Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Business Question of Sorts
Much of what I do is tech support, which I frequently compare to being a doctor.
I like best fielding questions by e-mail, then going in person if needed, or calling if necessary and expedient. E-mail gives the opportunity to address easy things painlessly, in the best compromise between avoiding icky phones and wasting time in person. It makes getting more information, invoking incremental troubleshooting steps or questions and learning the results or answers, simple and efficient when time isn’t the right kind of factor to need a call, when there is the right ambiguity, and when e-mail itself isn’t the problem.
With the big client that is the main point of my existing business, that fits perfectly: I charge for time the way I would with anything else.
My question has been how best to apply a web and/or e-mail based tech support model to small, irregular customers, smaller businesses or even home computer users. That wouldn’t be the only element of the service, but I’d want it to be a major one.
As someone who might ever need support, how would you feel about being able to e-mail (or enter on a web form) questions or requests for help with problems to a locally based support person/service and get relatively timely answers, steps to try, a call, or arrangements to come in person?
What and how would you be willing to pay for that kind of service?
Obviously I do this now with an established client, and when I bill them they pay be. I can depend on it. I am wondering whether I should use a retainer-like fee up front, or if that would be off-putting. On the other hand, it could be a service only to those who have established themselves as clients already. On the third hand, it could be something payable per incident or in “packs” via an online payment method or less formal pre-arrangement.
I could imagine discounting the e-mail service as compared to in-person or even phone services. I’d rather exhaust the troubleshooting that can be done hand in hand with the customer before I clearly need to go there, and have them learn things in the process. I like to see people know more and more, thereby being happier and more independent in their computer usage and needing me less and less. There are always new people who can use help, new things otherwise knowledgeable people get stuck on, and plenty of challenging things most people will never handle themselves.
So, perhaps this is crudely asked, and too much question in one jumble, but how would you approach the nuts and bolts of this service model, or what would you expect if you were to use such a thing? I’d like feedback before I ponder further or make any decisions.
Update:
Crossposted at Jotzel as Questions of Marketing and Method in the Ask Jotzel section.