SupportSpace Corporate Blog

Running an Online Tech Business from Home

I have just read a great article written by Eric Holmlund all about online businesses and if it’s the right thing for you.

Eric takes an honest approach by saying that although there are hundreds of posts out there telling you how easy it is to run an online business, it is in fact, hard work. He lists in his post a few main points to consider, such as set-up costs, time involved and willingness to commit to marketing.

“The fact is that it takes hard work to build a business, and there are certain abilities that will greatly increase your chances of success.” He continues by saying that in order to run an online tech support business, “You DON’T need to be a computer expert, but you must be comfortable with computers and willing to learn.”

SupportSpace experts benefit from the marketing efforts made by SupportSpace, some of which are listed in this post, while still being able to promote themselves individually, as each one has a designated online store (web page). These can be promoted using the various web 2.0 sites, craigslist and more, like our own Don Brown, who wrote this post about the advantages of working flexible hours from home.

SupportSpace experts are tech-savvy individuals who range from Microsoft MVPs to knowledgeable, self-taught individuals, and tech generalists and specialists in the widest range of products you can imagine.
SupportSpace experts are gurus, computer lovers, authors of technical books, self-taught techies or well-schooled computer science types.

But all SupportSpace experts have a few more things in common.
1. They care about what they do and really enjoy helping others
2. They are knowledgeable about the technologies they support
3. They are passionate about being part of a Support community and realize it is part of their responsibility to help us continually improve our service
4. They care very much about the customers' experience.

If you feel that this applies to you and that you would like to join our extensive community of tech experts, click here to start the certification process and we look forward to seeing you at SupportSpace soon. We think that this article pretty much sums it all up. According to Tom Harnish of “Undress4Success and as the title suggests, “SupportSpace is the Standout Employer for Work at Home Techs”.

SupportSpace is the Standout Employer for Work at Home Techs

So says Tom Harnish, creator of Undress4Success, the Work from Home website and author of several books on the subject.

I don’t want to talk too much as the article is self explanatory, but Tom does say,

“SupportSpace is the standout employer for work at home techs, from our research. Their business model has attracted the venture capital community, and their online approach is unique".

In the article he highlights the services that SupportSpace offers their tech experts by mentioning that “Another nice aspect of remote tech support work is that you don’t need any special equipment or tools. SupportSpace provides online diagnostic tools, and if you’re a geek, you already have everything else you’ll need.”

You too can join the SupportSpace expert community “if you’re an exceptional techie, and can make a disappointed customer with a fried hard-drive thrilled they called you. A college degree isn’t required, but you do have to be at least 18.”

All SupportSpace experts go through a special certification process, click here to register and start our expert certification.

Tom also mentions that this post on the undress4success blog is a condensed version of what will be included in his new book, Undress for Success: The Naked Truth about Making Money from Home, expected to be released in early 2009.

We can’t wait!

SupportSpace Customers Can Publish Testimonials and Feedback

What a fantastic opportunity to thank your expert in person and to let all our other customers know about the great service you experienced at SupportSpace! Yes, you guessed it; we’ve introduced a new Testimonials page to our site.

So next time your expert gives you outstanding service, please feel free to write a testimonial either through the feedback page or by using the testimonials link which can be found at the bottom of the homepage.

We love hearing your feedback, which remember is 100% unedited, as it helps us to know how you feel about our service. All testimonials are thoroughly checked to ensure that they come from completely genuine customers who really have run a session. Our experts enjoy reading the comments written by their customers and added automatically to their individual store profiles allowing potential customers to read what you think about them.

Our experts always try to go that extra mile and appreciate being given a “pat on the back” as seen by our latest testimonial written for SupportSpace expert Joseph McCluskey:

“R u kidding me! First, I couldn't believe that I was talking 2 a real person. Secondly, he really knew his stuff. He helped me straighten out not only my main problem but other things as well. I will definitely become a member and use his services again! Thanks for everything.”
Kassey Nall

So, many thanks to those of you who have already written to us with your feedback and we look forward to receiving more comments in the future. We will be posting your testimonials on our Facebook Fan Page as well as on the testimonial page on our site and from time to time, will write brief posts on our blog.

In the meantime, have fun with our experts…..…just let us know about it!!

New and Improved Tools for Experts

We thought it was about time to introduce you to the latest goods on offer to help you promote your store on SupportSpace. As ever, you, the expert, are in our minds and we have created more fun and interesting ideas for you to enjoy.

