Tag: How to Start a Remote Support Business
Do You Need Certifications to Start a Computer Repair Business
Do You Need Certifications to Start a Computer Repair Business
Welcome to Call That Girl’s Guide to starting a computer repair and support business blog 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 my way. I will also offer help on what type of computer repair business to start, business and legal information, products and services you can sell, tools your computer repair business might need, a guide to pricing, a list of resources, and marketing advice.
In this blog, I will talk about certifications and starting your own computer repair business.
In our industry, as far as I know…we are not regulated by the government (at least in the USA). We do not have to have a computer repair certificate or be A+ certified, or even have any type of background in computer support & repair to open a business. Heck, you don’t even have to know anything about business. So basically, if your neighbor who is handy at building computers decides to open “John’s Computer Builds” and runs it out of his house, he can do that. Now it’s up to him to follow the laws of his city, state and the federal government in terms of taxes, etc. If your area requires a license, be sure to have it. If you’re not sure, call your local city office to find out. I personally have no certifications and my business has not suffered from it. So please read my info below, and use it as a guide. As I’m not sure what type of computer repair business you want to start, this is just a guide. You might need to ask other techs, or get counsel from a local tech company.
Below are some questions you may have and my answers to the best of my knowledge.
- Do certifications help you be a better business owner? Not in my opinion. Running and operating a computer repair business does not require certifications. It requires passion and the ability to service clients in terms of technical and customer service skills.
- Do certifications make you a better tech? Only you can make yourself become a better tech. Some of the best techs I know do not have any certs.
- Do certifications help you get more clients? Maybe. Some care and want certs, some just want the job done right and to be treated well.
- Do your clients care if you have certifications? Maybe, not many ask me if I have any. Those that do, I tell them “I got my certs from the streets, I have 18 years of experience and certs don’t always help in real life scenarios.” It’s true, though. I can’t find a cert that fits my skill set anyway!
- Should you get certifications for what you want to service and sell? Sometimes you need to be certified for some software and some hardware. As far as I know, most basic software tools we use as an industry do not require certs (antivirus, etc.).
- What if I’m supporting a certain manufacturer, such as HP or Dell? If you want to become a local tech contracted by some of the bigger firms such as Field Nation, Work Market, etc… then they might ask you to be certified for some manufacturers, or you might be able to get more jobs.
- Should you be A+ certified? I am a software tech, so A+ cert would not be helpful to me at all. I did take the test though and failed. I also had 11 extra screws in the PC build I did during the A+ class. Good sign I was not going to build computers. But…. Professor Messer is the guy you want to follow to know more! http://www.professormesser.com/ He offers great daily quizzes and has a YouTube channel, training courses, study groups, etc.
- What if I want to start a MSB business, do I need Cisco network certs? CCNA? I would think yes (but then again, I don’t know…check with other techs on this), networking and servers are very technical and unless you are leaving a job where you have a lot of hands-on experience, the cert is probably a must have, not only because of the knowledge you need, but the training behind it is not “normal” tech work.
How to Start a Remote Support Business
How to Start a Remote Support Business
Welcome to Call That Girl’s Guide to starting a computer repair and support business blog 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 my way. I will also offer help on what type of computer repair business to start, business and legal information, products and services you can sell, tools your computer repair busines might need, a guide to pricing, a list of resources, and marketing advice.
In this blog, I will talk about starting a remote support business.
When I started my business part-time in 2003, I was already doing remote support at my job at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. In fact, that’s all I did. Only on very rare occasions was I asked to go onsite (Usually some Outlook emergency for a top Dr). I worked in a call center and troubleshooting software is a heck of a lot different than supporting hardware. In fact, when I got the job, I remember sitting next to my team members and I could tell that all the guys all were definitely not in the position they wanted there, most wanted to be onsite techs, work as an Analyst or be on the LAN team. Helpdesk, as many see it as a stepping stone job…was the job for me. This is where I found the love for remote support. I could manage many things at once from my one happy bench, my master computer. Backing up a bit, you might wonder how did I start Call That Girl at the Mayo Clinic when I didn’t go onsite? Well friends, I got friendly with the staff calling in and they asked me to come over after work to fix their home computers. Without much hardware knowledge, I can’t say that I messed up too many jobs. I left with a few bucks in my pocket and realized that “hey, I can do this”. For the next four years, I did only onsite home jobs. It was all software usually, side-by-side support I called it.
In 2007, as you might have read in my blog series “How to start a computer business” and in my , I discuss more in depth about remote support and how I got going (I found onsite to be a waste of time and gas for quick software fixes).
Remote support is all about being efficient, being more affordable (for some fixes) and maximizing your bench to be a master computer that can do many things at once. Most experienced technicians should be able to manage at least 3 and up to 5 non-talking-to client jobs at once, such as virus removals & tune ups. If you are on the phone with a client, of course you should only be with them, but heck…if you’re doing a virus removal in the background…well, there is nothing wrong with that unless you are not paying attention to your talking client. After 7 years of doing onsite jobs, running 3 brick and mortar stores, I gave it all up for remote support only. It took awhile, but eventually I trained all of my clients how I can serve them and they accepted my offer. I have now moved into MSP type offerings, more services, better packages, and I have to say, I’m doing quite well for myself finally. This might not be the life for you, but if you love talking on the phone, love software and helping clients, this is perfect for you, too!
