It seems in the business of computers.. That time becomes a big concern.
We want to find something quickly so we do a search. Or we create a shortcut and place it on our desktop so that we can get to that website quickly. Or maybe we'll create a favorite so that we can quickly go to the list and find it.. Well that is actually where the desktop search idea came from, that fact that we wanted to find something quickly and typically because we have so much data and that could be your favorites, that it is going to take longer to go and look for the link to the website then simply enter the name or part of in a google (or other) search window and viola, the first 10 or so likely matches come up and typically if you are close you will end up clicking to the correct site, this is also where the security issues are.
Since computers don't make mistakes (yet)... It is humans that make the mistake by creating a programming error that the computer can no longer follow. Like bread crumbs to find your way along a path, once the birds start eating them, no longer will you have certain bread crumbs to know where to go next. When you talk about security, this is where you would be now "thinking about what to do next, now that you don't see any more bread crumbs"... OK.. Enough about the bread crumbs, but to get the point across that knowing where everything is might not be a necessary issue when it comes to your computer and the files that are on it, however you just want to be able to click on the icon and have the program work the way it is supposed to. Now when it comes to creating data, that needs to be saved somewhere, this is where your computer aptitude starts to shine.. Some will keep it simple and use the web to check out their stocks, or just to communicate via email. Regardless, you are going to want to save things and then you are going to want to be able to find them and open them up for later use.. Therefore you are going to have to learn a few things about favorites and my documents and the desktop and icons, what I would think is the basics of windows and the internet.
Part of what I do , other then fix a computer problem, is attempt to TEACH my client how they got to the problems they had. Since I do see my fair share of computers and problems, I do recognize certain patterns and base it on many things. Basically knowing how it is you like to use your computer. Some may be in to messaging, others in to gaming, some just surfing, others for greetings cards and email.
I am starting to seriously utilize the remote capabilities of the computer since virtually everyone is now using a highspeed internet connection which is online 24 hours a day.
This means that in theory, I can be there for my client 24 hours a day and this is something that I attempt to do. Since I work for myself but do have employees, only they are not human-they are computers, service loaners to be exact. I understand time only too well to realize that I can't be everywhere at the same time and the more people that I have been helping means they have told two friends, and so on, just as I do when I find something good. Blowing my own horn is an understatement here and I know this because I look at the countless hours of "free services" I give to my clients by the simple fact that they do not receive an invoice for the typical repair that I do remotely! Yes, that is correct.. Most of the time I am connecting for less then 10 minutes to repair a simple problem and this is because I have asked that, along with the email to me stating that there is a problem, or possibly a question as to how to do something, I ask that they include the IP address which you can always get from the link on my signature within an email or directly on my home page (http://tpsconsulting.com) where you can click on the link to get your current IP address. Some have even then bookmarked that page and use this, however the correct method you should be using is to visit the website since what you are essentially doing is saving a file to your computer which can be corrupted and changed. When you click on the link you are clicking 'live' which is important to get your current IP. You can install the IP program if you wish from the link as well, now this method is fine, however I only suggest this for gamers that require access to their IP address all the time, as it is a small utility that is running all the time, unless you change the settings.
