I’ve talked a lot about technical stuff over the last few years in this column; rightfully, this article is titled Tech-Talk, so talking about anything less wouldn’t fit. I thought it would be fun to talk about the business of computing as it pertains to my business. In order to do so I’ve got to incorporate business, computing and technology so I don’t fall too far out of the confines of the article.
Some of you may know my background is not just related to technology. I attended the Rochester Institute of Technology for business and engineering. Outside of school and family, my love was anything related to computers. Since the mid-eighties there hasn’t been a lapse when I haven’t owned a computer.
Understanding how to repair a computer requires a mix of aptitudes. One must understand the mechanics of how the pieces interconnect as well as the abstract principles of how the operating system functions. As the owner of a computer repair company this necessary mix makes finding technicians extremely difficult. To make matters worse, in my business I also require people skills.
Because most people are good at either mechanical or abstract repairs, I’ve learned to have two part-timers ready to go. One of the technicians is phenomenal at hardware and the other could probably write a book on software issues. With the two guys working hand-in-hand I have an extraordinary team.
In order to maintain speedy repair times and make money I rely on my team to work together. I actively employ secret shoppers who give me the lowdown on how my business compares to my competition. I know from years of experience that keeping tabs on my team is necessary for many reasons. My primary reasons are good customer service and fast, accurate repair times.
A major issue facing every company in every segment is the economy. I used to be able to predict the days my stores would be busy. Sunday around 11:30AM is the peak time people casually surf the internet and because of that, Monday has historically been one of our busiest days. Monday is no longer a predictable sales day and hasn’t been for the past year.
Computer repair is a messy business. While I was closing up an acquisition many years ago, the business owner muttered, “this is the septic repair of technology.” It took me a fair amount of time to figure out that my business is cleaning up everyone else’s mess. From the physical hairballs and dust bunnies to viruses and junk people look at, my business can truly be related to cleaning out a septic tank.
Why am I giving you all this information? I have a chance to talk to hundreds of consumers every week who don’t understand my business. Additionally, I also talk to many business owners who understand how their business operates and think they’re the only ones affected by the economy. My bottom line: I think more people should talk about their business and explain it to customers.
Hopefully you weren’t reading this week’s submission with the expectation of fixing a plaguing computer issue or answering a question about computational adaptive learning. This week gave me a break from the usual and let me digress a bit from my normal subject and talk about the business of computer repair. My promise to you is that my next article will be back on subject and will have something more to do with technology.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can text him at (978) 413-2840 or call him directly at (978) 919-8059.