That's a lot of questions, but here's my take on them.
- With me being the owner / operator and solo employee, how can I set the clients expectation so that they're not under the false impression that my service is a fully staffed "help desk" that can handle a large call volume?
Honestly, in our 6 years of being in business this has never been a problem. Most small business want to work with other small businesses, so they normally get the limitations. They don't want to be a number in some large businesses database. If they do, then just move on, they will never be a client.
- I'm sure there will be times that I will not be available either for helping other clients or because it's after my business hours. How can I counter clients who have emergency requests in these scenarios?
For after hours try to be available but charge more, way more. The truly critical issues will get you a nice bonus and the not so critical will naturally be willing to wait. If it's just because you are busy, you need to prioritize jobs. If you're tuning up a PC and someones server goes belly up, that's gotta take priority. Most people understand this.
- Do you know of a computer repair service that offers remote technical support that you can recommend partnering with to refer emergency and after hours clients to?
There are several, that's called a white label helpdesk. Try searching the forums, there are several threads about them.
- What's a safe number of client issues to take at one time, or what worked for you?
That's impossible to answer. It depends entirely on what kinda of services you are offering. We have just shy of 200 clients right now, and I'm really the only tech. I have support staff to handle the non technical stuff, so that does take the pressure off.
- How much time do you recommend leaving in between each client so that client appointments are not conflicting?
Another one that really depends on the situation. Obviously you want to leave more buffer time with a remote E-mail migration then you do with just a tune-up. It's also worth noting that working remotely can allow you to work on several machines at once.
- What are the most difficult computer repairs you've performed remotely?
Besides the obvious ones with hardware failures I would say "slow" systems because it's so objective. I can't count the number of times a "slow system" was just a webpage on a slow web server. Clients can't tell the difference (any that's ok, we are the experts) between slow systems and slow internet.
- What rate are small businesses willing to pay for this type of service?
This depends entirely on your area of service. We are in a pretty well off area and hence charge more then most here on the forum. Our prices are based off what others in the area charge for similar services.
Some other observations.
Ignoring MSP service is a HUGE mistake. I know it seems like it may be a lot to take on, but honestly a well maintained system hardly ever needs major service. Plus that recurring revenue will really help even out the peaks and valleys of this industry. There were months when we first started out that the MSP income was literally the only thing keeping the doors open.
@callthatgirl here on the forums wrote an E-book about providing remote support. It's been a while since I've read it, but I'd suggest you check it out. I think she still sells it.
Try to get prepayment if possible. Remote support can sometimes seem less tangible and people sometimes refuse to pay up after the fact. callthatgirl suggests blocks of time IIRC, we don't go that route but it might work for you.
Finally, don't cheap out on your support tool. Our worst review we ever got was caused almost entirely be an unstable remote connection that did nothing but frustrate us and the client. Now we use ScreenConnect and it's been a really boon.
EDIT: One more thing, get a good billing platform. The more time you spend invoicing people, the less time you have to be doing billable work.
