Like a lot of technicians who decided to take the plunge and go to work for themselves, I thought that all I would be doing all day every day would be fixing computers. I didn’t see any need for having anything written out. I was a one-man band, and I was sure that I could figure out anything that would come along. For the things I couldn’t figure out, I’d just “wing it”.
And “winging it” worked…for the most part. Sure things would be a bit disorganized and hectic every now and again, and maybe I’d hesitate a little when a client would ask a question that would catch me off guard, but at the end of the day each job got done and my customers were happy and my business kept growing. That’s all that really matters, right?
As it turns out, I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Stuck in a Rut
After a while I noticed that business began to slow down. There just seemed to be this mysterious “something” that kept getting in the way of further business growth.
I was still getting customers, but growth seemed to have plateaued, and I couldn’t figure out why. The company was paying for itself, but I was making very little money. I just knew that there had to be “something” that I was missing. Some key piece of the puzzle that I just wasn’t seeing.
This missing piece had to be what was holding me back, and I was bound and determined to figure out what it was. This was my livelihood and my future that we’re talking about, after all.
In Search of the Missing Piece
I began to dig for the answers. I read article after article, blog post after blog post, scouring various forums and message boards to see if I could figure out what other business owners were doing that I wasn’t.
During my research I stumbled onto a post in a group run by ACRBO (Association for Computer Repair Business Owners). It was about books that every computer repair business owner should read. On that list was “The E Myth Revisited” by Michael E. Gerber, as well as three or four other books. I figured that if what I learn from these books can help me get just one new customer, they’ll have more than paid for themselves.
I won’t lie, “The E Myth Revisited” wasn’t the first of my new books that I decided to read, in fact it sat on my desk for a month or two before I got around to even flipping through the pages, but once I started reading, I just couldn’t stop. Everything resonated with me and my situation, it was almost as if the author was peaking to me directly.
Finally, the pieces all fell into place.
SOP to the Rescue
Looking back, one of the biggest mistakes that I made when starting my computer repair business all those years ago was not having a set of written procedures to follow.
You see, it turns out that each time I would hesitate with a client, every time I had to “figure out” a solution, even through the very act of “winging it”, I was wasting time. Sure it was my time to waste, but when you go to work for yourself you have to remember that time is money, and time wasted is money lost.
In order to stop wasting so much time (and money) I needed to actually work on my business and become more organized. A good place to start would be putting some simple policies and procedures into place.
I got started by writing down everything that I did in the shop, from how I would greet my customers to how I would solve the various problems they bring in for me to fix. Every scenario that I had experienced or that I could imagine being possible was written down. Before too long I was able to organize all of it into my very own Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and fill a three-ring binder with the results.
A customer asks a difficult question? There’s a policy or procedure for that. A computer comes through the door that looks like it might require a creative solution to fix properly? No worries, there’s a policy or procedure for that too. Now instead of “winging it” I could just refer to my SOP. No more second-guessing myself or being uncertain whether or not I handled a situation properly. It really was like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.
Reaping the Benefits
Ever since instituting a set of policies and procedures my time has been freed up so that I can actually focus on running and growing my computer business. With that extra focus, I have grown beyond being just a “one-man-band”, profits have increased, and everything is running like a well-oiled machine.
Looking back, it’s painfully obvious that not having written policies and procedures was seriously holding me and my business back.
Does your business have written standard operating procedures? Let me know why or why not in the comments.
Gabriel Haire says
I haven’t really thought to much about writing policies & procedures, the thought has crossed my mind but I guess I ignored it because I didn’t know where to start in the writing process or how to go about doing it. Where to begin? What to write? etc.
Tara Grey says
I feel similarly…
Matthew Rodela says
I would basically just start one item at a time. What are some of the most common repairs you do? Take those and write out the steps you take to fix the issue. Each time you encounter that issue, follow the procedure you wrote down and add to it when needed. It’s a little bit of work up-front, but it really improves the flow and efficiency of your day-to-day work. A bonus is eventually you’ll have a manual of operations that you can use when hiring employees or if you ever need to sell the business.
I’ll see if I can get Eric to write a follow-up about how to put together an operating manual for your business.
Eric K. Metzner says
Perhaps you could start by writing out your most common procedures – Virus removal, tune up, data recovery, etc. From there go on to write out a procedure for every one of your services.
drordi says
Policies & procedures sounds like something government or a large corporation requires. I don’t see the benefit for a one man show. My P&P book is the experience I have gathered over the years, and the variation in situations would be a challenge to cover in a large book that I would not bother consulting once written anyhow.
Matthew Rodela says
I find good written procedures help keep my work consistent and efficient. Even if you just write a checklist of the steps you take on some of your more common repairs, it does help, And eventually you may want to hire help or pass the business on to someone else, at which time written policies and procedures really are a life saver.
Eric K. Metzner says
Having written policies and procedures can help to keep you consistent in your work, your customers would definitely appreciate that.
Having written polices will also come in handy should you ever decide to expand being a one-person operation. Anyone that you bring into the fold can refer back to your policies and procedures.
Don’t let being a “one-man show” hold you back from creating a game plan. I wrote all of my Standard Operating Procedures back when it was still just me running the show. 😉
pav love says
You have to have some kind of form to be filled in when you take customer’s computer for repair. The form should reflect model, processor, memory etc. It is a good practice to have mini contract between tech and customer. I think, in most cases, it should be enough for one man show. However, I am for proper paperwork to be developed. If you consider it carefully, you are one man show, you have policies and procedures written with your logo and letter head on it. It will boost your confidence and psychologically you will feel more sort of serous, mature, sort of not like you are alone and small but that you are a company that provides certain services to the public. You will have respect of yourself and everything what you do. You yourself will raise standards of the service you provide. Presentation changes, attitude etc. It is similar when you have ID with picture on it, polo shirt with your company’s logo,techbag, especially if you use white label companies from time to time. It is a good thing for both parties to have and to feel that way. The more you respect created by you business the better service you provide. Customers feel and appreciate when you are confident. Just project yourself when you require certain service. When you see that person you speak to is confident, with good presentation skills you also feel that you can have business with him or her, and even may ready to pay a bit more for confident professional service. Psychology is a big thing.
Eric K. Metzner says
You raise some great points.
Every computer repair business should have some sort of standardized check-in form for their clients to fill out. It’s fairly simple to create your own, but if you’re looking for a good template, you might want to check out the Technibble Computer Business Kit.
Presentation counts for a lot as well. That’s another topic that you can create a SOP for; how you, or your employees present themselves to your clients. You could cover everything from a simple dress code to personal hygiene.