Q. How does your company handle networking charges?

Assuming we've used the 2 hours per machine connectivity time that we include for each install and that this isn't resolving issues that we created, this would be billable at an hourly rate in the neighborhood of $100 per hour. Depending on availability, the work would be done by either an SE, break/fix tech or a member of our Network Services team.

We are an independent dealer in the Southwest that provides either hourly support, block time or full-on Managed Network Services. We can do the work either on-site or remotely through NAble.

1st 90 days, all inclusive, with no time limit on hours required to get the customer to say they are happy.

Thereafter, billable at $95.00 per hour onsite.

Dealer, Canada

Dealer

network install for scan, print, fax upto four workstations included in the sale, sales person is charged back in the deal for it.

After the sale, customer can buy block time for network services or be charged $150 per hour. Pretty much is a user goes to win7 and needs new drivers it's 100% billable or they can buy block time.

Thanks for the feedback guys!

Have a happy & safe 4th of July weekend.

Vince

Mid Sized Dealer.

Sad but true, we eat it the majority of the time. We give it away. I personally spend about 5 hours a week on the phone doing IT tech support or on web-ex webbed into customer's PCs fixing IT issues instead of selling equipment. Its frustrating but we've never found the right place to draw the line between being the nice guy and when to charge the customer without upsetting them.

Small Dealer
Unfortunately we have lost several accounts when charging them for IT when they change their operating system or passwords.

My rule is, if they need more training, or something wrong or inconvenient with the way I set up the print scan, I'll make it right, no charge.
If they add a workstation and want it configured,if they changed their router/switch, decide (after 60 days or so) they need a different configuration, or some O/S related problem, that is chargeable.
A case in point, a customer called me saying his can scan to folder icon has disappeared from his desktop. I suggested that the cleanup wizard has gotten rid of it and did he have an icon on his desktop called something like DeskTop Cleanup Wizard? No, says he. And acted like he didnt have any time for me.
So I make the trip over there and saw that there were No icons on his desktop. Thats unusual. I found the scan folder and right clicked to send a icon to the desktop. It never showed. Aha! says I
I right clicked on the desktop, Arrange Icons> Show icons on desktop.
Boom all was there including the new shortcut I had just put there.
I explained it to him as I handed him the bill for $135. He was non-plused about the explaination, even tho I expressed that I cant be responsible for the changes he makes to his computer. Even tho as a builder he would not cover damages a buyer makes to the drywall he just hung when the owner hangs a picture.
For a long time I just ate it but once you start, many people will just take advantage of you. So you just gotta bite the bullet and pull out the charge pad. They can call me or they can call their IT support, either way they gotta pay.
Just my 2 ¢

I think we all struggle with where to draw the line. The point I make with my Sales force, as well as with my customers is if you come in one day and you can't scan to email, but it was working fine yesterday the customer perceives this as "my MFD is broken" because one or more of the functions have stopped working. But most of the time nothing on the MFD is broken. The configuration is the same as it has been for the last 6 months (or 2 years). What most often has changed is something on the customers network. A few common examples are:

They change their email server
They deleted an account they thought no one was using
They changed a password on an account
They upgraded a system and it turned all the firewall setting on

Should we as their dealer be able to go in and quickly reconfigure their MFD to reflect the changes they made. Yes! But was the MFD broken? No! So does their maintenance agreement cover reconfiguring their MFD when their network changes? Only if the Service contract plainly spells it out.

A modern MFD needs a contract that covers network support. Rather than kick this can down the road and hope that the customer never changes anything on their network, we should start giving them the option up front to include this kind of network support in their break fix contract.

The problem that we run into all too often is a competitor will say "All that stuff is covered" but when the customer calls 2 years later for network support, and that young sales person no longer works there then what? If we all put it on our service contracts as an option we would have a level playing field, and our customers would get the support they need when they change something on their network that stops a function (like scan to folder) from working on their MFD.

With our company, we charge just over $100 an hour for IT time. Do we charge it? Sometimes - depends. In the scenario where they need new drivers, as the Account Manager and free training resource, I will usually walk them through an upgrade - showing them where to get the driver and how to upgrade a computer. Then let them finish the rest. I usually preface my responses to their requests by stating that we do charge $x and hour, but I can help teach them how to do it and avoid the charges. (This is after the initial installation and setup, of course which is included with the purchase).

This has worked pretty well for me so far. On occasion, if I think they are worth the time and effort I will go by and just do it myself if they are a little clueless - but I am always looking toward building the relationship as much as possible, while trying to remain productive.

On average, business computers are replaced every 5 years. That means (on average) 20% of all computers are replaced each year.

If you did NOT charge for reinstalling drivers, you would need to employ someone (or several someones) full-time to drive around reinstalling print drivers on every client's computer they just replaced.

It seems those customers most unwilling to pay are also those most unable to accomplish simple tasks such as reinstalling a print driver on their own.

Funny story: My tech team got a call from a LAWYER (capitalized because that's how he said it) who had bought a new computer and needed the driver installed. They said they could help him over the phone and he said "I'm a LAWYER, my time it too valuable to spend doing this, just send someone over!".

The tech team said "We'll be happy to, it's $225 for the first 90 minutes" and the LAWYER said "What!?!, that's more than I charge!".

Now that's one cheap lawyer. In both senses of the word.

I once had a Doctor's receptionist baulk when I told her what a chargeable service call would cost. She said to me(indignantly), "the DOCTOR doesn't even charge that much". To which I replied "Yeah, I Know, but he can't fix his copier!"

OK, OK, I only thought it very loudly when I was a young technician.

Mid-sized dealership in Midwest-

We have recently added a section to our maintenance agreement where the customer has to check either a network services rider($195-295 per year depending on the customer) or check the box that says if you don't check the above box, you will be billed $xxx per hour for network services.

This doesn't mean as a salesperson we can't either remote in or stop out and load a print driver, but the customer up-front knows that we now charge for IT services.

A couple of customers have asked and slightly complained, but when you explain to them that changes on their network and computers are not controlled by our dealership and that they would need to pay their IT company to make these changes they usually understand.