What do you do when you come across technology you know nothing about ?

[DRPCNZ]

Oh you bunch of old farts, LEARN The younger ones DONT NEED to Learn. This is fact as I had one tell me that, the next thing he said was we just google and youtube everything

 

[eric bardos]

YouTube tutorial video. Someone's mastered whatever the device is

 

[LordIntruder]

Give me a hammer and an angle grinder and I'll find out how it works while being honest to the customers. It happened more than once in my life that had to say "I have NO clue but if you want me to do this and are willing to give me some time I'll do my very best." It worked. In tha past. In the presence. And it will be work, too, in the future.

 

[GTP]

Yes, sometimes I have to remind clients that I am not "Him!" I don't possess a Magic Wand or Book of Spells!
If you want this to work again you'll have to give me some time to at least to some diagnosis!

 

[fencepost]

My references to my magical aura when "Can you show me?" turns into "Hey, it works now!" might counter any claims to not having a spellbook.

 

[Computer Bloke]

My references to my magical aura when "Can you show me?" turns into "Hey, it works now!" might counter any claims to not having a spellbook.

A well-known phenomenon that finally has its own acronym. Now all you have to do is nod wisely, say "Ah, it's a TALATOBIG fault. Fortunately I've seen this before. All fixed now. Here's your bill."

It's so much easier to charge for something when you have a name for it.

 

[GTP]

A well-known phenomenon that finally has its own acronym. Now all you have to do is nod wisely, say "Ah, it's a TALATOBIG fault. Fortunately I've seen this before. All fixed now. Here's your bill."

It's so much easier to charge for something when you have a name for it.

Is this similar to the dreaded ID10T error?

 

[frase]

Learn every bit about it inside out.
We cannot know everything, something is out of our league.

 

[Abramsgunner]

I've got one customer with an onsite Exchange server. One. They asked me to fix some issue a year or two ago, so I googled my butt off and ended up fixing it (it was relatively minor). Anyway, I mentioned how limited my Exchange skills were and one of the customers jokingly mentioned maybe it was time for some training. At that point I laughed and told him that Exchange was closer to a 'job title' or 'career field' with introductory books being about 4 inches thick.

I can install it, and do the initial configuration on a basic setup and make it work.... but if it ever truly breaks, you're gonna have to call Ghost Busters...LOL

 

[timeshifter]

I would have told him my Exchange skills are lacking because I think it's a dead-end technology for the small businesses I serve. Microsoft is pushing everyone to Office 365 and the cloud and subscription models.

Or you could have told him Exchange was the next course you're signed up for as soon as you finish your COBOL certification.

 

[fencepost]

I've got one customer with an onsite Exchange server. One. They asked me to fix some issue a year or two ago, so I googled my butt off and ended up fixing it (it was relatively minor).

You are charging them a premium for A) Server support and B) Exchange backup, correct?

 

[Abramsgunner]

Not as much as I should... but they've been excellent customers for a decade or so, and they always pay their bill on time

 

[Porthos]

Not as much as I should...

The first step to recovery, Admit you have a problem.

 

[Mytechid]

I was referred to a new client couple months ago, they had about 20 or so users. The manager was no longer happy with their current tech company. They were being charged huge amounts of money each month for managed services. The company was on a downsizing trend, so they were clearly looking to cut costs. The problem I came across when I casually audited their network was that they were using high end cisco equipment and a linux server. I am somewhat familiar with cisco routing and switching, but have no experience with linux as a server. After thinking about the learning curve I had in front of me, I decided to advice them to simply let the current company know they were no longer interested in MSP, but to switch them over to break/fix. They appreciated my "good" advice and "honesty". They promised to reach out to me again if they had any problems with the current MSP provider. I have not heard from them since, so I presume it all worked out for them. Of course now, I regret losing the opportunity to gain a decent new client and I ponder what I could have done differently ... partner with someone, learn on their dime, etc.

My question is not about the technology per-se, I'm sure plenty of you have plenty of experience with this specific technology stack, but what i am curious about is what would you have done in a scenario where you confront a, in your own opinion, steep learning curve. I don't mind constructive criticism, but yes, what would you have done in a similar scenario?

Do you have any kind of process in your business for determining if a prospective client will be a good fit?

Just because they can pay the bill you send them, doesn't make them a good fit for you.

When I first started out I would have considered taking on that client. After making that mistake a few times I learned my lesson though.
Don't commit to a business relationship that you're not exceptional at providing support in. It doesn't matter how sweet it is. Run from it.

Stick with what you know, and qualify your referrals/leads before you meet with them, to a certain degree. Watch for those key indicators like being asked to support systems that are outside of your realm of experience, and STOP the whole process once you identify that they are a no-go. Then refer them somewhere else. Preferably to a competitor you want to overwhelm with clients they won't know how to support