A medical analogy to answer this could be telemedicine. While it’s highly convenient for patients and may be considered better than nothing, there are certain types of conditions that many physicians believe are more accurately diagnosed and/or better treated in-person.
Being local means being able to provide a high-level diagnostic ability and in-person support when appropriate, with the flexibility to pick up the phone when not. It doesn’t matter if you are in need of help for an hour, a day, a week, a month, or a year, you don’t have to pay for travel expenses or have to compromise on less than ideal remote support when you really wish you had someone on-site.
