A Soloist's Nightmare

Independent contractors often can't diagnose their own computer ills. And a sick system can leave a soloist's business on life support.

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Managing Technology

Beverly Samaniego was in a stone-cold panic. "I couldn't sleep. I was sick to my stomach," says Samaniego, who runs a nurse-education consulting company out of her home in Elk Grove, Calif.

The cause of her distress? Losing all the data on her brand-new handheld. One day this past April, Samaniego had spent five hours loading customer information into the database on her handheld with the help of the software vendor's support person, who was located 3,000 miles away. Then the system crashed -- leaving a string of indecipherable error messages in its wake. It was almost more than Samaniego could bear.

Computer problems are no fun for anyone anytime. But when they strike a sole proprietor or a two- or three-person operation, PC woes can threaten the very existence of the business. Most soloists assume that they are too small to get the attention of a "real" com- puter consultant -- and most don't have the budget for in-house tech support. Soloists have traditionally relied on phone support provided by their vendors -- which can be spotty at best -- and on friends and family. Once the warranty runs out, vendors charge hefty fees for support, even if in the end they aren't able to solve the problem. Long waits on hold can dissolve into finger-pointing. But take heart: there are better ways for soloists and small companies to get the support they need.

Systems integrators and other computer consulting companies have long done their work at the office buildings of their Fortune 500 clients. But independent contractors have usually had to schlepp broken machines to computer-repair shops; house calls were unheard of. Until recently, that is. The boom in home-based work has resulted in a new crop of consulting businesses that provide IT support -- including house calls -- to independent contractors and other small companies. The businesses provide a range of on-site services, from repairing broken machines to providing software fixes, networking advice, and even application training. The hourly rates for such services range from about $70 to $130. Some companies, such as Virtex Networks of Atlanta, provide subscription IT services that can run upwards of $100 per person per month.

Cyber hand-holding
During the past few years, Anita Bailey, principal at Bailey Marketing Communications, in Nashville, has noticed a huge jump in the number of companies that offer on-site computer services. "The landscape for computer resources in my city has changed simply because there are more independent business owners that need support these days," she says.

Many of the new companies, such as PC on Call and SOHO Computer Pros, are more focused on the needs of small-business owners than their larger counterparts have ever been. Case in point: My Home Tech of Rancho Cordova, Calif. According to founder and co-owner Darren Hans Bobella, the eight-person start-up handles any type of computer hardware or software problem at any location (at the client's home or office or at My Home Tech's facilities). Bobella maintains that although large IT-services companies are reluctant to visit home offices, his company isn't. "Your typical small-business owner is working like a dog. It's a 24-hour job for them. They have IT needs just like a big company," he says. My Home Tech offers its services seven days a week, until 8 p.m. most nights. The company hands out its emergency phone number to repeat customers and offers them round-the-clock service. And it provides something many soloists need but never get: one-on-one instruction.

In essence, companies like Bobella's are designed to hold the hands of small-business owners who typically don't know where to turn for affordable technology assistance. For fees ranging from $40 for one-shot deals, like installing a hard drive, to $70 an hour for diagnoses and advice, My Home Tech professionals accompany owners on computer shopping trips, act as consumer advocates when equipment fails, and sketch out technology road maps.

In her desperation last April, Beverly Samaniego contacted My Home Tech, which had recently been profiled in the business section of the Sacramento Bee. She reached Bobella, who pledged to come to her house early the next morning to straighten out the problems. Samaniego was thrilled. Previously, when she had experienced a problem with her Mac or her PC, she had had to unplug the offending component and take it into a local computer-repair shop. The idea of having someone come to her was a "total joy," she says.

The next day Bobella determined that Samaniego needed to install a single computer platform and blend her three customer databases into one. "He told me I was working harder than I needed to because my equipment wasn't networked," she says. Together, Bobella and Samaniego worked out an integration path aimed at helping to improve her operations. Besides moving some applications from the Mac to the PC, which is now her sole platform, Bobella advised her on exactly what else she needed to buy and even went with her to the store. Says Samaniego, "I need advice. My business works, but I'm not a techie. I run on instinct."

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