You just bought a sleek, speedy new computer direct from the manufacturer. You thought it would be easy to set it up, hook everything together and make all the software work. You were wrong.
When you worked for a corporation, you just asked the information systems department to send someone to help you. But now you’re on your own. What to do?
The rise in home-based businesses, many of them computer-reliant, has led to a new speciality: the computer doctor who makes house calls to help clients install, learn or customize software; clean up and organize their hard drives; hook up new devices; set up or repair hardware; advise on (and even negotiate) new hardware and software purchases. Any and all computer-related tasks.
Independent computer consulting is a rapidly growing field. According to the 1,600-member Independent Computer Consultants Association (ICCA), the numbers of consultants are increasing by 20 percent annually.
Although most work on-site for corporations or other businesses, many now also offer their services to the expanding market of home-based workers.
Chicago-based PC Tutors gets up to half its business from home computer users. Dan Behr and partners David Flinn and Walter Horn each have particular areas of speciality.
“People need help with day-to-day and unique business problems,” Behr says. “Frequently, software manuals give examples that don’t relate to those unique problems.”
Grant Hoover of Evanston-based Symphony Systems estimates that a third of his work is with home-based businesses. “People working at home shouldn’t have to make one of their office tools another whole career,” Hoover says. “That’s where I come in.”
Most of Hoover’s home-based clients are doing writing or editing, word processing, and graphic design/desktop publishing. He has also worked with a catering service that prepares meals in customers’ homes and for home-based architects and interior designers.
Gary Kravitz, a Macintosh consultant with Kracom Computer Services, estimates that 20 percent of his clients are home-based.
Much of what Kravitz deals with are problems caused by environmental factors such as dust, humidity and sunlight, and setting up and customizing software to meet users’ unique needs.
Among the home-based businesses Kravitz has worked with are a pet-sitting service, a catering company and an estate auctioneer.
Personalized, on-site service is especially important for the disabled computer user. Writer/editor Janice Feldstein, who has multiple sclerosis, called on PC Tutors a year ago when she needed to upgrade her equipment.
Behr helped her decide what to buy, set it up, did some custom keyboard programming and taught her to use special software. Because Feldstein has limited use of her hands, she needed to be able to perform simultaneous keystroke combinations one key at a time.
“For someone with disabilities, the computer is a lifeline, because you’re so isolated,” Feldstein says. “But you really need someone to guide you. The expenditure of time to figure things out yourself takes away from the paying work.”
Feldstein also found the individual attention crucial in deciding what to buy. “We’re inundated with information about equipment. You can buy so much more capability than you really need. You need someone with the technical know-how to help you choose.” She is now considering a voice-activated system, and Behr is researching her options.
One-on-one training is another popular service. Brett Knobel, owner of Brett’s Restaurant in Chicago’s Roscoe Village neighborhood, uses her home computer to produce menus, do accounting and maintain a customer database. She tried taking classes, but found them a waste of time.
“They just don’t address the issues you need to personalize for your own business. I needed my computer customized, and I needed Dan to teach me.”
How do you find a qualified computer consultant? PC Tutors still advertises in the Reader, but now gets most of its business through referrals. Much of Symphony Systems’ and Kracom’s new business also comes from referrals.
Some consultants advertise in small-business publications and belong to chambers of commerce. Local computer users’ groups can sometimes be a source of names.
If you can’t get a personal referral, ask a consultant for client references. You may also want to find someone with experience in your type of work.
“What a lot of people look for in consultants is not just their computer ability, but specific business knowledge,” says Jennifer Dees, editor and publisher of Mac Chicago.
ICCA’s national office at 800-774-4222 will give callers the names of ICCA consultants (mainly PC, some Mac) in their area. The 73-member Chicago chapter also offers a BBS (online bulletin board) and a telephone hotline (800-779-8911 or 708-825-4910) where end-users can ask for help. The local chapter publishes a membership directory that is free to prospective clients.
According to Debbi Handler, president of Data Access Solutions in Buffalo Grove and vice president of the local ICCA chapter, a very high percentage of ICCA consultants are working today. That means responses to requests for help might be slow. “But in an urgent situation we’ll put forth extra effort to find someone for them.”
What should you expect to pay a computer doc? Fees are negotiable, and can be by the hour or per job. The ICCA says rates in the Midwest range from $45 to $125 an hour, with discounts for large jobs. ICCA publishes a brochure for its members to give to prospective clients to guide them through the process.
PC Tutors charges $40 per hour with a two-hour minimum and a $10 travel charge for house calls. They require payment at the time of service. Symphony Systems charges $70 an hour and offers one free hour of initial analysis. There is no minimum or travel charge, and Hoover bills for services. Kracom charges $60 an hour, with no minimum or travel charges.
Kravitz also bills for phone time, but saves up short trips or conversations and bills them all at once. Be sure to discuss rates, fees and billing methods in advance.
If you use a consultant to advise you on equipment purchases, ask whether they have any relationships with specific manufacturers or dealers. ICCA’s code of ethics requires its members to reveal this information upfront. PC Tutors leases equipment, but does not represent any vendors or dealers.
Kracom and Symphony Systems both adhere to the same policy.
