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Home > Archive > alt.certification.a-plus > January 2004 > High Gasoline Prices Create A+ Service Opportunities
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High Gasoline Prices Create A+ Service Opportunities
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| Richard Ballard 2004-01-16, 4:25 pm |
| Nobody is happy about high gasoline prices, but IMO
high gasoline prices will create (part/full time?) A+
PC service provider opportunities within small towns.
Six years ago I provided PC maintenance service for a group of
rehabilitation clinics operated by my employer and located
within and around my metropolitan area -- serving the clinics
took ~50% of my time. Some of the clinics were located within
my city. Several of the clinics were located on the outer edges
of my metropolitan area. And one clinic was located
55 Interstate Highway miles from downtown center (a pleasant
year-round drive). My employer paid 12.5 cents per mile for
private automobile expenses -- fair compensation for use of
my private automobile.
But gasoline prices have risen significantly -- I doubt that
employer-provided compensation for private automobile use
has kept pace. And employer costs for operating their own
fleet vehicles has risen sharply. IMO gasoline prices will
_not_ drop significantly. I believe that higher costs for
private employee and fleet vehicle operation will force employers
to reexamine their remote site PC service maintenance strategies.
Instead of paying higher per-mile compensation for employee
private vehicle use or maintaining large vehicle fleets, I believe
that many employers will want to _outsource_ PC maintenance at
their remote sites. Employers will seek PC maintenance contracts
with competent, cost-effective small town PC service providers
to minimize service contract transportation costs. Higher
gasoline costs make competent small town PC service providers
better able to compete _locally_ against larger, better-funded
PC service providers in adjacent urban areas.
Automated software maintenance over the Internet (e.g., Windows XP)
somewhat lessens this advantage, and automated software maintenance
over WANs (e.g., Microsoft Corporation's Systems Management
Server 2.0 or Novell Inc.'s Zenworks for Desktops 4) somewhat
lessens this small town PC service provider advantage. But
PC maintenance and upgrade includes many tasks beyond automated
software maintenance; some hacker attacks modify PC software
in ways that prevent restoration using automated software
maintenance; and non-networked PCs require significant software
maintenance (including periodic backup of critical business files).
Obviously, the number of PCs used within a small town (and the
local competition within the small town) would determine whether
becoming a small town PC service provider was a viable part-time
or full-time business opportunity.
IMO the dark cloud of high gasoline prices can have a silver lining
for competent A+ PC service providers located within small towns.
Best wishes.
Richard Ballard MSEE CNA4 KD0AZ
--
Consultant specializing in computer networks, imaging & security
Listed as rjballard in "Friends & Favorites" at www.amazon.com
Last book reviews: "Necronomicon" & "Necronomicon Spellbook"
by Ed Simon
| |
| Frederic 2004-01-16, 7:24 pm |
| or hire cheap juniors.
in canada a tech can be paid as low as CAN$ 26000 per year (around US$ 17000
per year) and it's only a temporary job for a 6 month
--here is the add released on Jan 12--
145418 - Customer Services / Technical support
Zone géographique : Laval (Rive-Nord)
Type de poste : Permanent, Contractuel
Secteur d'emploi : Technologie de l'information / Multimédia
Fonction principale : Soutien technique
Rédaction technique
Taux horaire/salaire potentiel : $ 26,000
Date de début : January
Durée : 6 mois
Description du poste :
You will be in a call center environment supporting our customers over the
phone to correct any issues they experience using our software.You will also
be required to document information for internal use.
Compétences recherchées :
Spécialisations techniques :
Essentielle : Advance knowledge of all version of windows .
Atout : Knowledge of our software.
Critères généraux :
Essentiel : Bilingualism (English is essential )
Atout : Spanish
Essentiel : Experience in customer service
--
Frederic
MCP, IT Project+, i-Net+, CIWA, A+
member of: CompTIA-ITPRO, HDI, IETF, ISOC
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://fredsfastcram.netfirms.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Richard Ballard" <rball84213@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20040116153445.25517.00003605@mb-m15.aol.com...
> Nobody is happy about high gasoline prices, but IMO
> high gasoline prices will create (part/full time?) A+
> PC service provider opportunities within small towns.
