How to utilize my technician?s time?
 
Hi,

I run a small business doing mostly on-site computer services plus
some adjacent things like web design, web hosting, software
development etc. It is growing and I am ready to expand it. I am ready
to hire more computer technicians to do on-site computer services. The
biggest problem is how I can utilize their time between assignments.

I?ve tried to hire them part time ? does not work because then they
are always looking for some jobs on the side competing with me which
hurts my business, so I have to keep them busy full time (I know I 
can do all sorts of legal no competition agreements, but it is not
realistically enforceable).

I?ve tried to hire those who can do computer repairs / on site
services as well as something extra, for example doing programming or
web design. That does not work either because those who are very good
at computer maintenance are never as good in programming or web
design. Those who are very good programmers or web designers are never
good with computer support or maintenance. Although they do exist, who
are very good at computer software, hardware, maintenance, design and
development ? all in one, but they cost a fortune, more than my
clients can pay for a work of a technician.

I decided to hire or subcontract those who do a great web design and
never use them for computer services. I also do not try to find a
programmer who would also do hardware repairs. I hire computer
technicians who are very good at what they do, but now I cannot use
them to do anything related to web design or programming.

So the fundamental problem of my small business now is how to utilize
their time. This stops me from expanding the business.

If I have 2 or 3 clients a day per technician I need to find something
to fill their time with in between that makes money, even if it is
much less than retail price that we charge our customers for on-site
computer services.

I?ve tried to provide remote telephone support. It is a very hard sell
and requires incredible amount of advertising to get enough volume to
keep my technicians busy between their appointments, so that does not
work well for me.

If I do not utilize their time well, then I have to pay them a low
salary (to compensate lots of idle time) which prevents me from hiring
the best staff available.

Also it is very bad for the morale on the working place when I have to
invent some not-billable to clients no-profit tasks for them just to
keep them busy.

So, assuming I cannot use my technicians for web design or
programming, what can I use their idle time for?

For hardware technicians, it might be lucrative to buy in bulk
quantities of second-user machines (obtained when offices and
government depts upgrade dozens or hundreds of machiens at a time),
tidy them up and sell them on, particiularly if you have a local
student population who would use basic machines for word processing
and web browsing.

Owain

You might want to consider opening an account at some place like
www.ingenio.com. Let them "man" the phones for that in between
on-sites. Have them create an FAQ for your website--ones that deal
with issues that aren't worth charging an on-site visit. Have them
write articles for your website. After all...search engine
optimization is BIG business these days and having lots of
'puter-related articles on your web will bring more traffic.

Have you considered having them make "rounds" to your regular clients?
How many of them would actually use them if they just appeared once a
week? Like impulse buying, perhaps a trip to the client once a week
would cause more "purchases". To keep them from stealing your clients,
offer them half of any billing they get during these "rounds". After
all, it'd be icing, right?

Also, buy them golf shirts to wear to the client's site. Recognition
is a big thing. If they're seen wearing your logo, they'll be less
likely to show up at your client (as a competitor) without it, I
think, and it'll become more familiar not only to those that contract
you but to other employees at your clients' sites too.

Do you have a local "farmer's market"? We have one down the street.
They have a couple of stands that sell used computers, such as
described by owain's comment. So that could be an outlet for the
sales...just hire some geek 'puter whizkid to sell them on the
weekends.