Did you know that follow-up is one of the most important aspects of a computer services business?
It is, without question, the one thing that will be remembered and appreciated more than anything else you do. A cheap price comes and goes. Following-up properly will always be remembered.
If you don’t follow-up, your customer will feel like they are in the dark. Like they are not up-to-date on the status of a project or your work. The reality is that in a computer services business you work for them so make them number one. Keep them in the loop at all times.
Customers are always impressed by extra effort. Follow-up is both expected and appreciated. And, since most people don’t follow-up, they will be impressed as well.
It’s such an easy thing to do and it is also the easiest thing to forget to do.
A lot of computer service professionals eventually seem to get a little egotistical. They start to think that the customer needs them more than they need the customer. They believe they are the only person in the world who can service that client. There is nothing further from the truth.
There are a million of YOU.
Don’t forget it. You customer, while they may value the service you are providing, is keenly aware that just as they once found you, they can find another you.
It may take them a little time and have some associated hard / soft costs, but you are replaceable. Do you know anyone who isn’t?
Keep this in mind the next time you start having crazy thoughts about who is working for who.
The newest version of the Services Monitor software is in the hands of Beta testers. As soon as I have the reports, I will release it with a 24 hour special. If you want to be notified of the release, signup in the top right corner of this page and you will receive an email when the software is released.
Hint hint, I expect the 24 hour special to happen within the next 24 hours.
It’s tough to imagine a better response to this application. People love it.
Once you have this program installed, it is as simple as selecting a computer and choosing the services to monitor. Once this is done, anytime your services are no longer running, you get an email.
There are too many products to list, but I can think of quite a few that I have personally run into that have a service installed on a server and if that service stops, that application quits logging, or working. This can be a silent killer because in the computer services business, a log is extremely important.
If an application is running, but the logging service stopped or crashing, it may be days, weeks, or longer before you find out. Try explaining that to your customer or boss if an incident happens and you didn’t do your job.
I can think of both URL filtering products and Event Log tracking products that have these kind of logs. If the logging service stops running, the application still keeps churning away, but there are no logs.
Services Monitor is the answer to this problem and it does an excellent job. It also comes with a special license permitting you to install the application on two machines. The purpose of the second installation is to monitor the first. This way, if the Services Monitor application service will to stop unexpectedly, you will know right away. This is the built-in self checking system and it works wonderfully.
At some point you will end up with a customer that is not worth trying to retain. If you don’t have some level of turnover in your bottom percentage of customers, you are clinging on too tight.
Time Wasted or Time Well Spent?
Realize that the amount of time and energy that you are spending on this “dead weight” is holding you back from obtaining new customers or giving additional time to current customers.
Cut The Slow Pay / No Pay Now!
Slow Pay and No Pay customers have to go. If you end up with slow pay customers, it makes terminating the relationship very difficult because they still owe you money. Get this number as low as you can and even if you take a small loss, get rid of that dead beat customer.
Confidence Is Key
Part of this business is trading time for money. Whether thats your time or your employees, there is time being traded for money. Don’t waste your time, or that of your employees, by dealing with customers that are holding your business back. You will be better off after you weed out your customers. Try it!
Have you heard that the US is entering a recession? Silly question, right?
What analysts have also said is that while the US is in a recession, there are certain industries that will be, largely, unaffected. The computer service business is one such industry. Companies need computer services. Recession or not, computers will break. They will need repairs and they will need upgrades to some degree. Backups still need to happen, SPAM still needs to be taken care, etc.
One of the great things about the computer service business is that, fundamentally, businesses need computers. Companies can cut back on a number of things, but the needs of computers can’t be overlooked. This is reassuring to those in the computer service business, but remember that the customers are now a little more price aware. In most markets, computer services are very competitive. Have you looked in the yellow pages recently? Dozens of competitors would not be surprising.
Take comfort in knowing that this industry is poised to do well, but don’t think it will be a free ticket.
This campaign is fantastic and long overdue. The “U Comment, I Follow” is displayed to let everyone know that when you comment on this blog, the URL you leave with your comment will not be tagged with NoFollow. This means that search engines WILL FOLLOW your link and you will have another inbound link.
It made a lot of sense to have the NoFollow tag, but now with SPAM control and comment moderation, there is no reason why you shouldn’t get a link back to your site when you comment on mine.
You are helping my blog by leaving a comment, the least I can do is give you a link.
Are you a tech or are you a business person? Are you more interested in technology or in business? Do you enjoy the thought of making sales calls and meeting new people or is this the last thing in the world you would want to do?
These are a few simple questions to ask before you become an independent computer consultant or a business owner.
If you are more of a tech and don’t really like business and sales, thats fine. Get a tech gig somewhere and be happy. Don’t bother with the stresses of consulting and business ownership. You’ll be happier in the long run.
If, however, you aren’t afraid of sales calls and all the challenges that come with running a business or going it alone, then you’re in the right place and I’ll enjoy you’re company.
This campaign is fantastic and long overdue. The “U Comment, I Follow” is displayed to let everyone know that when you comment on this blog, the URL you leave with your comment will not be tagged with NoFollow. This means that search engines WILL FOLLOW your link and you will have another inbound link.
