Two new customers, who were local, recently made comments when I was repairing their computers.
The first was, that because I was local, how much easier it was to get the computer fixed. Instead of having to unplug all the cables, trying to remember where they went, then lugging the computer off to a business a few suburbs away and then picking it up again a few days later, all they had to do was call me in. In fact not only did I repair the problem I was called in for, but I also cleaned up two other computers whilst the first computer was downloading software or running programs when nothing else could be done.
The second person said it removed a lot of pressure for them. The previous person who helped them was from the other side of the city and so they felt uncomfortable about the time involved getting them out to look at their problem. I fixed the problem for this person in about 15 minutes, which is all they would have been charged for, since I don’t charge a call out fee or a fixed hourly charge. They had issues with the performance of the computer which I also fixed for them.
If you have a computer or computer related problem, live in Templestowe, Doncaster, Doncaster East, Templestowe Lower, Eltham, Lower Plenty or Montmorency, send me an email or give me a call on 0415 910 703. Because I’m just around the corner, it really does change the way support is provided. It is much easier to organise a time for support because I don’t have to fight traffic and travel half way across Melbourne. In quite a few cases people have additional problems they’d like looked at. If a second trip is required there isn’t any pressure. I can return at a suitable time because there is very little travel involved. More often than not I can complete additional tasks if required because there is very little travel time to the next customer.
Providing local support is a win-win situation. I don’t have to fight my way through traffic and customers don’t have to pay a call-out or travel fee. I recall when I worked for a Chartered Accounting firm that for one client there was an hour of travel to get to the client, an hour of work and then an hour of return travel. That’s three hours of chargeable time where the benefit to the client is one hour of actual work. That doesn’t happen when you provide local support. I also like the idea that I’m not impacting the environment as much by minimising the travel involved.
With no call-out fee, and no minimum hourly charge, the customer only pays for the time involved to fix their problem. I also offer a satisfaction guarantee which means I’m not happy if the customer isn’t happy. It hasn’t happened yet, but I offer it because one day there will be a problem I can’t solve.
Supporting locals really does have a great feel about it. Because I live in the same area as customers we already have something in common. I know I’m helping a local when I go out to fix a problem and that’s a pretty good feeling.
Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you have a computer related problem and need help.
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