In order to provide the best computer repair services to your clients, you need to encourage your technical staff to learn about high-end networking solutions. Not only will these solutions will be worth more per hour, but they will also lead to higher-margin projects that have real long-term potential for your staff and your business.
 
Consider the following 3 guiding points to push your technical staff beyond basic troubleshooting and break/fix work, so you can start booking up their time to provide more professionally-gratifying, high-margin computer repair services.

   1. Personal Gratification Keeps Your Technical Staff Happy. When you challenge your staff to work on advanced networking projects, you pave the way towards professional gratification. In computer repair services, you find a lot of “techies” that love to work on projects that tax their knowledge. Your employees will be incredibly frustrated if they develop very high-end skills and then are forced to do simple fixes or spending all day long giving basic advice about rebooting.

   2. When You Challenge Your Computer Repair Services Technicians, You Retain Them. When your technical staff members get to work at their true technical peak and are exposed to increasingly rewarding challenges, they will experience great professional gratification. So, advanced training can be a great retention tool. On the flip side, if your employees feel they constantly have to deliver computer repair services that are beneath them, they will be more likely to seek out your competitors for better job opportunities.

   3. Complex Networking Projects Mean Long-Term Client Relationships. When your technical staff members develop long-term client relationships, they get greater satisfaction than when they just work on very basic computer fixes. They get to work with clients over an extended period of time and really get to know them well. They get to build relationships they care about and get really attached to people and projects, which means they remain very loyal to your firm over time. Plus, when your staff is helping you achieve your goal of building strong relationships with your clients, you will see more on-going revenue for your business.
 
In this short article, we discussed 3 reasons training and challenging your staff can help you deliver better computer repair services. Learn more about how you can provide computer repair services to great, steady, high-paying clients now at the attached link.
 
Copyright (C), ComputerRepairServicesHQ.com, All Rights Reserved
 

If you introduce a prospect or client to someone that has an entry-level certification and then send someone in the next week that has an advanced certification like an MCSE, your client will most likely not appreciate the difference.  Your clients also won’t want to pay really high rates for senior levels of IT certification.

In the eyes of most sweet spot small businesses, senior-level IT certifications won’t matter; most of their projects will not be incredibly technical, and those that are can typically be subcontracted to other specialists.    

What Is the Technology Curve?

Sweet spot small businesses don’t usually keep up with the latest in technology, so you don’t have to keep up with cutting-edge IT certifications and skills.

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit

IT Emergencies:  Necessary in any Computer Consulting Business

If the world were ideal, IT emergencies would never happen.  Unfortunately, even technology can be unpredictable, so the ability to deal with IT emergencies is necessary in order to keep a steady base of customers and also to get more business.  Booking your staff to maximum capacity is not advisable, but you also have to create a balance of availability so your current clients are happy and their needs are fully served.  

IT Emergencies:  Never Overschedule Staff

The ideal scheduling capacity for staff is about 75 percent for technical people without sales functions or management positions.  This means there is 25 percent flexibility leftover for IT emergencies and non-billable projects along with new business prospects.  

The Bottom Line About IT Emergencies

There will be peaks of business you cannot meet, and times of stress during IT emergencies.  This is the time to get the most out of your staff and do serious emergency work as well as build relationships with individual clients.  IT emergencies are a fact of life in the technology business, and you have to be ready to deal with them whenever they may arise.  

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

IT Consultants Survey Revelations:

1.    Consultancies have started to aggressively recruit IT consultants recently in order to prepare for the great amount of merger and acquisition business, but skills are still scarce.  Therefore, salaries for IT consultants are rising.

2.    Shortages of IT consultants have caused some consulting firms to worry about eventually having to turn away clients.

3.    The growth in mergers and acquisitions – which was at its highest level in six years in 2006 – has caused a demand for IT consultants that can install advanced IT systems.  

