Phone Support – Should I Charge Less For It?
Phone support is just as valuable a service as your on-site time. Many new computer consultants think that using a two tiered rating system for on-site versus phone support is a wise pricing model We’re here to tell you this is a mistake.
Why do computer consultants think they should charge less for phone support in the first place? Well, they say, gee, there’s no travel time, no gas, no mileage, no tolls, and no parking. They think, I can even provide some of this phone support on days when I’m working in the office at home and I’m sitting in my sweats.
But if you think about it, this just sets you up to lose money. What are the types of things people call for phone support about? Aren’t most of their phone support issues things that probably should be done on site, by you anyway? Is it really a good idea to be walking people through certain tasks and projects over the phone?
Most of the time, what you are providing through phone support is more appropriately done by you either remotely or at their business. If you start providing services using phone support but charging less for it, what you are doing is creating an incentive for your clients to use phone support more often. In order to maintain good control, you need to be doing the work yourself.
The other issue with two tiered pricing for phone support is that it creates a confusing billing process. You never want to introduce a second billing rate for a client. Your proposals will be more difficult, your invoicing will be more difficult, and your accounting will be more difficult.
Bottom Line on Phone Support
Phone support is just as valuable as any other service you offer. Don’t make the mistake of undervaluing it based on the fact that your overhead is reduced by providing it. Consider that a bonus for you – one that you don’t pass on to the clients. When clients see two rates it confuses them and then they start figuring out ways to save themselves money. Sooner or later, that client is going to be using phone support much more often – you don’t want that.
In this article, you’ve been introduced to Phone Support. To learn more about how you can improve your knowledge about Phone Support, just click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.