This is something that comes up just about every day, even if it isn’t around me, there’s no doubt that this topic is one that doesn’t really cease to exist. Is it really necessary to obtain certifications in order to have your own computer repair business?

The answer is no, it’s not a requirement persay.

In fact, about 40% of computer repair companies lack having any certifications or techs that have all of the most common IT certifications. You can start out without having any type of IT certification, there’s definitely not a law against it.

Would it be wise to get the certifications even though it’s not a requirement?

Well, this honestly depends upon how much money you can shell out for the necessary training and exams. If you need to make more money before you can shed out a lot of money obtaining IT certs, you should just make sure that you’re legally covered as far as insurance and go from there.

It takes time for one to get to the point where they can spend over a thousand dollars to get IT certifications. Not everyone has this much money floating around and there are actually quite a bit of computer repair businesses that got their start without any type of IT certification.

What is the purpose of IT certifications?

Well, basically the point of them is to show that you have master numerous aspects of products that utilize the latest in IT. If you want to get a job at Dell, having certifications that are recognized by the industry would make you stand out more than the techs that lack them.

You can also use these when a lot of your competition lacks any IT certification. Doing this is pretty simple, just make your customers aware of the ones you have and why they’re important to have for a tech, and that a lot of the other companies don’t take the time to learn and take the needed tests.

IT Certifications Conclusion

It’s all about what you have to work with and what you need to do in order to take your computer repair business to the next level. I’m not going to say never get IT certifications, and then again I’m not going to tell you to break open the piggy bank and run to the exam with all of your change. This is pretty much all on you now.

One thing that I have noticed a lot of computer repair companys here local to where I’m located at fail to realize is just how much a support ticket system can help them out. Personally, I have been using support tickets for years as I have always been deep into the web hosting industry.

However, those who aren’t aware of the opportunity might not even realize what exactly a support ticket is. I bet just about all of you who are reading this knows all about support tickets, so I’m just going to list some of the benefits of using it for your computer repair company.

Support Tickets Document Problems & Troubleshooting Attempts

Even if you’re just a one-person operation, the helpfulness of this will help you just the same as it would if you were a big corporation employing hundreds of techs. By documenting the customer’s issue as well as the steps taken to see what’s wrong, you will have a visual diagram to mull over which thinking of what else could be causing the problem.

This also helps you when a customer tries to say that you said something you really didn’t. The more documentation of customer interaction that you have, the better. It’s just the way that this world works. Prove what you can prove, and what you can only say will be ignored.

Support Tickets Offer Customers A Way of Reaching You Besides By Phone

Let’s face the reality of this cruel world that we live in. We all waste time when people want to keep talking with us endlessly over the phone. By having a support ticket system, you can pry yourself away from working the phones when you need to. WITHOUT having to worry that your customer will go unanswered. The hardest part of this is teaching the ones who don’t know about submitting tickets how to actually submit them.

The rest of the benefits can go on for days…

Such as time logging, archiving, having tickets sent to your email, and the many other benefits that support ticket systems provides its users with. Dependant upon which one you choose, you can rest assured that there will be more than enough tools on your side to help you make your computer repair business more efficient.

Hopefully, this helped you understand that even the smallest piece of software could change the way that your computer repair company is organized, thus allowing you those extra free moments that you need to help maintain your sanity throughout the day. Much better than gluing a phone to your ear, isn’t it?

When it comes to using Linux, many new users fail to realize that the mistakes they make could be what’s causing their annoying moments. With that said, I have outlined the top ten commonly made mistakes that users face with Linux.