>
> Six years ago I provided PC maintenance service for a group of
> rehabilitation clinics operated by my employer and located
> within and around my metropolitan area -- serving the clinics
> took ~50% of my time. Some of the clinics were located within
> my city. Several of the clinics were located on the outer edges
> of my metropolitan area. And one clinic was located
> 55 Interstate Highway miles from downtown center (a pleasant
> year-round drive). My employer paid 12.5 cents per mile for
> private automobile expenses -- fair compensation for use of
> my private automobile.
>
> But gasoline prices have risen significantly -- I doubt that
> employer-provided compensation for private automobile use
> has kept pace. And employer costs for operating their own
> fleet vehicles has risen sharply. IMO gasoline prices will
> _not_ drop significantly. I believe that higher costs for
> private employee and fleet vehicle operation will force employers
> to reexamine their remote site PC service maintenance strategies.
>
> Instead of paying higher per-mile compensation for employee
> private vehicle use or maintaining large vehicle fleets, I believe
> that many employers will want to _outsource_ PC maintenance at
> their remote sites. Employers will seek PC maintenance contracts
> with competent, cost-effective small town PC service providers
> to minimize service contract transportation costs. Higher
> gasoline costs make competent small town PC service providers
> better able to compete _locally_ against larger, better-funded
> PC service providers in adjacent urban areas.
>
> Automated software maintenance over the Internet (e.g., Windows XP)
> somewhat lessens this advantage, and automated software maintenance
> over WANs (e.g., Microsoft Corporation's Systems Management
> Server 2.0 or Novell Inc.'s Zenworks for Desktops 4) somewhat
> lessens this small town PC service provider advantage. But
> PC maintenance and upgrade includes many tasks beyond automated
> software maintenance; some hacker attacks modify PC software
> in ways that prevent restoration using automated software
> maintenance; and non-networked PCs require significant software
> maintenance (including periodic backup of critical business files).
>
> Obviously, the number of PCs used within a small town (and the
> local competition within the small town) would determine whether
> becoming a small town PC service provider was a viable part-time
> or full-time business opportunity.
>
> IMO the dark cloud of high gasoline prices can have a silver lining
> for competent A+ PC service providers located within small towns.
>
> Best wishes.
>
> Richard Ballard MSEE CNA4 KD0AZ
> --
> Consultant specializing in computer networks, imaging & security
> Listed as rjballard in "Friends & Favorites" at www.amazon.com
> Last book reviews: "Necronomicon" & "Necronomicon Spellbook"
> by Ed Simon
>
| |
| Richard Ballard 2004-01-16, 10:24 pm |
| In article <jk_Nb.85961$ld7.1138675@wagner.videotron.net>,
"Frederic" <frederic.l@softhome.net> writes:
>or hire cheap juniors.
My original issue was competent small town PC service providers
becoming increasingly competitive with better-funded PC service
providers in adjacent urban areas as gasoline prices and
corresponding outsider transportation costs increase.
Hiring not experienced PC service technicians does *not* directly
solve that problem -- salaries paid while traveling decrease, but
vehicle operations costs remain prohibitive.
Simultaneously, an experienced tech is more capable (both technically
and in terms of Customer Relations) and requires less techical
assistance when far from home.
I respect quality service provided by A+ Certified technicians. Poor
quality service leaves a bad impression, and poor quality service
elicits few encores.
More below.
>in canada a tech can be paid as low as CAN$ 26000 per year
>(around US$ 17000 per year) and it's only a temporary job for
>a 6 month
>
>--here is the add released on Jan 12--
>
>145418 - Customer Services / Technical support
>Zone géographique : Laval (Rive-Nord)
>Type de poste : Permanent, Contractuel
>Secteur d'emploi : Technologie de l'information / Multimédia
>Fonction principale : Soutien technique
>Rédaction technique
>
>Taux horaire/salaire potentiel : $ 26,000
>Date de début : January
>Durée : 6 mois
>
>Description du poste :
>
>You will be in a call center environment supporting our customers
>over the phone to correct any issues they experience using our
>software. You will also be required to document information for
>internal use.
>
>Compétences recherchées :
>
>Spécialisations techniques :
>Essentielle : Advance knowledge of all version of windows .
>Atout : Knowledge of our software.
