PC repairs and maintenance

The biggest help to me is the communication with the customer. You have to know when to break down the tech jargen. The worst thing to do is have a talk with your customer and at the end all they know is the big words you used. Not knowing how to prevent or how to detect problems in the future. This helps alot, but only talk about the specifics.
Another good 1 for me is to offer a simple intro class to any programs that I install to thier network, so all users will be familure with it.
The best thing is to show the services and then some for wht your getting paid for. Make them feel like they made out, but really you did.

When I had my shopping list for my first computer I viewed many vendors, reducing my short list to 5. Of those 5 vendors, 2 of them did not care to talk to me. They were Techs. Not business people. I phoned Micorn and begged for brochures from theirSales persons. They dumped me onto a clerk to xerox pages from a sales manual. Another vendor had a person on the phone who thought accomplishment was to get the customer off the phone with as little effort as possible. The last vendor, Gateway-Country Store, rolled out the carpet. Filled in the gaps. Agreed with my desire to wait after my first contact. And finally recommended changes to my shopping list to fit my overall computer package. Total purchase, over $2700.00, cash. And 4 vendors letthat fly right out the window.
If you are in business, remember that you NEED customers. Treat them as intelligent. I promise you that the average person knows when you are patronizing them, but they just do not reflect it. Tht is, until they do not call back.
When you do an install, repair, or addition to a computer, make the customer feel as though they are PART of the team. YOU apply yourself so that they want to call you back.
I know 4 vendors that I will never do business with. I know 1I will give first chance.
What are you going to do?

I have a friend who has Computer consulting business (recommend, sell, and service) and I help out a few friends. Be prepared for the "That stopped working after you touched it" line. As some of us know it may have been there before but you can't prove it one way or the other. The customers always RIGHT!!
I usually let it be known up front that I'm only here to see if I can fix it and take little or no compensation for it. So I can walk away. But my friend has told me many a story where the client mis stated the problem and he ended up spending alot more time then he planned and got paid less because of it.
Sorry to cast a dim light but it's better to be prepared. GOOD LUCK!!!!

Going into same line also, however I started while still working a full time job to learn the tricks. Others answers are important - also: I travel with a group of Utilities for t-shooting that I know well (my prime Norton System Works - choose whatever you like, but don't learn at the customers expense, know it and it's limitations before you use it on a customers machine), also OS's (NT, win95 a,b,c, Win98, WinME, and upgrade versions). I also keep a HD with the OS's loaded - system commander to select, and current Norton and MCAfee Anti-viruses: this allows AV checks on customers systems, data recovery, and eliminates their software or bad driver loads from causing system lock-ups and boot problems. Keep old parts i.e. 1 meg video cards - great for showing cust. what fixed prob, can also hold them over till bad item can be replaced, can't play games but at least they can read e-mail. Also old systems can be used to plug parts in to verfiy bad parts. And a good work bench in case it can't be fixed right away. My hourly rate is also the 1st 30 min on a house call - to cover gas and vehicle expense.
Make contracts - what you are and are not responsible for, not all customers will treat you as ethically as you treat them, but they are right.
Get A++ and MCSP's or MCSE to pick up small businesses.
Be straight up, if it's software you don't know - tell them, then explain the time involved in learning it to help them.

Good Luck, feel free to email me and we can swap warstories.

I also keep utilities on zip disks and use a portable zip drive in case there is a CD rom problem. It is also useful for that customer that still is running a 486 (getting rarer every day now). Good luck!

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