Before I get started I just wanted to let you know that posts on this website are going to continue to be few and far between. The project that has put this website on hiatus has been plagued with delays and other things that I was not anticipating. That being said, I still plan on posting when I have a spare moment here and there. If you’re still subscribed to my RSS and email list, thanks for sticking here with me! I promise this website is going to continue forging ahead, I have some great plans for it’s future! Meanwhile, I hope the archives of past articles and links have helped you in your journey!
On a positive note, this part-time business of mine is slowly, but steadily, growing. This is due in large part to a successful hyper-local marketing campaign that I implemented in my immediate community. There have actually been times when I’ve had to stop advertising so that I don’t get overwhelmed with too many service calls!
One of the key ingredients in growing my business in my spare time, without affecting the quality of my work, has been to develop processes around what I do. This allows me to consistently provide the same level of service to all my customers without having to reinvent the wheel every time I do it.
It’s never too early in your business growth to develop a process around your key activities. Right now my “processes” take the form of simple checklists. For example, here is what my new customer “process” consists of:
- Receive request for service from new customer via email or phone (website coming soon).
- Capture customer information in customer database (right now just a spreadsheet).
- Contact customer via the same communication channel they used to contact me.
- Capture as much information about problem as possible.
- Get details about customer (address, phone, email, computer model, etc.).
- Schedule time to visit customer on-site.
- Use information to create a new work-order/invoice (just a simple form made in Word with my company logo).
- Update customer database with new information, if any.
- Do any necessary pre-research based on initial problem description (error codes, etc.)
- Complete service.
- Have customer pay and sign work-order/invoice.
- Arrange for any follow-up appointments or service.
- Email copy of signed work order-invoice to customer within 3 days of service.
- Send follow-up email to customer a few weeks after service to check-up on things.
As you can see, it’s a fairly simple checklist that I run through each time to make sure I don’t miss anything. As I continue to take on customers and find inefficiencies or things that should be added, I’ll adjust the checklist accordingly.
One example of something I’m going to need to add to this list is how to handle taking equipment off-site to repair in my home office. This has been necessary on a few occasions and I’d like to develop a process to handle it.
Once I start running this business full-time, I’ll have more time to flesh out some of these steps into their own branch processes. For example, once I have some more experience under my belt, I see myself elaborating on #6, the actual service visit. Right now, I use my prior knowledge to troubleshoot and repair the problem, but I’m sure I can develop my own system that will be more efficient and effective for that activity, but that will need to be based on more experience in the field.
The most important focus for me (and it should be for you too) throughout my processes are the customers. I always go to great lengths to see the process from the customer’s point of view. Is it the best way to serve them? Are they expending the least amount of effort on their part? Or more simply…are they happy? Without satisfied customers, you’re just another computer guy.
That is why I include things like numbers 9 and 10 on my list. I’ve never had a customer ask me for a copy of an invoice (which I find strange, but I guess most of my customers trust me since they know I live close by, or I was referred to them by a friend of theirs). But I send them one anyway. I also make sure to follow-up with them long after their service has been completed. I could probably assume that everything is working well since they haven’t called me back. But I find the customers are delighted to hear back from me and it sometimes results in their “remembering” an additional reason to call me out for an unrelated issue.
The bottom line summary on my view of processes for computer consulting is that they should be:
Repeatable
Simple to follow
Non-Technical
Realistic (make sure you’ve done the activity a few times)
Flexible and Adaptable
CUSTOMER FOCUSED
How many fellow techs out there rely heavily on processes to run their business? Is there anyone that prefers not to use processes in favor of a more “organic” or “instinctive” approach? Let me know in the comments!
Related posts:
I’ve had similar process as yours worked out but I never did write them down. Part of the reason is that there would be slight differences depending on the customer — for example, if I have to visit a customer more than once, if the price – for whatever reason – is different, if I have to bring anybody else in to help with the job. I suppose, in that way, there was an instinctual feel to it. Whatever it was, I’d just work it out to the customer’s satisfaction.
I love that you mentioned following up. As you said, I’ve found that it’s a great way to get repeat business as well as keep your services on client’s minds in case they have friends who might need computer repair.
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Matthew Rodela
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July 27th, 2010 at 10:43 am
Hey Oleg!
One thing to remember about a good process is that it’s very high-level…it doesn’t get into the specific details of how you accomplish certain tasks, so if things change, that’s okay.
For me, it’s just a way to ensure consistency so that when I start taking on a lot of customers, or my work becomes more complicated, I’ll have a well defined process to follow each time.
And yes, following up with customers is such a simple, but often overlooked, concept that really makes a positive impact.
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I follow this type of checklist but now it’s automatic. I don’t have to keep track of each step because I’ve memorized it and it has become part of the everyday work. Detailed service checklists (like for virus removal, backups, or system reimage) are very useful too because you can check for things you may have simply forgotten to do in the process.
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Matthew Rodela
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July 28th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Hi Teknyka,
That’s great! And that’s the point of having a good process. It’s something that eventually becomes just part of your everyday work. But I think it’s important to start with that structure so you know how all the pieces fit together.
Great point about the service checklists as well.
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Um… checklists. Those are those things I keep meaning to make but never get around to actually making.
For example, with my writing I know that if I wrote out the process and actually followed it, my writing would improve.
I like how your process checklist helps to keep your work consistent. That’s very important in business.
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Matt,
Great post, yes a checklist/process is important. Hard to believe how many things fall thru the cracks when they are not documented properly. Glad to hear your business is growing.
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Matthew Rodela
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November 2nd, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Thanks Dan! Yeah, and with my memory, things tend to fall the the cracks fairly often if I don’t keep them in check!
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Hi Matt
Best thing I ever bought was a whiteboard, when busy working away on something and you have 20 or more jobs in and someone calls looking for an update your mind can go blank pretty quickly so a quick glance at the board and you know what stage the job is right away at instead of going into your system.
I started using Express Accounts a while back and it meets my needs as I can use the sales orders as a Customer Collection Receipt and when the job is finished I update it with the work carried out and convert it to an invoice, I use it to store customer info, trade prices on parts and so on, worth a look.
http://www.nchsoftware.com/accounting/index.html
I still need to nail down a process for resolving problems but in this game no two problems are usually the same although my post repair installations is made a bit easier with freenew.net. Customers love having free software they did not know about and everything I choose is silent installed so no annoying licience agreements or toolbar denials.
All the best and keep up the work on the site.
Mark
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