BUSINESS CARDS

We have designed the most amazing Biz-cards for you.  We used Zazzle and uploaded four different templates which you can see above. You will notice that you can buy the card of your choice, rate, share with your friends and more.

The widget above shows the 4 designs for you to choose from, all mentioning you as a certified SupportSpace expert. Obviously you have the option to fill in your personal details and can order them in packs of 100s. We would recommend that you hand them out to all your friends and customers.

Experts that wish to print the cards on their own, here are the PSD files for you to use:

Download Expert_biz_card_black.zip

Download Expert_biz_card_blue.zip

Download Expert_biz_card_certification.zip

Download Expert_biz_card_images.zip

E-CARDS

We have written an e-card for you to send to all your nearest and dearest, click here to Download eCard.msg . This card is a ready-to-send Outlook template which we recommend be sent as an introduction to the services you provide. Feel free to edit and add your areas of expertise and store URL. If you would like a printed version, it can be found in our Fan store at a cost of 0.75 per postcard and they come in packs of 8.

MERCHANDISE

As you may remember reading in an earlier blog post, we have introduced a wide range of SupportSpace merchandise to be found here. Most recently, we have added a couple of sure-fire winners for you!! These include the newly designed “SupportSpace certified expert” Golf Shirt and these cute stickers saying “My Expert Saved the Day”. At $2.99 they are the perfect give away to let your customers know that you appreciate their business and for them to keep you in mind next time they need help.

CONTACT ME WIDGET

Lastly, don’t forget to use your “Contact Me” button. In order to do this, you need to go to My Place and click on Invite a Friend. You will see on the bottom left of the screen “Spread the Word” with a code in a box underneath. You need to copy the code and embed it to your blog or e-mail signature. The Contact Me button will appear and each time your customers click it, they will be directed to your store.

We hope you take advantage of these ideas and if you have any of your own that you would like us to consider, feel free to post your comments and requests.

SupportSpace Expert True story

Bridget, also known on SupportSpace as MommyKnowsDesk, is the perfect example of how good an expert can be. Mixing talent, service, professionalism and technical skills with a good spirit.  We are of course very proud to have Bridget with us and we recommend any of you who have a difficult situation to resolve to try and contact Bridget for either consultation or forwarding cases. And....on the top of this, she has such a great sense of humor! Read below a letter from Bridget and then you’ll see why customers are so happy with her!

Consider the Client by MommyKnowsDesk

I came to computer support from years in the restaurant business, where it was all about serving the customer. In many ways technical support and waiting tables are similar, except in the following way: If any of you have ever worked as a waiter or bartender you will know the old adage that the customer is always right. While in computer support, the very nature of it, the customer is always wrong!! Yet their needs remain the same as far as service goes.

I always bear in mind that we all started out as novice users at the very beginning. That an expert ascends to a deep understanding and development of skills sets often creates disdain for the general plain user population. Like a math teacher having to explain such basic concepts as 2 and 2 equal 4. It can be frustrating to go all the way back to the basics so much of the time.

My empathy has always been with the user. I remember how scared I was with my first PC, how bewildered. I can recall simply turning off the machine in a complete panic, many times, and praying the thing didn’t blow up or something. We should all remember that it takes a lot of guts to call for help while feeling stupid. This is an aspect I run into a lot: The user feels so stupid and embarrassed at their lack of knowledge. Therein lies the answer to good customer support: Always be reassuring. Let them off the hook and praise them when they get it right. Their appreciation will lead them back to you every time.

The single most important and hardest thing to have is patience. It can sometimes take 30 minutes just to help them find the start button! Yet it is so very hard to maintain your even keel when confronted with a hopelessly inept computer user. I guess it takes practice but if patience and understanding can be maintained the rewards of thrilled and delighted customers, that have actually learned something in the process, is very rewarding.

The computer is just a tool, the best tool ever but still a tool. It is not necessary to know all the ins and outs of it, the concepts or configuration of it, to use the tool effectively. This is another thing I tell my clients and it is another way to help them relax and gain confidence.

The bottom line is that while it can be very hard to help sometimes it is what we are here for. If everyone knew how to use and work a computer we’d be out of a job!

