Deciding on the Type of Computer Repair Business You Want to Start
Deciding on the Type of Computer Repair Business You Want to Start
Welcome to Call That Girl’s Guide to starting a computer repair and support business series. If you found a blog out of order, you can start with the first blog by clicking here How to start a computer repair business. Each blog will lead you to the next one until you reach the final blog.
In this series I will give tips, examples and information about how to start a computer repair business that I learned on my own and then later on through the help of online technical resources & friends.
I will also offer advice on what type of computer repair business to start, business and legal information, remote support, products and services you can sell, tools your computer repair business might need, a guide to pricing, a list of resources, and marketing advice.
This blog #3 was not something I really considered when I got started. Now that we covered in blog #1 and #2 a bit about the basics of starting a computer repair business, now I will discuss what type of computer repair business you want to run and operate.
I will start by covering the 4 main types, then talk about the services involved.
Let’s start with who you want to service. There are really just two basic types – residential or business. I started out with only residential in mind, but really my first service call was an onsite visit for a home-based business client.
- Residential usually means “home clients” and you can service them at their homes.
- Business clients are businesses, that means they can have an office, or work from home, coffee shop, etc. But they do run businesses and usually need help faster than a residential client. This can mean a busier day.
- FYI, there are many different types of business clients. I support the break/fix clients. Some techs own MSP (managed services) type of business. Break/Fix is usually money in by the job, MSP has a monthly fee and the IT is solely managed by you. Bigger deal and more responsibilities. If you are just starting out, and want only business…then go slow and do the break/fix and move into MSP later.
The client decision is all up to you. If you decide to go right to business support and have no experience, it’s recommended that you start with residential and get your feet wet. Finalize processes and all the business set up you need to do to support “business clients”. You will find a failure happens often and in all fairness, residential clients are a bit more forgiving if you have a process mess up or need more time, etc. Businesses expect you to be on your game and will pay for that experience. Many of my tech friends who run MSP companies also recommend starting with residential clients.
Now what type of computer repair and support business do you want?
Here are the main types of ways to support clients.
- Onsite only/mobile tech
- Office
- Storefront
- Remote support only
I have found that many techs start with onsite first, then grow to either a store or an office. Someone who opens a store, usually has a front area for clients to drop off and their “tech bench” area is in the back. These owners can also offer remote and onsite services, and some might have an office for clients to sit down and talk to. The area is gray here, but if you want drop-off traffic, want store hours, want a front person to manage drop-offs and pick-ups (or do it yourself) and want the “store,” then this is for you. There are many things to learn about having a store. Don’t forget, someone has to be there during store hours, no matter what.
If you are a one person show and you’re sick, you better have a note on the door telling clients you are out that day, or manage the expectations well. Have a sign up “By Appointment Only” if you are onsite and have the store. Running a store with firm hours can be tough, it was for me even with employees. Sometimes it was down to just one person there and they would have to leave early for a family emergency with 2 hours until close….what do you do you when you the owner and you are 2 hours away?
Office space is my preferred method. I had an office for 3 years before I went to storefront and now thinking back, I wish I never opened a store. I’m not the “store” type, I’m the “office” type. I like appointments to come see me, and I like knowing when someone is coming. I have to be frank, I did a lot of remote support too and the drop off clients sometimes would come in when I was on a remote support job. The store didn’t work for me. I’m just saying this because before you dive into a storefront lease, determining your clientele (res or business) is super important. Most businesses don’t want to come to you, they want you to come to them or offer remote support. Also…
Storefront requires more advertising than marketing. We will discuss that in a future blog. Storefronts usually have more overhead than an office. Again, these are based off of my past experiences and knowledge.
Remote support is my favorite option of course. After doing all of the above (storefront, office and onsite), I found that I just like working at my master computer and managing multiple jobs in a day from my “tech bench”. It’s not the life for everyone, but I have found that techs who have worked in call centers enjoy this life as that is what they liked before. Software support is a big deal out there and if you do only remote support, you will have a marketing plan that is a bit different than a store and onsite, but it’s more online based, so again…you get to work at your master computer doing all the marketing. Like me.
To read the next blog click here –> What You Need To Start Your Computer Repair Business
Call That Girl’s eBooks and Training Videos
Welcome to my eBooks and Videos sales page. Below you will find everything I sell and support as well as some free information at the bottom.
Lisa’s eBooks, all 5 eBooks $39
The Remote Support Guide (Best seller!)
- A step by step guide to setting up your business to have a successful remote support business
- Tips and information on how to service your clients remotely
- How to increase your daily sales with new services, prepay tickets and daily monitoring plans
- Includes templates for email booking appointments, client & project agreement forms, terms and conditions, small business proposal, pricing guidelines and scheduling appointment forms.
The Manual of Operations
- This is an old document but many still like using it for a template
- 40 page Word document
- Delivered as a Microsoft Word Template, easy for “cut and pasting” your business name into the document
- Standard operating procedures
- Employee conditions for employment
- Job descriptions
- Human Resources policies
- Much more…
The Social Media Guide
- 29 page workbook style (outdated but have valuable info!)
- Great tips and tricks that I learned the hard way
- Easy to understand steps on how to push out social media messages
- Newsletters, blogging and WordPress information
- Toolkit information you will need and other things you will need to use social media
- A social media to do list
- How to do a social media blast
The Guide to Microsoft Exchange Migrations
- 22 page PDF
- Step by step instructions on how to do a migration without tools with screenshots
- Learning how to back up current mailboxes, calendars and contacts
- Learn how to update the DNS for migration
- Importing mail/calendars and contacts into new server
- Aftercare lists
- How to sell administrative support tickets
How to Start a Computer Repair Business
- Get all the free blogs in a 48 page PDF
- Conversational Style Guide
$199
Created just for technicians! Outlook is a program that contains a lot of data, lots of moving parts and offers 100’s of features which are all guaranteed to break at some point. As well, it’s the program most used with the Office 365 Business Plans. These videos will train you how to properly prepare, repair and learn Outlook in a 360 view.
What you get with your purchase
- 7 videos
- 4 hours of intense training ~each made in short videos so you can stop & practice
- Access to Lisa’s private Facebook group
SEO/Google Ranking Services
Get found today! So many technician friends I know have great websites up, but not many have good SEO to help them get found. My services help you get found by creating content in your website using your location and your services. I have a starter set for $450 and buy as you like “next level” for $175. No contracts, no monthly fees, just buy as you want.
Click here to learn more and get found on the internet! If you can’t be found, you can’t be called right?
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Category: How to Start a Computer Repair Business
About the Author (Author Profile)
Lisa Hendrickson is the owner of Call That Girl. She is an Outlook Expert and Microsoft 365 Consultant.Subscribe
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