1. Neglecting Updates
   When it comes to having the latest updates for any computer, not all users choose to perform them as regularly as they should. This isn’t a Microsoft operating system folks, an update is highly unlikely to cause serious problems for a computer that runs on the Linux operating system.
2. Not Knowing The Pager Is Their Friend
   The pager is a useful feature on Linux for those who know how to use it to their advantage. However, many beginners will often lose their windows from the desktop forever, simply because they are simply unaware that the Pager is trying to work on their side if it would just let them. Help any new Linux user know about this feature and how they can use it to save headache that once existed.
3. Being Scared To Give Orders
   All of us techs know that command lines can save us a lot of time when performing certain tasks as well as trying to find answers to our questions. If one isn’t comfortable with their computer, they will become quite scared of what seems like the easiest command lines for us to use. For your customers who don’t know the basic command lines of Linux, create them a quick “cheat sheet,” and they will quickly become loyal customers.
4. Unable To Locate Software
   Many beginners who are used to using Windows as an operating system, they get the misconception that the software offerings should be the same. We all know this isn’t true, so it’s strongly recommended that you get them to utilize a tool such as the Ubuntu Software Center. Turn them onto a such advantage and they will have no more problems when it comes to getting the software that they need, when they need it.
5. Choosing The Wrong Linux OS
   As we know, Linux releases such as Slackware can be quite complicated for a Linux newbie to master. The most popular choice currently seems to be simple Linux releases such as Ubuntu. Make sure when someone is switching, that they know the advantages and disadvantage of the various offerings.
6. Quits Too Easily
   Most newer Linux users simply don’t want to take their time to become accustomed to the different environment it puts their computer in. They want it to be as simple as possible, but they simply haven’t taken the time to use Linux correctly. If they did, they wouldn’t quit and load up Windows, and that’s the truth!

As techs, we all know just how bad things can get when data is lost and there wasn’t a backup made. However, many people seem to not understand how critical having a plan for backups really is. This is where educating the consumer can come in quite handy for both of you.

Backup Options

There are many ways that a user can protect their data from being lost due to something happening which resulted in either corrupted data or a complete loss of data that was once stored on the particular computer. From external hard drives to online backup solutions, this particular risk has gained quite a lot of attention which has resulted in a vast array of safe, yet effective backup options.

Why should you educated the consumer about having backups at hand?

Well, not only would it save you a lot of frustration in the long run when the customer is looking towards you for a solution that will put an end to the problems caused by an unpredicted loss of critical data, but you can also make money at the same time.

Think about it, sure you have online backup services like Mozy, Carbonite, Dropbox, etc., but think about the extra cash you could rake in if you offer a white label backup solution which is branded by your company name. Odds are your customers will come to you before they look at someone else to fulfill their growing demands for effective backup solutions.

What To Point Out

When it comes to giving your customer a reality check about not protecting their data from corruption or loss, try to throw some of these facts at them. Odds are, after you do, they will give in and show an interest in obtaining some sort of computer backup service.

• Your hard drive can go out at any time, making you lose all of your precious data stored on your PC.
• The operating system of a computer isn’t the most reliable thing in the world. In fact, OS problems could result in a loss of data rather quickly.
• If you let others use your computer, they can easily delete important data that you still need to have. If you don’t have a backup, it may end up lost forever.

As you can see, not only does having a backup server on a customer’s side save you a lot of headache in the long run, but it can also increase your residual income if you decide to go with a white label online backup solution.

If you’re like used to be, you probably don’t have much luck when it comes to preserving the life of your laptop battery.

However, the continued aggravation of experiencing laptop battery failure in the middle of working put my nerves over the edge and I knew I had to find an effective solution that would put this to a much needed stop before I had to check into the mental hospital.

With that said, here’s some things that you can do in order to help make your laptop battery have a longer lifespan.

Heat Kills

Laptops are designed to be maintained at room temperature. Therefore, leaving the laptop in the car on a hot summer day could be the death of it. Especially for the laptop battery. Over time, the battery life is depleted when exposed to heat.

Clean The Connectors

You can use a q-tip to clean these connectors. Keeping the laptop battery connections clean will help it function more efficiently. Providing you with a longer battery life than a laptop battery that has a bunch of gunk in the connectors.

Maybe you’re using the wrong laptop?

The size of your laptop can play a very big part on how well your battery performs. Lighter and smaller laptops actually have batteries that contain a longer lifespand than the others which are heavy and bulky.

A Moist Atmosphere Could Mean The End

No matter what, you shouldn’t ever expose your laptop to damp conditions. They were designed to remain dry around the clock. Damp conditions not only could kill your laptop battery, but it could make your laptop stop functioning completely.

A Simple Process, A Need To Be Done Regularly

This simple process is running your battery all the way down until it powers off your computer. Once you have done that, plug it in and charge it until it reaches its maximum capacity. Doing this every couple of weeks will help you prolong how long your laptop battery is going to live.

Many times, people fail to understand how easy it is to promote a long and healthy life for their laptop battery. Trust me, I used to be one of them myself. However, now that you have the needed steps to preserving your laptop battery, hopefully you are on your way to a laptop battery that’s going to stop aggravating you every time that you turn around.