To contact MommyKnowsDesk, click here. She can help with:

Firefox, Internet explorer, Microsoft Word, Office, Powerpoint, Outlook, Outlook Express, Internet Support, Laptop Support, Home Entertainment, Software Installation, Visual Basic, Windows XP, Vista, iPod, iTunes, Printer issues, Blackberry, Audio Player, Broadband and many more.

SupportSpace – Work full time or part time and maximize your potential

h mBy Don Brown, SupportSpace expert.

First, welcome and congrats on getting started! Be sure to ask for help if needed as this is great community and everyone is helpful.

To give a general answer about income potential, I'll repeat some of what has been mentioned before: A lot really depends on how dedicated and creative you are in terms of marketing yourself and the SupportSpace concept.

Looking at other expert case numbers you can see that some experts get terrific traffic and probably many repeat customers. I guarantee that they are not just "passively" waiting for customers to connect. They are proactively seeking new business. It’s hard to know if anyone is doing this as true FULL TIME or not. I suspect most do it on the side for the experience and / or for supplemental income.

Marketing yourself takes all shapes and forms and getting started can be quite easy.... You might be very surprised how well social networking can work for you. Be sure to tell ALL of your family and ALL of your friends about SupportSpace. Repeat the SupportSpace brand name to them. Make sure they get the concept and show your enthusiasm. Go to your local print shop and have some business cards created with YOUR SupportSpace URL.

So when you are at your next dinner party, etc. - now you've got something cool to talk about. Be sure to reinforce the "brand" of SupportSpace. Don't just say that you've got this "online support thing" going on... talk specifically about SupportSpace and how it works. In my experience, there is almost always immediate interest. Some will be interested enough to ask for more information (hand out those cards!) and SOME of those will become your first "direct marketing" customers! Ask about specific issues they may have had recently. How did it affect them? Was it resolved? What did they do to resolve it? How long did it take? What did it cost? Now let them know how SupportSpace can work for them. Tell them how you could have solved it online for them. Discuss your service guarantee, and your ability to consult with other experts. Make sure you discuss the widget features available to experts and how they can help you resolve issues. Discuss the overall VALUE of what that SupportSpace service would be for them. Let them know what your current rate is. I think this does a couple things:

1) It lets people know that you are part of something new, part of something potentially very big. It also helps people better understand how SupportSpace works.

2) The majority of your potential customers will also feel some excitement at being part of something new and interesting. They WANT better support and they truly need people like you to better solve problems and they will want to be a part of this.

Important: Welcome every customer to the SupportSpace experience and thank EVERY customer as you finish up your sessions. Thank them for choosing SupportSpace and remind them to tell everyone that THEY know about SupportSpace. Have them bookmark your page. Your 1st level "direct marketing" customers will soon expand into an "indirect" 2nd level and so on. Now you have some real momentum going and your customer list will build. Best part? Your "cost" was some biz cards and some interesting conversation you probably wanted to have any way! Of course, you can then expand your marketing with free and paid ads, a web site, promotions at school or work, flyers at local business parks (with permission of course), join (and speak or present at) local small business events and chamber of commerce, and so on.

Back to your initial question: I think that if you are effective with your social marketing campaign(s), you will be pretty pleased at the income you can generate. Personally, I still own and operate a conventional consulting company but have the occasional slow day or a string of slow days... These are the times I like to put in as much SupportSpace time as possible. I also use this time to do general office work, marketing work, invoicing, emails, etc. in between support sessions.

Of course nothing comes free, and your real cost is your TIME. You will spend time at your desk waiting for, and helping customers. (You should only sign on when you truly can commit to taking customer calls of course) Be prepared to stay at or near your computer. Take breaks of course (important) but treat the time seriously.

Also realize that most customers come to you only if / when they have an issue. Be patient. If you have done your job letting them know what SupportSpace is about and that you will be there for them, they will contact you when you are most needed. You want your SupportSpace page to be the first thing they think of when they have a question. As an alternative, try promoting yourself as a distance instructor! You can give remote lessons on an application, file management, basic tutorials and the like. You might be able to win over some first time customers this way and they will return to you when they have a real problem.

By the way and in case you're wondering - I need to take my own advice as well! For many years if someone asked what I was up to, I would pretty much gloss over it - feeling I could not specifically relate what I do in my consulting to a non-technical group. This is different. I (we all) need to remember that the SupportSpace concept of support is something that just about everyone can relate to! So talk it up! Get people excited!

Best of luck!
Don