for IT help a handful of times a year and are otherwise fine.
- Offices with one trusted person in house who needs a second pair of hands for a larger job.
- Owners trying us out before deciding on a longer arrangement.
- Not a good fit: a business where staff lose time to IT problems every week, or where backups, patches and security need someone checking them regularly. That is what a managed plan is for.
How billing works
- You tell us the job. Ring (08) 7123 0805 or send an email with what you need and when.
- We scope it. We ask a few questions, say whether it is a remote job or needs a visit, and give a rough idea of the time before starting.
- We do the work. Remote jobs usually start sooner. Visits are booked for a time that suits you. If the job turns out bigger than we thought, we stop and tell you before carrying on.
- We record the time. Each job is logged with what was done, so the invoice matches the work.
- You get one invoice. It lists the job, the time and the rate that applied. There is no retainer to top up and nothing carries over.
Why WaTo for ad hoc work
- Adelaide-based since 2001, so most problems are ones we have seen before.
- A rough cost before we start, and a call if the job grows.
- We write down what we change, so the next job, whoever does it, starts with a record.
- If your calls become regular, we say so and show you the numbers for a plan. You decide.
- The ad hoc rates are published, so you can check them before you ring. See our rates.
Ad hoc IT support questions
How does ad hoc IT support pricing work?
You pay an hourly rate for the time spent. Remote work is $115 an hour and booked on-site work is $180 an hour with Adelaide metro travel included. Urgent and after-hours work that was not booked is $360 an hour.. We give you a rough estimate of the hours before we start.
Is there a minimum charge or a call-out fee?
The rates above are what we charge. If a job has a minimum block or a travel charge beyond metro Adelaide, we tell you before you agree to it, not after.
What is the difference between ad hoc and managed IT?
Ad hoc is help you ask for, paid per job. Managed IT is a monthly arrangement where we also watch your systems, apply updates, check backups and handle requests as they come up. Ad hoc costs nothing in a quiet month. A plan costs the same every month and removes most surprises. Our guide on break-fix versus managed IT goes through the trade-off.
Can I book a job for a set time, like a Saturday?
Yes. Planned work outside business hours is something we do regularly. Talk to us about the day and we will confirm whether it can be booked. Pre-booked work is usually cheaper than a same-day urgent call.
Will you know my systems if I only call twice a year?
Better than a stranger would. We keep notes on what we have done for you, so a second call starts from the record instead of from scratch. It is still not the same as a plan, where we check your systems regularly.
What if a job costs more than you estimated?
We stop and tell you as soon as we can see it, explain why and let you decide whether to carry on. You should not find out when the invoice arrives.
Can I move onto a plan later?
Yes. Work we have done as ad hoc jobs becomes the starting record for a plan, so there is less to learn at the start. See managed IT services for what a plan covers.
Do you only work with small businesses?
We work with businesses of many sizes, including larger offices that want help with a particular project. The job, not the size of your company, decides whether ad hoc is the right way to buy it.
Guides on this topic
- Break-fix vs managed IT: which model actually suits your business?
- How much does IT support cost? WaTo's actual rates
- What managed IT actually includes
- How to choose an IT provider: a practical checklist
Got a job that needs doing?
Call (08) 7123 0805 or book a call. Tell us what it is and we will say how long it should take.
Mon to Fri, 8:30am to 5pm
