Company Overview

Alvarez Technology Group is a family-owned managed service provider that delivers client-first IT support. ATG provides comprehensive IT solutions to small and mid-sized businesses across healthcare, agriculture, finance, and professional services.

Founded on the principle that clients come first, ATG believes undeniably superior service requires both strong relationships and forward-thinking technology. Their core value of embracing change has helped them stay ahead of major technology shifts, from early cloud adoption to identity management modernization.

Today, that same philosophy drives their approach to AI.

“We’ve always tried to stay on the front end of technology innovation. AI is no different.”

The Challenge

As ATG continued to grow, leadership faced a familiar MSP dilemma: how to scale without constantly adding headcount.

Before Thread, their team experienced several friction points:

• Manual Ticket Follow-Ups: Engineers spent two to four hours per week chasing clients for updates on open tickets.

• Administrative Overhead: Ticket triage, categorization, and status management required manual effort that added up across ten engineers.

• Client Communication Delays: Traditional phone and email workflows led to back-and-forth delays.

• Adoption Hesitancy: Both technicians and clients were initially hesitant about AI-driven workflows.

ATG had previously experimented with AI knowledge tools but found limited ROI. They knew AI had potential — they just hadn’t found the right fit.

“We weren’t giving up on AI. We just hadn’t found something that truly moved the needle.”

The Solution: Implementing Assistive AI

ATG implemented Thread in phases, focusing first on practical automation that created immediate time savings.

AI-Powered Ticket Triage

Thread was integrated into ATG’s PSA workflow, allowing tickets to be automatically categorized and summarized upon creation. This reduced manual triage time and improved ticket accuracy from the start.

Automated Ticket Follow-Up & Closure

The biggest operational win came from automating ticket follow-ups. Once a ticket moves into a specific status, Thread’s AI takes over, sending polite, intelligent reminders to clients and closing tickets after defined touchpoints.

“And that created the most efficiencies for our techs. We got back about 40 hours of work a week just from automating follow-ups.”

Across ten engineers, that administrative burden had effectively equaled one full-time employee.

AI Chat via Microsoft Teams

ATG deployed Thread’s Teams app across their client base. While early adoption was gradual, roughly half of clients now actively use AI chat to submit and resolve issues.

“When we had our first ticket fully handled and closed by the AI, it was a celebration. We were like, ‘It finally did it.’ And it’s happened many times since.”

Clients who embrace AI chat experience faster resolution times and fewer call-backs.

Thread Inbox Adoption

Technician adoption followed a smart internal strategy. Rather than mandating change, ATG introduced Thread Inbox to newer technicians first. Their enthusiasm spread organically across the team.

Now, most engineers use Thread Inbox daily, benefiting from:

• AI-surfaced historical ticket insights

• Faster resolution through contextual suggestions

• Reduced switching between systems

Key Results & Benefits

1. Recovered 40+ Hours Per Week

Automated follow-ups and triage returned approximately 40 hours weekly across the service team — the equivalent of a full-time employee.

2. Scaled Without Immediate Headcount Increases

Instead of hiring additional Tier 1 technicians, ATG used AI to absorb repetitive administrative work, enabling growth without proportional staffing increases.

“If we hadn’t embraced AI, we probably would’ve had to add more techs.”

3. Faster Resolution & Higher Client Satisfaction

Clients using AI chat experience quicker engagement and less phone tag. Even when escalated to a human, the AI ensures context is captured upfront.

4. Improved Technician Experience

Engineers spend less time on administrative tasks and more time solving meaningful problems. AI surfaces historical fixes and contextual data instantly, reducing cognitive load.

5. Strong Vendor Partnership

ATG emphasizes partnership over vendor relationships. Early in the relationship, Thread proactively adjusted licensing to align with actual usage rather than contractual commitments.

“That kind of partnership builds trust. We don’t want vendors. We want partners.”

Why Thread?

For Alvarez Technology Group, Thread represents more than automation — it represents alignment with their core value of embracing change.

“AI is moving faster than any technology trend we’ve ever seen. If you don’t embrace it, your competition will.”

By combining practical automation, gradual adoption, and a strong vendor partnership, ATG has transformed AI from a buzzword into measurable operational impact.

Conclusion

Alvarez Technology Group has built its 25-year legacy on innovation and client-first service. By implementing Thread, ATG eliminated administrative bottlenecks, reclaimed an entire workweek of engineering time, and positioned itself to scale without unnecessary headcount growth.

AI has not replaced the human touch that defines ATG’s service. Instead, it has amplified it by freeing technicians to focus on meaningful, customer-facing work while automation handles repetitive tasks behind the scenes.

For MSPs looking to scale intelligently, reduce administrative drag, and remain competitive in an AI-driven market, ATG’s journey proves that embracing change is strategic.

Thread helped make that shift possible.