Computer Technicians 201: Expanding your market – SoHo repairs

In our previous articles in the TN 10x series we discussed some basic, local tactics that will enable you to get a computer fixed on a small, local scale, in order to get your job done, as well as get your paycheck. In this series of articles we will cover more advanced repair topics as well as some long-term strategies for planning and marketing, as well as some other topics relevant to an advanced computer technician. Although not nearly as short-term as on-site planning, expanding your market onto SoHos can be your first major step in achieving a constant supply of clients, experience and, of course, income.

Defining the playing field

First of all, let’s make a clear distinction between the a home and a SoHo, or Small Office-Home Office. On average, a home setup will have one or two computers, with no more than three or four users, and will be located at the client’s place of residence. On the other hand, a SoHo can consist of anything from a single to ten computers, each belonging to a single employee, with an occasional extra machine acting as a server, all located well outside the main commercial part of the town or city, possibly in a residential block. Take what we said about the locations of the SoHos with a grain of salt: the locations aren’t strict, but SoHos are lower on the complexity scale than even small businesses, so they usually can’t afford top-story space in an office building, or even a small office building – they’re usually located very close to other residents. While you will usually encounter a single-computer-single-connection system in an average home (not counting the occasional wired or wireless network allowing more computers to go online), SoHos usually have a much more complex infrastructure, usually consisting of a server box, a router, a switch, user boxes (or terminals) and the whole wireless or WiFi network covering the entire office space, sometimes with a network printer. In other words, with home repairs you were relatively safer because you only had a single computer and connection to worry about. When conducting tech work for a SoHo, you have quite a few extra factors to account for. On the other hand, the brands of computers might not differ so much between SoHos and homes – home users who require external help for repairs are in the same position as SoHos, relatively speaking, so they tend to use prefabricated computers, even though that does not have to be the absolute, depending on whether they had prior help in assembling configurations.

SoHos and command chains

If you’d been somehow informed a SoHo needs your technical help, chances are it was through one of the employees – at early stages, word of mouth is the most cost-efficient way to get requests, even though it’s not work-efficient. As we explained in Advertising your computer business, using multiple ways to get clients is better than relying on one simply because you get different employer profiles – in our case, word of mouth and free newspaper ads work the best. As with any other job, try to inquire about the nature of the problem beforehand, and accept or decline the job accordingly.

Either way, once you’ve gotten the attention of said small office, it’s time to actually go there and meet the person in charge. Your first step should be to find the person who contacted you; in one case, the employee whose computer you recently repaired, in another case, the person who called you about your advertisement, usually either a secretary or a PR person. Once you’ve found them and introduced yourself, you should first inquire a bit about the profile of the other employees. In some cases, SoHos have technicians, but they might not have as much expertise to deal with whatever you’ve been called to fix, are looking for a second opinion, or are simply engaged in a work project. In other cases, they might have computer engineers who are narrowly specialized and simply haven’t ever had the need to repair a computer (although chances of that are relatively slim, it does happen!). Finally, maybe the SoHo doesn’t even have a technician, something that might work to your advantage provided you can respond to their semi-frequent calls.

Your next step should be to ask to meet the director or manager, whichever title is commonly used locally. After the introduction, you should mention who your reference is, and explain in simple terms what you preliminarily think might be the cause and what might have to be done as a solution. Now, even though computers and all the following technology have come into every pore of life today, don’t use complicated terminology. Unless you’re certain the manager has a degree of understanding computers, don’t complicate – use relatively simple explanations and be concise. That way you’ll convey the idea directly and you’ll be able to give your employer an insight into what needs to be done without boring them with details. Before closing off the initial conversation, list how much the repair will cost before you set to work – that way you’ll instantly know if the deal is off or if you’re set to work. If both you and the employer are satisfied with the deal, you’ve got the green light – get to work.