More Than Tech Support: Fix, Learn, Enjoy
Over the last few months, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want Home Planet Tech to be.
When I first started the business, the simplest way to describe it was “home tech support”. That is still an important part of what I do, but as I’ve worked with more customers, I’ve realised that fixing problems is only one part of the service I want to provide.
That thinking has gradually developed into three simple ideas that now sit at the heart of Home Planet Tech:
Fix
Sometimes you simply need something to work again. That might mean getting a printer connected, solving a problem with a computer or phone, setting up a new device, sorting out an account, or untangling something that has become confusing. Helping to remove that immediate frustration will always be an important part of what I do. I continue to learn as I go, finding solutions to problems I couldn’t solve before and becoming quicker at identifying the likely causes of common issues. I plan to continue to broaden my skill set through further training and courses to fill in any knowledge gaps.
Learn
I don’t just want to fix something and disappear. Wherever possible, I want customers to understand the work that’s been done, feel more confident using their technology afterwards, and know what to do if they encounter something similar again.
One of the things I’m particularly interested in developing is my understanding of how different people learn. Recently, a customer explained to me that she experiences aphantasia, which means she does not visualise images in her mind in the way many people do. We realised that instructions based heavily around recognising icons and remembering what something looked like were therefore not particularly helpful for her. Instead, we adapted the way we worked together and focused much more on written words, names and clear step-by-step descriptions.
It was a small adjustment, but it reinforced something important for me: good tech support should adapt to the person, rather than expecting the person to adapt to the support.
Learning more about different learning styles and needs is something I want to continue exploring so that I can develop different ways of explaining and recording instructions. This way I can adapt my tuition to each customer’s specific learning requirements.
Enjoy
Technology should not only be something we tolerate when we have to pay a bill, answer an email or fix a problem. It can also help us stay connected to people we care about, organise our lives, rediscover old photographs, enjoy music and films, explore hobbies, play games and make everyday tasks easier.
I increasingly want Home Planet Tech to help customers discover those positive sides of technology too. I’m working behind the scenes on a number of more focused services designed to help people get more enjoyment, convenience and value from the technology they already own.
So while Home Planet Tech is still here to fix the frustrating stuff, my aim is becoming much broader:
Fix problems. Learn together. Enjoy technology.
That feels much closer to the kind of business I want to continue building, and I’m really looking forward to seeing where it takes Home Planet Tech next.