>
>Critères généraux :
>Essentiel : Bilingualism (English is essential )
>Atout : Spanish
>Essentiel : Experience in customer service
>
>--
>Frederic
>MCP, IT Project+, i-Net+, CIWA, A+
>member of: CompTIA-ITPRO, HDI, IETF, ISOC
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>http://fredsfastcram.netfirms.com
>---------------------------------------------------------------------
I am not going to argue about the appropriate magnitude
of A+ Certified Service Technician salaries. Salaries are
region dependent (e.g., San Francisco and Vancouver
are relatively high cost areas with high salaries, while
the United States Midwest and the Canadian Wheat Belt
regions have lower living costs and lower salaries). Also,
the United States (and Canadian?) domestic economy
currently is downsizing -- few new jobs are being created.
My original message sought to identify a business
opportunity for competent A+ Certified PC Technicians
living in small towns. Currently there is a shortage of
jobs for competent A+ Certified PC Technicians (due to
increased automation and to business budget shortages),
and other competent A+ Certified PC Technicians have
long and expensive daily commutes. Identifying potential
new business opportunities for competent A+ Certified
PC Technicians located in small towns helps everyone.
Technicians driving an hour each way to install a
replacement floppy disk drive helps nobody.
[color=blue]
>"Richard Ballard" <rball84213@aol.com> wrote in message
>news:20040116153445.25517.00003605@mb-m15.aol.com...
>
Best wishes.
Richard Ballard MSEE CNA4 KD0AZ
--
Consultant specializing in computer networks, imaging & security
Listed as rjballard in "Friends & Favorites" at www.amazon.com
Last book reviews: "Necronomicon" & "Necronomicon Spellbook"
by Ed Simon
| |
|
|
>
> My original issue was competent small town PC service providers
> becoming increasingly competitive with better-funded PC service
> providers in adjacent urban areas as gasoline prices and
> corresponding outsider transportation costs increase.
Just wondering--how high are gas prices in your area? I filled up today and
paid $1.36 a gallon. I'm in the Dallas area.
Pat in TX
| |
|
| In article <buactq$f9a1e$1@ID-194653.news.uni-berlin.de>, "Pat"
<me@privacy.net> wrote:
>
>
> Just wondering--how high are gas prices in your area? I filled up today and
> paid $1.36 a gallon. I'm in the Dallas area.
>
> Pat in TX
They are higher here in Florida... around $1.58/gal
| |
| Keith Heathcote 2004-01-17, 2:23 pm |
| That is cheap here in NZ it is $NZ5.00 per gallon which is approx $US3.30.
| |
| Frederic 2004-01-17, 7:23 pm |
| canada: CAN$ 0.79 per liter >> US$ 2.10 per gallon
--
Frederic
MCP, IT Project+, i-Net+, CIWA, A+
member of: CompTIA-ITPRO, HDI, IETF, ISOC
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://fredsfastcram.netfirms.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ghost" <user@user.com> wrote in message
news:user-1701040856400001@1.0.0.101...
> In article <buactq$f9a1e$1@ID-194653.news.uni-berlin.de>, "Pat"
> <me@privacy.net> wrote:
>
and[color=blue]
>
>
> They are higher here in Florida... around $1.58/gal
| |
| Richard Ballard 2004-01-17, 8:23 pm |
| In article <bubvn2$m10$1@lust.ihug.co.nz>,
"Keith Heathcote" <kdheathcote@ihug.co.nz> writes:
>That is cheap here in NZ it is $NZ5.00 per gallon which is
>approx $US3.30.
In my locale regular gasoline currently costs ~$1.70US
per gallon.
If U.S. gasoline prices doubled, I would drive less than I
drive now (sparse) in my personal life, and my automobile
would have less value for me. A major lifestyle change
considering that just when gasoline prices increase, home
heating energy costs also increase.
Happily, I live two blocks from a major city bus route nexus
and I look good in sweaters.
I got no problems.
Other people got problems.
00: 21 _8 02 03/35 06 09
Richard Ballard MSEE CNA4 KD0AZ
--
Consultant specializing in computer networks, imaging & security
Listed as rjballard in "Friends & Favorites" at www.amazon.com
Last book reviews: "Necronomicon" & "Necronomicon Spellbook"
by Ed Simon
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