What I have found is that my time, just like anyone, is shared between different tasks that you wish to get accomplished each day, as well as those that just come up last minute. Unfortunately for me and the business that I choose to do, has me going 24 hours a day and on call all the time, just as any emergency doctor in the hospital would. How dare I compare what I do to the medical profession? Well if it weren't for technology, we would not be doing many surgeries that now get down as a direct result to that technology and when a brain surgeon equipment malfunctions, who do they turn to but someone technical that fixes it. Since I am that bridge between the human and the machine, there are many time where I find what I say, after reading it at a later time, sounds very rigid, or almost rude, and if I were to knowingly say that the way it was written, there would probably be a smile on my face, therefore today we have the emoticon or the smiley face that you can create by typing :-)
When in the 'repair mode' it is not uncommon for me to be working on 8 computers at the same time (the current amount my bench will allow at the time this was written), to literally hundreds of computers remotely. The machine I happened to be working on those computers remotely simply gets the same priority as the others on my bench, therefore at this time, my maximum capacity would be 8 plus 1 or 9 computers and if you start to divide this in to some sort of equation for time (I won't even talk about money as this figure should be self explanatory by the method the job was done). If you have 60 minutes in an hour and divide that by 9 you get 6.66 or roughly 6 minutes per computer per hour. Now remember that the one computer is a remote which could have 10 remotes going on, therefore those 10 may get less then 1 minute of time per hour on this current equation therefore that computer that is remotely connected may sit there waiting for a prompt that doesn't come for some time. This shouldn't be a problem if the computer is not being used, but remotely how am I to know if the computer is used unless I connect to it. Knowing that there is work to be done, or a questions was asked, I will automatically attempt connection first, to see if the connection works, then if at that time, I can actually look at it and it is not busy, I will stay connected and attempt the repair. In some cases, as mentioned, it might just be a question about something or in some cases a simple connection by me to the options of that specific program and changing one or two options may solve the problem, therefore the entire problem is fixed in less then that minute. However, there is still the matter of communication and responding to the original email or question stating that it is now working. This can take also less then a minute, but the entire process was about 3 from the time I read the email to the time I repaired and replied that it was done. Do I charge for that? Of course not, to me this is all part of doing business and keeping my existing clients happy.
Some say, so what is the contract then? And I say that there isn't one! If you don't want to use my services, you don't have to, I certainly don't force the issue by having someone sign a contract!
So here we are back to time, and the fact that there are only 24 hours in the day, some say you have to have some time to do what you want... Others will say "wait until retirement and work hard until that time"... My question then is "when is retirement, at what age? How many years? What is it you are planning to do at retirement?" Did I mention that I work for myself? I like what I do, I do not look at this as a job, but a way of life. I am living with technology and better still, I am learning something new each and every day from the repairs that I fix, to the ideas that I gain from fixing a problem. To me, the greatest compliment is when I see my clients using their computers for all sorts of things and enjoying the learning process and what they can do with the computer. Much like a librarian would say "books are our friends", I say the same about the computer. I say this because I also get VERY frustrated and those closest to me know what I am talking about, by the simple fact that I take things far to personal when I can't actually get things fixed to my own satisfaction and how stubborn I am to not quit on something until it is fixed (to what I might say is acceptable if I were to be the one having to use it). That is the thing, I treat each and every computer as it was my own and to those clients that have used my services should be able to attest to that.
This then brings up the most ugly subject I can think of and that is Money! Yes, money... The root of all evil in my opinion, simply because it causes so much negativeness. Money is what some would say is the lifeblood however, and if you don't have it, then you will not accomplish anything To achieve any sort of 'goal' for yourself since you would not be able to afford it. Yes, we do require money to survive, it is how well you want to survive and how you choose to use your money! Looking at the success of the banks, it is safe to say that there are many people saving, and many people spending, the banks are moving it and they continue to grow so something must be positive about it. Why then, when I provide a service, when I look at my current hourly wage, which I have not adjusted for 5 years! Do I (still) have people complaining about 'how much is this going to cost me?" I believe it can be answered by simply looking at what it costs to go out and buy a new one!
Yes, that is now what it has become, the simple fact that if you are going to be spending, say $300 to get your computer fixed, wouldn't it make sense to just spend say, twice that amount and buy a new one? It might, and I wouldn't rule it out, but the one thing that most forget is that they have saved a lot of data, not to mention the programs the computer they are currently using has that the new one doesn't. How are you going to get that data from one to the other? You do have many options, you can buy the software and do it yourself, or you can give it to someone else to do. That would be where I come in.
