Tech Support Business

[Leonard Knight]

IDEA: Tech support business in Sequoyah Hills.

I have an interest in setting up a Tech Support Business in Sequoyah Hills. I have an office available. I'm thinking about hiring one or two support personnel and I'll run the business side of things. This would be for all types of support, not just PC but Audio/Video, Cell Phones, Etc. I receive calls from friends and
family constantly looking for help on a PC problem, a TV problem, a
Cell Phone issue, etc. I always take time to help and am usually
paid with a bottle of wine, gift certificates, or something along
those lines. I don't mind helping but have limited time. Usually
I'm asked if I could refer a resource to help with the issue but I
don't feel comfortable with most existing resources. So, I'm
considering rolling my own.

[Leonard Knight]

Sue,

My plan is to be Even More Broad in our Tech Support...Computers, Networking, Cell Phones, Camcorders, Cameras, TVs, Projectors, MP3 players, DVD players, AV Systems, Theater Systems. A one stop shop for answering your questions and fixing your issues. I already have buddies saying they would pay a monthly fee to have us check in with them once a month and address their list of issues. If they have an emergency issue, they want a number to call.

My thoughts on computers. Make them as bulletproof as possible. The way I do this with my systems at the house and at my customers? I use Virtual Machines and Deep Freeze type products. If you structure the machine to be very modular and robust on the front-end, it is much easier to maintain.

Using Deep Freeze, I setup my clients workstations and FREEZE them. Now, during the day if the operator installs several games, downloads a few naughty videos, catches a virus or two, and even gets his machine turned to a bot by some spyware...no worries. Each evening the computer resets itself back to the way I left it. If they need to add some real software, they can either have me come in or one of their admins can THAW the machine; install the software; RE-FREEZE and their up and running again.

VM's add another layer. Using a VM, the client can keep a copy of the VM in a safe place. I setup the application so the data is written to a safe area and backed up. The VM doesn't care what machine it's running on. This allows my client in a pinch to run to Wal-mart and buy a white box, load VMWare, copy over their VM, and they're back up and running. I have my clients store their data on external drives; so, their data is always accessible.

Supporting all the 3rd party software in the world is a daunting task and requires lots of expertise but I'm planning on us covering the majority of popular applications. Also, we have the experience and skills to migrate the client to another option should the need arise.

I also plan on us being 100% transparent in all work we do. Meaning, a client will report an issue using our publicly viewable support ticket system...kinda like http://getsatisfaction.com (with a little more tracking) and as we address the issue, the entire world will benefit. We will be building a support database usable by anyone to troubleshoot their own issues. I want the system to create white paper/knowledge base documents with "Symptoms", "Problem", "Ways to Fix", "Feedback to improve process". There are a few open source systems out there that are close but need some additional functionality.

I also plan on us using remote access to monitor and correct issues for our Subscription based customers.

The most important step is the initial visit. We record everything about the computer. We set it up to be as bulletproof as possible and get the client and machine in our tracking system. This should make resell better too; you can use our asset management system to show others everything about your computer. Kinda like the service records on your car; except we maintain them for you.

Education will be a big part too. Windows and Mac users need to be taught how to avoid issues with their machines. Avoid phishing scams, spyware, viruses, etc. Gurus on security rarely use 3rd party protection software. I don't run any virus protection software or malware protection software. I do not have problems with viruses or malware. The reason? I don't click on links in emails, I don't download software unless I know it's what I'm looking for and comes from a trusted source (Even then, I use a quarantined system for testing). I keep my systems up to date with all security patches to avoid worms. Controlling your actions can do a lot to keep you from running into issues. I also keep my system tidy...there are 3rd party apps that claim to do this for you but I prefer to monitor my system myself.

Users shouldn't have to worry about this stuff as much as I do...this is why I want to setup this business. To help people not worry about running their computer. The computer should be a tool to make you more productive not cause you stress and take your valuable time to maintain.

In short...YES, we will offer this type of service.

[Chris]

Sue,

The problems that you describe are very common and, in most cases, correctable.

I try not to plug my business too much on EOK but I run a small IT shop and have about 15 years of corporate IT experience from the "grunt" as well as management levels. I can't promise that we can fix every issue within an hour, but if you need some help working through your issues, we would be happy to help you out.

You can contact me at 865-366-5009 if you would like more information.

Thank you,

Chris...
Redstorm Technologies
www.redstormtechnologies.com

[Michael Berger]

Where does this project stand? I am interested. I had a conversation with a person while I was on vacation last week. She made a very good point, there are a lot of freelance writers, designers etc and Pharma reps and others of that ilk that will pay whatever it takes to get their computer up and running again to make this venture very worth while.