Here is a short list of hardware and software you might need
Hardware
- 2+ monitors: I have one 19″ monitor, 1 24″ monitor
- Desktop HP Pavilion, 8 gigs of memory, 64 bit, Windows 7 Home Premium, AMD 2.10 GHz Processor
- Set of speakers
- iPhone holder that is stationed on my desktop
- USB chargers for my phone
- Plantronics Bluetooth has a charger that also charges my NetGear ATT HotSpot (in case my internet blows)
- External hard drive
- That’s all for hardware, except my killer Queen’s chair (built for a woman of size). Good chair, HIGHLY recommended. If you are a big person, this is the chair for you! Best computer chair in the world.
Software
- Remote Support Software: I use LogMeInRescue. I also Support Instant Housecall.
- Ticketing System: Mhelpdesk.
- Back up Tech Support (GFI sales, SOS online backup and helpdesk): RS Tech Team
- File sharing, I use Dropbox for day to day, Click here to test it out.
To read the next blog –> Do you need certifications to start a computer repair business
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Computer Repair and Support Business Tools
The Remote Support Guide Offers
- 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 Offers
- 40 page 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 Offers
- 29 page workbook style
- 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 Offers
- 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 Offers
- 48 page PDF
- Conversational Style Guide
- Tips on Starting a Computer Repair Business
- Deciding on What Type of Computer Repair Business you want to Start
- What You Need To Start Your Computer Repair Business
- Business and Legal Information for Computer Repair Businesses
- Products and Services Your Computer Repair Business Can Sell
- Tools You Need to Start Your Computer Repair Business
- Guide to Pricing Your Computer Repair Business Services
- Resources for Computer Repair and Support Businesses
- Tips on Growing your Computer Repair Business
- How to Start a Remote Support Business
- Do You Need Certifications to Start a Computer Repair Business?
- Free Marketing Advice for Computer Repair Businesses
Outlook Troubleshooting Videos for Technicians $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
-
7 videos
-
4 hours of intense training ~each made in short videos so you can stop & practice
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Access to Lisa’s private Facebook group
Step by Step Guide to Remote Assistance
Or buy individually by clicking on the links below!
The Remote Support Guide Offers
- 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.
*NEW* The SEO for WordPress Guide Offers
- 12 page PDF, workbook style
- Learn 10 steps to do yourself with easy to follow guided steps with screenshots
- Proven tactics you can use over and over again
- The perfect workbook to do in your free time
- Learn how to track your results
- Examples of day to day blog posts to continue with after you have done the first 10 blog posts
The Manual of Operations Offers
- 40 page 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 Offers
- 29 page workbook style
- 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 Offers
- 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
Or buy individually by clicking on the links below!
Call That Girl’s Guide to Remote Support $29
Call That Girl’s Guide to Microsoft Exchange Migrations $19
Call That Girl’s Guide to SEO for WordPress $15
Call That Girl’s Manual of Operations $10
Call That Girl’s Guide to Social Media $5
Testimonials
Davena Stowers “Stowers Computer Services” I knew with my new shop opening I need something to help me market the new location and Google was of course my first choice. I saw Lisa’s post on Technnibble about her SEO magic tricks and that she had a new tutorial coming out, so I offered to test her theories. Lisa spent some time with me to get it setup, but once it was setup, I saw rankings in just 7 hours and a few days later, I got my first call. I’m now ranked on page 1 or page 2 of my keywords and locations, time well spent learning her tricks!
Chris Michalec, “Parkway Technology Solutions”–When I purchased Lisa’s Guide to Remote Support ebook, I wasn’t expecting to learn much I didn’t know. We have been offering remote support in one form or another since we opened over four years ago. We have provided it to residential and small & medium business clients. Boy was I wrong about not learning anything!
Her book is well written, but, most importantly, packs quite a bit of useful knowledge. I planned to read a section or two before bed the night I purchased it, but I ended up reading it completely that night. I’ve since read it a couple more times and have referred to it even more than that.
It is a wonderful resource that gives the essential info any technician needs to effectively offer remote support. I picked up quite a few pointers, particularly in client interaction, that we have already incorporated in our business. In short, this book gives the best practices from a “in the trenches” perspective.
I will close by saying that if you aren’t offering remote support, you are missing out. And I know of no better way to get started the right way than by investing in Lisa’s Guide to Remote Support.
Richard Ashby “On Call PC Solution”–Thank you!!! I am inspired by your success. I do a lot of remote support at work (I am like an assistant with more responsibility). I have wanted to add remote services to my business model (On Call PC Solutions) but I have never got around to doing it, because I wasn’t sure exactly how to go about it. Anyway, I heard you on Podnutz and read about you on Technibble. Bryce is going remote!!! And I asked a couple of my customers what they thought about it, and they seemed to think it would be a good idea too (these are also my end users at work who I remote with anyway). I am looking forward to eating this book up and using your methods as a template. Anyway, thank you for making this material available.
Jon May, “The Laptop Medics” –“The Call That Girl Remote Support eBook really made me think twice about Remote Support. I decided to open a dedicated remote support company and using the business practices of an already successful company, The Laptop Medics has now grown to five staff in two locations. I would highly recommend the Remote Support Guide if you’re looking to seriously get into over-the-internet support. I know my business wouldn’t be the same and I wouldn’t have grown as much if it weren’t for Lisa’s book.
Jon Campbell “Online Geek”–When I heard that Lisa had written a book on remote support, I knew that I had to have it. From the moment that I bought the book, I began to read it and was amazed at how much info was in there. I thought that I had everything in place for remote support but Lisa has shown me so much to remote support that I never even considered! From insurances, to conversation topics to software suggestions, I loved the book and I love Lisa’s passion for what she does! She is an inspiration! Thank you Lisa!!