Technical Support or tech support refers to a plethora of services by which enterprises provide assistance to users of technology products such as mobile phones, televisions, computers, software products or other electronic or mechanical goods. In general, technical support services attempt to help the user solve specific problems with a product—rather than providing training, customization, or other support services. Most companies offer technical support for the products they sell, either freely available or for a fee. Technical support may be delivered over the telephone or online by e-mail, live support software on a website or a tool where users can log a call/incident. Larger organizations frequently have internal technical support available to their staff for computer related problems. The internet is also a good source for freely available tech support, where experienced users may provide advice and assistance with problems. In addition, some fee-based service companies charge for premium technical support services.
User-friendly assistance for individuals having technical problems with electronic devices. The technical support team is composed of individuals that are familiar with the ins and outs of a device. With this knowledge, they are able to troubleshoot most problems that a user experiences. Information on how to reach technical support is usually provided with the packaged materials included with a device. Technical support may be provided over the phone, through email, or with a live-chat interface.
Becoming a business owner is a dream of many people with passion for an industry. Turning the dream into a reality can be an exciting and challenging endeavor. A solid business idea, coupled with savvy marketing, advertising and industry expertise will help the aspiring business owner achieve his dream.
There is great demand for technical support ranging from computer hardware and software to troubleshooting issues with PDAs and other handheld devices. Whichever niche you choose to fill, make sure to set yourself up as an expert and target your marketing to the people and businesses who need your services the most.
Categories of Technical Support
Call Out
This type of technical support has been very common in the services industry. It is also known as "Time and Materials" (T&M) IT support. The concept behind this type of support is that the customer pays for the materials (Hard Drive, Memory, Computer, Digital Devices etc.) as well as pays the technician based on their pre-negotiated rate when they have a problem.
Block Hours
Block Hours is basically a way to purchase a bunch of hours upfront at an agreed price. While it is commonly used to offer a reduced hourly rate it does not have to be so and could just be a standard non-reduced rate, it can also represent a minimum fee charged to a client before providing service. The premise behind this type of support is that the customer has purchased a fixed number of hours to use either per month or year. This allows them the flexibility to use the hours as they please without doing the paperwork and the hassle of paying multiple bills.
Managed Services
Managed Services means a company will receive a list of well-defined services on an ongoing basis, with well-defined "response and resolution times" for a fixed rate or a flat fee. This can include things like 24/7 Monitoring of Servers, 24/7 Help desk for your daily computer issues and On-site visits by a technician when issues cannot be resolved remotely. Some companies also offer additional services like Project Management, Backup and Disaster Recovery and Vendor management in the monthly price. The companies that offer this type of tech support are known as Managed Services Providers.
Crowd sourced technical support
Many companies and organizations, such as Apple and Mozilla provide discussion boards for users of their products to interact; such forums allow companies to reduce their support costs without losing the benefit of customer feedback. In addition, there are many independent websites devoted to user discussions.
Outsourcing technical support
With the increasing use of technology in modern times, there is a growing requirement to provide technical support. Many organizations locate their technical support departments or call centers in countries or regions with lower costs. There has also been a growth in companies specializing in providing technical support to other organizations. These are often referred to as MSP's (Managed Service Providers).
For businesses needing to provide technical support, outsourcing allows them to maintain a high availability of service. Such need may result from peaks in call volumes during the day, periods of high activity due to introduction of new products or maintenance service packs, or the requirement to provide customers with a high level of service at a low cost to the business. For businesses needing technical support assets, outsourcing enables their core employees to focus more on their work in order to maintain productivity. It also enables them to utilize specialized personnel whose technical knowledge base and experience may exceed the scope of the business, thus providing a higher level of technical support to their employees.
Local Outsourced technical support
Many organizations are worried about data residency and therefore use a local IT Support company to avoid issues. This may include companies in Canada and the United States, even though they may have to pay more than if the support was outsourced to a less expensive country. Many Canadian or United States based support companies can provide plenty of value, including on-site support which many users find helpful.
Multi-tiered technical support
Technical support is often subdivided into tiers, or levels, in order to better serve a business or customer base. The number of levels a business uses to organize their technical support group is dependent on a business’ need, want, or desire as it revolves around their ability to sufficiently serve their customers or users. The reason for providing a multi-tiered support system instead of one general support group is to provide the best possible service in the most efficient possible manner. Success of the organizational structure is dependent on the technicians’ understanding of their level of responsibility and commitments, their customer response time commitments, and when to appropriately escalate an issue and to which level. A common support structure revolves around a three-tiered technical support system.
Starting Your Business
Step 1
Write your business plan. A business plan is the blueprint for your business. Business plans include the vision for the business (also referred to as a Mission Statement), short-term and long-term financial projections, marketing and advertising ideas for the business, a list of local competitors, their niche and the share of the local market they have and the background of all the owners of the business. To apply for funding, a business plan will be required as part of the application process.
Step 2
Apply for all required state and local licenses and permits and assign the business an entity status. Business permits are required for a business to legally operate. The choice of business entity is dependent on the type of business and the protection the owner wants, but the two of the more popular entities are Limited Liability Company (LLC) and sole proprietorship.
Step 3
Join local business organizations. It's important for a business just getting started to network as much as possible. Join local networking organizations and participate in the meeting and functions. Give out your business card and explain your business. Networking is free advertising and can lead to new customers.
Step 4
Contact local businesses and pitch your services. Let companies know you are available to assist them with their technical support needs. Contact smaller schools and colleges in your area who may need technical support for their equipment. Place an ad in the paper stating your expertise.
Tips & Warnings
- A website is an excellent marketing tool for a technical support business. Create a professional website that highlights your services, or have a web designer build one for the business.
- Take care in pricing your services. Too low and you don't look professional. Too high and you might price yourself out of the market.
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