[Marc Lighter]

Guys... I own an IT shop and I can tell you... it's not as easy as it sounds on the surface. I started getting interested in the very same way... "Gee... I get calls from friends, relatives, and business associates, maybe I can make a real business out of this!" I was lucky because I had worked at a local hospital managing dozens of departments and hundreds of computers. When I left, I still had clients that asked for help. After working in the field for over 20 years and working on an IT business for 8, I've seen businesses like ours come and go. I know it's tempting to want to fix computers, TV's, cell phones, projectors, printers, copiers and everything electronic but do you really know two people that know everything about all of this stuff? If so, send me their resume. It's hard enough being experts in the latest computer hardware, let alone knowing 32 flavors of Linux, Windows 2008, 2003, Vista, XP, 2000, Mac OS9 and OSX. That's why most companies specialize. Companies like Thermocopy, Image Matters, and others are your copier folks (with dozens of employees). Southeastern laser and others specialize in printers, then there's Saratoga, Claris, CyberCE, and probably literally a hundred IT companies in addition to what we call "a guy and a truck"... techs that slap a sign on a truck and call themselves an IT company. A company called "Electronics Tech" has a storefront on Gleason Road and they only do hardware support and can repair virtually anything electronic (i.e. cell phones, TV's, monitors, etc.) but I don't think they consider themselves an IT or tech support company. That would be a whole different bailywick than what you are talking about here I think. Perhaps you have discussed all of this already, but maybe this is helpful information. If you would be interested in some form of partnership, I am always looking for opportunities for growth and expansion and am open to new ideas. If this idea ends up languishing, I'll give referrals fees of 10% of gross for business referrals (not home users) for the first two paid service calls.

[Leonard Knight]

Marc,

Thanks for the feedback. I greatly value the voice of another IT pro. What I've witnessed as missing in this industry is a commitment to customer service/satisfaction. There are plenty of very talented resources capable of fixing a wide variety of issues. What I excel at is Customer Relationship Management...I make customers feel great about paying me to do stuff for them!

I'll add you to the basecamp project site so you can help from the inside.

Leo

[Marc Lighter]

I absolutely agree Leo... we wouldn't have stayed in business for the last eight years if we didn't provide superior customer service. We consider our clients more as "friends" than clients. We try to be "Johnny-on-the-spot" when they call, and we follow up with surveys to track our progress. We used to use Microsoft's Customer Relationship Management software and recently switched to a more IT centric CRM program (what they call PSA - Professional Services Automation, which is CRM + Ticketing + Inventory tracking, etc). It's been helpful to our success.

Thanks for the invite.

Marc

[Joyce Feld]

Hi Leo,
Charles and I use an IT guy for everything computer-related - both at home and at Charles's research center at the university. We get all our computers through him. He either builds them to meet specific needs or finds them. If we have any problems he comes to our home or office, mails parts to my son at college, etc. We've been using him for years. He gives us superior customer service. He's in business for himself and works out of his home. I have no idea if he's someone you'd be interested in, or if he'd be interested in you, but I can give you his name and number if you are interested.
Joyce

[Steve Gordon]

I have been consulting on the Apple Platform since 1984 (sideline business that I enjoy but there is not enough work to commit full-time) - I don't advertise but have a web presence www.appleguy.org Occasionally, I will run a yellow page ad - usually once every three or four years.

Customers will pay good money for help - and they want help not only with operating systems, they want help with every piece of software that will run on the system. Uniforms are unnecessary - I usually point them to my website or Linked-in page if they have doubts. I agree with a previous post that commercial services such as Geek Squad, etc. don't have a clue on PC or Mac. They do have high availability and cool pocket protectors, however.

Customer service, expertise and attitude are probably your selling points. And everything cannot be about money - I try to give back when ever possible, I will always attempt to help folks on the phone at no charge so long as they are not abusive with my time - many times that act of kindness leads to other work.

I believe that your service is quite viable so long as you hire techs that have active field experience and treat the customer well. The issue will be dealing with peaks and valleys - you will need to carefully balance part-time/full time W-2 employees with contractors. The current economy should play in your favor as there a quite a few help desk/support employees that are looking for extra money or are out of work.

I hope this helps.

Steve

[Leonard Knight]

Steve,

Thanks for the comments. This project is still alive but in a "resting" state. I've had a few conversations with Chris Wilson, Ken Baker, and Ken Armstrong about the Employee/Contractor dynamic and the "peaks and valleys" issue. We have some good ideas about making the business profitable and still being the best channel to market for all of those independents out there. If you want to help, I'll add you to the basecamp site and include you in the planning.

Leo