4.    Management IT consultants are also in demand in the public sector because companies are cutting back on salaried staff.  This means that public sector spending on IT consultants rose in 2006 by 33%.

For more information on this survey about salaries for IT consultants, visit the attached link.

Added By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Despite growing opportunities in IT consulting, enrollments in computer science programs at universities have dropped drastically in conjunction with employers stating they are having a labor shortage of qualified job candidates in the IT consulting industry.

IT consulting companies and other computer businesses have definitely shifted from the attitudes of the 1990s and early 2000s when during the dot-com era, tech companies had huge plans and crazy ideas that were risky and enticing for students.  During this time, university students were clamoring to get into computer classes because of exciting opportunities and potentially huge profits.

Some industry experts think that the dot-com bust is still scaring off potential IT industry specialists and their parents, along with fear that the offshore outsourcing trend will eliminate jobs within the U.S.  Still others believe that perhaps colleges and universities are not offering comprehensive enough courses in computer science and that as a result technical schools are becoming more popular than colleges among those students that are interested in the IT consulting field.  For more information on this IT consulting story, see the link provided.

Blogged By:  Joshua Feinberg

The Contracting Life: Caveats to Cashing In (link to Yahoo! News syndication feed)

In the article, under the heading "You Must Know How to Manage the Fiscal End of Your Work", Feinberg talks about the right and wrong ways to calculate hourly billing rates.

And Feinberg describes two very simple formulas that computer consultants can use to calculate an hourly billing rate that takes into account their

1. Sales and Marketing expenses
2. Taxes, Insurance, and Administrative overhead
3. Technical Salary requirements

The West Palm Beach, Florida-based consultant and Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit author also discusses one of the most business-threatening mistakes that new computer consultants make when first getting started in the business.

see link above for full article

You need to ask yourself very early on in your business operations, "Will I be able to afford the kind of technical person that has the skills that are needed for sweet spot clients?"  If your business is only generating enough revenue to cover a consulting salary of $27,000 per year, you might be in for a shocking answer.  

Consulting Salaries and Scenario Analysis
When we think about consulting salaries we have to use the triple billing rule:  1/3 of revenue goes to sales and marketing, the second third goes to taxes, insurance, and administrative expenses, the final third includes consulting salaries as well as all the other business expenses.

A great tool for figuring out potential consulting salaries is an Excel spreadsheet set up for scenario analysis.  

• Run different hourly billing rates through the analysis  
• Allocate the overall revenue into the general thirds
• Take out a reasonable amount for general businesses from the final third
• Analyze what is left for consulting salaries

You should try to run billing rates between $75 per hour to $125 per hour and come up with a rate that will support a consulting salary of $40,000 and up.  

The Bottom Line on Consulting Salaries
The overall revenue of your business must be able to support a consulting salary that is sufficient to attract good, solid employees.  A some point you will likely need to hire some help.  If yo use the Triple Billing Rule you should be able to set an hourly billing rate such that you can afford to pay an attractive consulting salary to yourself and your future employees.

In this article, you’ve been introduced to consulting salaries. To learn more about how you can improve your knowledge about consulting salaries, 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.

Focusing On Stability

Every employee needs to be recognized.  A systems integrator can ease an employee’s transition by recognizing this basic necessity.  A simple “thank you” or “good work” can go a long way.  When an employee’s hard work is recognized, they will be more motivated to remain on the job even with all the changes that are occurring.

Respectful Treatment

A systems integrator should treat every company employee with the utmost respect.  Many employees are experiencing complete changes in the way their jobs are performed.  Although their tasks will ultimately become easier, change isn’t always embraced.

Remember to inform these employees why the new system is being installed and list the benefits.  A systems integrator should listen respectfully when an employee voices concerns or ideas.

Communicate the Benefits

Most people spend more time at work than they do at home.  Many employees will feel a new office system will take away from their duties and tasks.  Comfort these employees by pointing out the benefits of a new company system.  The systems integrator needs to make sure the employee still feels productive when at work.

