Wanted: Opinions on IT support offering
compuease
Admin
Hey guys, I am thinking of offering this sort of service to my clients both those that operate out of an office environment and those operation out of a home office. What prompted this is having a number of clients over the past while express concerns over having to bother to do regular backups, regular virus checks, regular cleanup. It seems like either people don't want to learn how to do these necessary tasks or just don't want to be bothered.
Please let me know what you think.. ie is this marketable? Is there a need?
If you were/are a small business owner would you consider a service such as this?
*********************************************************
I have thought about this idea for a while and am sure some of my regular small business clients will want it for the peace of mind as much as anything... This would fit with any small business (especially home based ones) where there is no one on staff who feels comfortable doing regular backups, checking for viruses, spyware, etc or keeping your system(s) clean and working smoothly.
What I will do is enter into monthly agreement with you to do the following:
1/ first setup an automatic backup to an offsite internet data repository.
Each Week (at a time determined between us)
2/ Remotely login to your system
3/ Verify that the backup is up to date and running correctly
4/ Ensure that your antivirus program is up to date and running clean. I can supply a free one if you would like.
5/ Scan your system for spyware or adware and remove if needed.
6/ Remove temp files that can clutter up your system causing sluggish performance.
7:/ If possible make some minor changes in how your system starts up, i.e. eliminate strange messages you get on each start up. (You will need to let me know about these in advance).
8/ Create and maintain a log on your desktop of what I did and when, each time I remotely login. (This way you know I have been there)
I will also include one free onsite visit per year to cleanup or fix things that I can not do remotely. This does not include any parts required. If you are a subscriber to this service you will also get priority if/when you do require my support. ie your call will take precidence over someone who does not subscribe.
For this I will bill you 2 hours per month with no long term commitment, i.e. try it and if it isn’t doing what you require, feel free to cancel at any time with a months notice. Slightly higher cost if your data backup requirements are greater that 5GB.
Now keep in mind that there is a certain amount of trust required between us which is no problem for my regular clients as a lot of them I have worked with for years. However people I haven’t worked with before are likely to be concerned about data security and I can’t blame them. If someone wishes I can refer you to a few of my regular clients for references.
*******************************************************
Please let me know what you think.. ie is this marketable? Is there a need?
If you were/are a small business owner would you consider a service such as this?
*********************************************************
I have thought about this idea for a while and am sure some of my regular small business clients will want it for the peace of mind as much as anything... This would fit with any small business (especially home based ones) where there is no one on staff who feels comfortable doing regular backups, checking for viruses, spyware, etc or keeping your system(s) clean and working smoothly.
What I will do is enter into monthly agreement with you to do the following:
1/ first setup an automatic backup to an offsite internet data repository.
Each Week (at a time determined between us)
2/ Remotely login to your system
3/ Verify that the backup is up to date and running correctly
4/ Ensure that your antivirus program is up to date and running clean. I can supply a free one if you would like.
5/ Scan your system for spyware or adware and remove if needed.
6/ Remove temp files that can clutter up your system causing sluggish performance.
7:/ If possible make some minor changes in how your system starts up, i.e. eliminate strange messages you get on each start up. (You will need to let me know about these in advance).
8/ Create and maintain a log on your desktop of what I did and when, each time I remotely login. (This way you know I have been there)
I will also include one free onsite visit per year to cleanup or fix things that I can not do remotely. This does not include any parts required. If you are a subscriber to this service you will also get priority if/when you do require my support. ie your call will take precidence over someone who does not subscribe.
For this I will bill you 2 hours per month with no long term commitment, i.e. try it and if it isn’t doing what you require, feel free to cancel at any time with a months notice. Slightly higher cost if your data backup requirements are greater that 5GB.
Now keep in mind that there is a certain amount of trust required between us which is no problem for my regular clients as a lot of them I have worked with for years. However people I haven’t worked with before are likely to be concerned about data security and I can’t blame them. If someone wishes I can refer you to a few of my regular clients for references.
*******************************************************
Comments
rake?
See above
Regular remote visits would also allow you to ensure that they aren't slowly screwing things up on a regular basis culminating in a collosal crash at some point with irrecoverable damage.
I would say for sure though that you have to charge a solid amount for on site service calls to make it worth your while.