Phone support, for a new network consultant, has to be a profit center; not a cost center.  When we talked about this need to charge for phone support last time, we looked at the benefits to you.  Now, we’re going to shift that perspective to the client and dispel any doubts you still have about charging for it.   

If you don’t provide phone support at all, what is your clients’ comparative alternative? They would end up having to call an independent phone support hotline. 

  • These services typically charge $2.99 or $3.99 per minute
  • For a 15 minute phone support call that adds up to $45.00 to $60.00
  • The phone support is not even half as good:
  • You’re definitely going to be much more skilled than the typical person phone support hotline person
  • You know the account
  • You know and understand the client’s needs
  • You know all their bizarre configurations, workarounds, tweaks, and business issues
  • You have a 360-degree bird’s eye view that allows you to offer targeted and accurate phone support
Now, your typical hourly rate should be in the $75.00 to $125.00 range.  For phone support we suggest you use a 15 minute minimum.  This makes for easy billing and it dissuades continuous, small, inconsequential phone support requests. This means that your phone support would cost anywhere from $19.00 to $31.00.

When you compare both the cost and the value of the phone support you provide, it’s easy to justify charging for phone support.  

Bottom Line on Phone Support
Don’t think about your phone support charges in terms of the $20 or so dollars you are billing.  Think about your phone support in terms of how much value the client is getting and the fact that comparative alternatives are more expensive in the long run. If you encounter resistance when charging for phone support, run this little scenario by your client.  You’ll be surprised by how quickly they buy-into your phone support pricing.  

In this article, you’ve been introduced to Phone Support. To learn more about how you can improve your knowledge about Phone Support, just click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.