Remote repair marketing

[MSgherzi]

For those of you who own and operate your entire business or part of it toward remote PC repair/support, what have you found to be the best way to advertise/market your remote portion of the business?

I have a on-site PC repair business turning 5 years old in November, and am seriously considering (and have been) getting into the remote support business. I can think of things like Facebook advertisement, Google ads, etc., but I'm curious what has worked best for those who have already done it.


Thanks.

 

[Kitten Kong]

Best to have a chat with Lisa Call that girl. Or better still, purchase her remote ebook. Has all the details you would ever need inside it

 

[Instant Housecall - Corey]

I can think of things like Facebook advertisement, Google ads, etc., but I'm curious what has worked best for those who have already done it.

Online advertising for remote is tough. There are a few techs who can pull off a remote-only business with Adwords, but they're the exception rather than the rule.

Here are a few traits of businesses that do well with remote that I've noticed:

1. They sell to businesses. For businesses, time is money. Once you have a good book of businesses who know you can do remote work, they'll demand remote time and again - it costs more for them to wait for a tech in labor cost alone, so remote is a big value-add.
2. They meet people in person. It's tempting, especially with remote, to be a "virtual" company. I've always seen better results from people who you've met. When you do an on-site repair, tell your customer that you do remote ("for big and small problems, questions, or even help with MS Word") and install a calling card on their desktop. You can also give out a copy of the remote tool on a USB key that's branded with your logo and give it to customers as swag.
3. Offer free estimates for remote. One of the big advantages of remote is that your time commitment is low -- use that to your advantage. Use an offer of free estimates as a selling tool and a confidence builder. It encourages people to call you for 30 minute jobs that they may not otherwise bother with, or would just be cost prohibitive if you had to come on-site.
4. Specialize. Some of the most successful remote businesses I've seen work in a very specific industry. I have one customer who only does woodworking shops, another only dental offices. They both do extremely well, and I think it's because they're so trusted within the woodworking community (for example) that they become "the go to guy".

If you want, send me an e-mail directly. I have a newsletter that we sent out to our customers some time back with Marketing Ideas for Techs that I can send to you.

 

[callthatgirl]

Since you are already up and running, I would learn remote support and then change your interview process with incoming calls. I used to be a one woman show and almost every call I took in had to be remote support almost because it was just me. As my company outgrew me, the calls changed to be more onsite or drop off at our stores, so now our remote support volume is down for the calls/requests, but still very active as we now have many business clients who use us for their live helpdesk. We also use remote support to help each other now and support our implemenation/migration projects.

I think it's the one thing that any struggling repair shop or a shop that is looking to expand should learn.

Thanks for the ping Nige, I appreciate it.

How can you learn remote support without buying my remote book? You should start with testing software and practicing repairs. My remote book is a fully detailed book on how to add it as a service too with more information. Practice is a great way to see if you even like it. Not everyone does

Lisa