I mentioned when you find something or someone good, you usually like to tell two friends about it right? or just in conversation, someone asks you if you know of a good doctor, plumber, mechanic, etc... You are always going to mention someone that you are happy with. You are not going to mention that person that did you wrong in some way , right?
So when it comes to 'computers' I like to hope my name is what my friends and clients would bring up at that point in the conversation about 'technology, computers, electronics'.. The typical geek speak.
Did I mention my employees? Yes the computers, the service loaners, these are what I give to my clients while I am performing the duties of cleanup and repairs to their computer when in fact the problem is that I can not connect remotely or the services that are required are to take the computer 'offline' to repair which is what I like to think as once a year since that would be the time when things such as antivirus or other subscription services are typically done. So what do I charge for that sort of service? What I can tell you is that you will never get a bill for my services that will ever exceed my time as being more then $245! If you have ever had work done by me, then I don't believe you would ever question this and that is the bottom line... Those that have never questioned it, I have never had a problem with. Those that do, yup you bet, nothing but problems! Why am I saying this? because I believe education is the key! This is why I say I try and TEACH my clients of what they did wrong to cause the problem, if it was in factOtherwise something they did.. Otherwise, it would be a hardware issue which is why I can give a maximum amount for time spent, since this is what you would pay for me to build you a computer as I have capped my hours always, since I too know that you can go out and buy a new computer, I base it on how long it would take to build a computer from scratch.
Why no raise for 5 years? Because I believe in technology and therefore I have continue to put my time and resources in to bettering it for myself first and then for those closest to me, that being said, I have now managed to hire 4 employees which allow me to keep 4 clients completely and 100% actively on the internet where they can continue to communicate with the world without as much time as it takes to set up the service loaner!
So, now after all above has been said, I get back to the main subject and that there is never enough time.
It seems I am hopeful that this blog entry will help educate many as to my methodology of the computer, it will also help make you aware that I am aware of time as the number one FRIEND when it comes to life in general. I try to keep going in a positive direction by helping as many people as I can with their technology problems and hope that with the understanding that if your computer completely breaks down of a direct result of me trying to fix it remotely, know that I can be there with a service loaner so that you are not without the computer. Now I cant give you that same garantee about the particular program you were working on when you started to have the problems, since this is something that can only be fixed by me looking at the problem and that being said, I try to do this when the computer is not in use. If the computer becomes busy while I am in the middle of something, most of the time I will have to restart that application, so again, no problem.. Just time... And if its done remotely and you are not in a hurry since you still have complete access to the internet....
This is also why I have suggested to many that know they are going to be away for a certain length of time, that would be a good time to get your computer updated and cleaned up.
Either that or maybe not wait until it has a problem and contact me to attempt a diagnostic/cleanup remotely.
What I truly would like to accomplish is the ability to know (and bill accordingly), the exact amount of TIME that I spend on each computer and bill fairly from that. At this point, since we talk in the value of time versus money and an hour wage for that, it becomes quite a task as you might imagine, if you are connecting to literally hundreds of computers each day. This is where I feel it is safe to say that if I find the 'basic' tools like spyware scans have not been done within the week that I am getting notified of problems, there will be a charge for my connecting, other then that however, it would seem that it may be 4 or 5 or maybe more visits remotely, before you see even a one hour charge! Isn't that worth it?
One last thing about money and I say the last thing because I truly do not like discussing it and wish that there was a simply credit system like in the early days of bartering, etc... hmmm a week in some holiday destination for free computer work.. Sounds good to me! Since I mentioned how in some cases it might just be better to buy a new computer, this is something serious to consider not only because of the current costs of computers, but if your computer is of a certain age, where in order to upgrade could cost virtually the same amount, don't think about it, talk to me about it. Printers, which I will blog about next, just go and buy one and don't think about getting a new ink cartridge!
As always, you can read my BLOG or subscribe to it from the home page. Also read more TIPS and visit the SOFTWARE/SUPPORT for the latest in the software I highly suggest installing on every computer (in the pink section). Remember that I can be a key click away!
