Moving to Wearable and Mobile Repair in the Post-PC Era

Customers of computer repair are moving towards mobile and wearable devices, like smartphones, tablets, and watches and away from desktops and laptops. That hurts your bottom line. These devices generally just work and don’t need much repair. That doesn’t mean your business is dead. This change means you need to shift your focus and services.

Physical Repair of Devices

When I first think about mobile devices, I think of screen repair. I look around and see cracked screens everywhere. I look around and see screen repair places everywhere. The marketplace is overflowing with mobile device repairs. Local and national companies are competing for the lowest price. These price-conscious customers aren’t always going to be loyal. Even though we clearly state we don’t do mobile device repair, I still get a few calls a day. I refer them to a mobile device repair company that then refers computer repair business to us.

Many computer repair technicians don’t like physical device repairs. The small and delicate parts break easily. The mobile device repair owners I work with tell me they need to keep too many parts in inventory. Those parts depreciate quickly and they’re stuck with an outdated model. If you want to do this type of repair, that’s fine. However, you might create longer term relationships by trying other functions.

General Troubleshooting and Help

These devices claim to be easy to use and work right out of the box. As computer repair professionals, we know otherwise. Devices don’t usually come with manuals. Device technical support involves long wait times and off-shored support. The client might try to guess how to configure the device, but they need to know you offer that service.

The best way to help clients realize you support mobile devices and wearables is to let them know. Wearing a fitness tracker or smartwatch will quickly invite discussion. When clients ask about my Fitbit or now my Apple Watch, I tell them I bought one so I know how to support them. When you see a client with a new device, ask them about it and remind them you can help.

Wireless Networking Security and Coverage

When a client switches from a laptop to a tablet, they expect coverage anywhere they go in the house. Clients will go more places with a tablet then they would buy a laptop. Yes that includes the bathroom! These clients need wireless extenders or more powerful routers. Besides the toilet, clients like to have coverage in the basement or garage. These aren’t places a laptop is likely to go, but a smartphone or tablet would.

Some clients may be getting their first smartphone or tablet. They may not realize they need a wireless router. This fact is particularly true if they had a desktop. I affirmatively have to tell clients this. They’ll buy an extra-large data plan from a mobile provider because nobody told them they could have wireless in their home.

Those clients who personally set up wireless networks also need our help. They’ll purchase a wireless router and may not know how to configure it. We all know the importance of proper passwords for wireless security, but not all our clients know that. This need is especially true for business clients in the financial or medical world. For these clients, an insecure wireless network violates industry protocols. That could cause your client financial or legal sanctions.

Printing

The most popular reason clients tell me they aren’t embracing mobile devices is printing. They’d love to ditch the laptop or desktop, but they occasionally need to print something. Older printers didn’t support Apple’s AirPrint or Google Cloud Print. Today, most printers under $100 support these protocols. If the client has an existing printer, you can share that printer with those protocols. If the client wants to go just with mobile devices, they can buy a new printer with those protocols. If not, I’ve used Lantronix products to share printers with Apple and Google devices.

The best way to position your services for printing is to ask the client how they print from the mobile device. If they say they can’t, tell them you can assist. That’s a quick service call. If they buy a new printer, that could mean printing configuration for multiple devices.

Backups and Space Issues

Clients know they should backup desktop and laptops computers. Whether they do or not is a different story. Some clients assume that the backup is automatic. After all Google and Apple have built-in backup software on these devices. That’s a true statement. Those backups need to be configured and tested. The more a client relies on a mobile device, the more likely they need a reliable backup. If someone says ‘I can’t live without my phone,” that’s the perfect opportunity to discuss backups.

These devices run out of space easily. Clients delete pictures because they don’t know how to backup them up to the computer or the cloud. That’s easily fixed with Google Photos or Dropbox.

Passwords and Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Mobile devices rely on the cloud to store and sync data. That means a poor password leads to data and identity theft. A hacker can remotely wipe or disable a client’s device. With Apple’s activation lock, the device can’t be used again without contacting Apple for permission.

This is the perfect opportunity to position a few different services. If the client reuses passwords, now is the time to talk password hygiene. They’ll probably mention the difficulty in remembering passwords. That’s when you discuss with them programs like LastPass or 1Password. After they have a good password strategy, introduce them to two-factor authentication. Let them know that their accounts are extra-protected. You’ll need to remind them to contact you before they change devices. I’ve seen clients lock themselves out of an account because they changed mobile numbers without deactivating 2FA.

Malware

Apple’s “walled garden” pretty much prevents malware. That doesn’t mean some items haven’t slipped into iOS. Google’s Android operating system is a whole other story. I’ve seen multiple ransomware viruses infect client devices. Poor backup strategies or theft of passwords leads to data loss after a malware infection.

Just like desktop operating systems, these devices have security and firmware updates. Clients might ignore them and then put themselves at risk. I know I avoid these because I don’t want the hassle of rebooting my phone.

These security updates even apply to fitness trackers. Security experts have found exploits to these devices that compromise network security. When you talk to clients about their mobile devices, offer to check the version numbers. Explain to them you are checking for security updates. That starts the discussion of regularly updating these devices.

Scams and Phishing

If a client doesn’t infect themselves with malware, a scammer might help. We all know about remote control scams for computers and these apply to wearables. Pop-up ads appear on a mobile website asking the user to a call a number. The scammer then convinces them to install infected software and teaches them to bypass the devices security protocols. At that point, the scammer steals personal information from the device. Even worse, they disable the device remotely.

Some scammers don’t even try to break into the device. Instead they offer a subscription to a protection service that really doesn’t help the client. The client keeps paying for the protection without getting anything in return. They might have found the scammer’s number while researching a technical support line for a device. When you explain to your client you offer these services, they’ll call you instead of responding to a scammer. At least we hope!

All of these scenarios result in increased revenue for you. The market is open to you if you let clients know you offer these services. When a client gets a new device, start a discussion and gently let them know you provide assistance. After you help them, encourage them to post testimonials of how you helped them. That helps your SEO for these services. Let us know in the comments your ideas for making money on wearables and mobile devices.

Written by Dave Greenbaum