Smart Hands Manchester

Smart Hands Manchester: remote hands and on-site technical support in Manchester

Smart Hands Manchester is a remote hands and on-site technical assistance service operating in Manchester and the North West of England. The company presents itself as a local alternative for data centres, managed service providers (MSPs) and co-working spaces that need on-site interventions without relying on travel from London. Its proposition is built around engineers located in the area, with same-day attendance capability and declared coverage 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Billing model and transparency

The company applies a flat rate of £95 per hour per engineer, with a one-hour minimum. According to published information, it does not apply VAT or surcharges for night hours, weekends or bank holidays: the price is the same at 2am as at 2pm. Billing is per whole hours verified by GPS, with check-in and check-out recorded on every visit, so the client only pays for actual time on site. Every job includes a Not-To-Exceed cap that is not exceeded without the client's explicit approval. Travel does not generate mileage charges or call-out fees, and parking or tolls are billed at cost where applicable. For recurring volumes, the company offers retainers from £83/hour in blocks of 3, 6, 12 and 18 hours.

Typical technical services

The catalogue of work the company indicates it handles most frequently covers several areas of IT infrastructure:

• Rack & stack: equipment installation, cabling, power connection and IPMI configuration.
• Network diagnostics: cable tracing, port testing and panel fault resolution.
• Structured cabling: copper runs, termination and labelling.
• Hardware & configuration: drive and PSU replacement, BIOS, IPMI adjustments and OS installation.
• Office & workspace projects: desk builds, network drops, moves and decommissions.
• Long-duration & multi-site work: 10 to 30+ hour interventions, with day rates available.

The company clarifies that these examples are not exhaustive: any infrastructure task in Manchester can be discussed.

Shared spares warehouse

Smart Hands offers a warehouse service (Smart Hands Warehouse) designed to avoid duplicating spares across different locations. The client can keep a shared set of emergency equipment at the company's facilities, and the assigned engineer collects the necessary items on the day of the visit. Launch pricing starts at £1 per cubic metre per day, with auditable tracking through the web portal and iOS app. According to the company, you only pay for the space actually used.

Documented case studies

The website describes two representative interventions. In one of them, a London MSP needed to right-size an office in Manchester: 70 desks were audited, the hardware in the best condition was retained, and 40 standardised workstations were deployed, with a future-proofing inventory. The invoiced cost was £2,090 plus incidentals, compared with the £3,619 it would have cost to send their own team, according to the company's calculations. In the second case, an MSP lost remote access to a client's Manchester site due to a configuration error; an engineer attended as hands and eyes, moved a cable between ports while the remote team fixed the problem, and the invoice was £95 plus incidentals, compared with the £584 it would have cost to send the client's team.

Workflow and tools

The workflow is managed through the Smart Hands Portal, available on the web and in the iOS app. The process begins with an onboarding meeting to define requirements and provide access to the portal. The client then creates work orders with the scope, and the company confirms site details and issues a fixed quote or time & materials quote. During the visit, the engineer records check-in and check-out with GPS and sends real-time photo updates. On completion, a short report is delivered with before-and-after images and recommendations for next steps.

Coverage, insurance and protocols

The company declares it operates in Manchester and the North West of England, with proximity of less than 20 minutes to more than 20 data centres. It holds public liability and professional indemnity insurance, and documents the state of equipment before and after every visit. It also signs non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and adapts to each facility's access and security procedures, including escort or pre-vetting protocols if the client requires them.

Frequently asked questions about operations

The website answers common queries: engineers are insured; if the job runs longer than estimated, it is paused and explicit approval is requested before continuing; if it finishes early, the client only pays for actual time. The company operates under the legal name Logical Llama Limited, with the trading name Smart Hands, and maintains its headquarters in Manchester.

Location and contact

Phone: +44-161-399-8372 · Hours: Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.