The modern world is entirely dependent on computers. While there’s been a definite shift in recent years away from traditional desktop machines and laptops, and towards phones and other handheld devices, the demand for silicon has never been greater. Since computers, like every other machine, are prone to breaking down occasionally, there’s always going to be demand for skilled professionals who know how to correct these problems.
As such, getting into the PC repair business can often provide a reliable source of income for those who know what they’re doing. But how does one get started with repairing PCs for a living? Let’s take a look.
Get Qualified
You don’t need any special qualifications to start trading as a PC repair-person. With that said, a little formal training does help. CompTIA and other bodies provide courses on a range of PC engineering subjects. But most of the problems you’ll encounter will be familiar after a few months on the job. If you already have professional experience repairing PCs, then you should be good to start trading under your own name.
Invest in components
To carry out repairs swiftly, you’ll want to be able to call upon a range of components for a quick swap. If you’re skilled in electronics engineering and soldering, you might even be able to replace individual parts of a component, like the bridge rectifier in a PSU. Such components can be found on reputable electronics sites like RS components.
Know how much to Charge
Do a little bit of research into the local competition to see what the going rate is for PC repair. Don’t price yourself too aggressively, as you’ll struggle to make the business viable, especially when you have relatively few customers coming in. You’re going to be building your business slowly, and mostly through positive reviews on social media and word of mouth. There’s no point in undercutting everyone else if it means that you can’t operate on a sustainable basis.
Don’t neglect Marketing
For every hour you spend actually doing the job, you’re going to need to spend at least a few minutes promoting your services – and ideally, a little bit more. Take advantage of a range of marketing avenues until you come upon the combination that works best for you. You should try to work in a little face-to-face time, too: if you’re comfortable meeting people at conferences and door-to-door, you may find that your customers are more likely to pick up the phone after you’ve made that initial contact.
Dress Up
While to begin with you’ll largely be working for friends and family, when your reach grows to strangers, you’ll want to look into branding, and that means uniforms. Research shows that dressing properly will make a favourable impression on your clients, and thus make them that much more likely to pick up the phone when things go wrong the next time.