Feeling Trusted

A systems integrator should show that he trusts employees.  Trust allows an employee to feel confident, empowered, and motivated.  An employee who is trusted will be ready to take on the new challenges, offer ideas on how to make processes better, and work harder to make the system successful. 

Considering stabilities in a business is a great way for a systems integrator to ease a transition.  Changes are not always welcome, but by focusing on those things that don’t change, employees feel more grounded.  They are better equipped to embrace the new computer system.

The Bottom Line about a Systems Integrator

In this article, you’ve learned about the job of a systems integrator.  To learn more about the responsibilities of a systems integrator, click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.

Tips for Effective Praise

Some managers will praise every minor accomplishment or activity.  Others deliver praise so that it appears to be phony to a computer service company employee.  Consider these tips before doling out praise.

Use Praise Sparingly.

Just like too much sugar, too much praise will give a person a stomachache.  A computer service company that makes a habit of giving praise for every small feat will notice that the praise is completely ignored.  Instead, offer praise when it is truly deserved.  When used sparingly, it has a greater impact. 

Be Sincere.

A computer service company supervisor should offer praise in a genuine manner.  If the manager does not seem sincere, the employee will not believe it.  The praise will have a negative impact rather than positive.

Be Specific.

Telling a staff member that he or she has done a “great job” is important.  However, the inclusion of specific details on why it was a great job will have more meaning to the employee.  He will understand exactly what was done well and try to achieve that success again. 

Ask for Advice.

Some managers feel comfortable asking an employee for advice.  The employee feels he is contributing to the computer service company.  What higher form of praise is there?  However, be prepared to heed the advice once it is given.  If the advice is not adequate, ask questions until the employee is able to devise a better plan of action.

Praise Publicly.

Allowing the entire computer service company hear an acknowledgment for a job well done is very motivating.  Not only are you motivating the employee who is being praised, but you are also motivating the entire team.  Others will strive to be recognized.

The Bottom Line about the Computer Service Company

Motivate computer service company employees through the use of effective praise.  Be sincere and use praise sparingly.  Be specific with praise and recognize employees publicly.  Finally, ask for employee’s advice when it is appropriate.  A well-motivated team will strive to operate a successful computer service company.

In this article, you’ve been introduced to the computer service company. To learn more about the computer service company, click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.

Leadership Styles

Managers will need to understand all leadership styles.  The four different types are dictatorial, analytical, opinion seeking, and democratic.  Most computer service company managers will want to favor the democratic style.  However, there are times when the other styles will be needed to accomplish a certain task.

Dictatorial Style

A dictatorial leader makes decisions on his own and takes all the risks.  He is very controlling.  This style discourages teamwork but is necessary if a crisis occurs.  It should be used sparingly in a computer service company.

Analytical Style

The analytical leader does just that – analyzes.  He will collect all pertinent data and make observations to determine the best course of action.  This style is appropriate when a decision needs to be made quickly.  There is no time for team members to share solutions or ideas. 

Opinion Seeking Style

A computer service company consists of valuable employees. A manager who employs this style is showing that he values his employees’ opinions.  He asks for each team member’s suggestions in order to make decisions.  This increases morale and employee confidence.  If time allows, this is a very useful leadership style.

Democratic Style

This style is similar to opinion seeking.  The main difference is that the computer service company employees work together to make decisions.  This style should be used on a regular basis.  Employees will take ownership of a project and work harder to see it completed. 

A computer service company manager should be prepared to use all of the leadership styles at some point during business.  Motivate team members through democratic and opinion-seeking styles.  Utilize dictatorial or analytical styles when there is a crisis or immediate action needs to be taken.  The manager should consider the needs of each employee, as well.  Some team members will need more guidance or supervision than others.

The Bottom Line about the Computer Service Company
     
In this article, you’ve been introduced to the computer service company. To learn more about the computer service company, click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.