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At Balanced Information Technologies we offer on site service maintenance contracts. We started this a couple of years ago with a few folks who had computers and just kept having problems over and over again. Rather than charge them for a lot of  service calls I just told them that I was offering a new plan where I would come out once an month and check their systems and make sure everything was working like it should.  They loved it.  They told their friends.

How It works

First thing that I do is a complete assessment of the computer system.  I check the age and general condition of the system, processor speed, the amount of hard drive space, and the amount of ram.  I then run a full series of diagnostic programs to make sure that all the hardware is in working order.   After I have evaluated the system I prepare a written report  with all this information. If any upgrades are called for I give the customer an itemized estimate of all cost. It is completely up to the customer to decide if they want any upgrades.   The maintenance contract is not dependent on any hardware purchases from us.   The only thing that we do insist on is that each machine that we maintain have virus protection software and that the software is a current version.  If requested,  will purchase a virus software title for the customer and include the price in our first months bill.

What we do

Each month we visit each of our customers (more often if requested).  We clean out all the trash that accumulates in the system such as old log files and temp files.  We run a full diagnostic of the hardware, including the mother board, the video and sound cards, the hard disks and the CD-ROM drive. We check the system security and make sure all applicable security patches are installed for all the various software installed.  We run a full disk scan and defragment the hard drives (we have a special method of doing this with very few Windows components loaded, so that the disk scan and defragmenter do a better job).  We install any "necessary" driver updates and ALWAYS update your virus scanning software.   The first time we do a service call (and every three months after) we open the computer case (unless your warranty forbids case access) and check all the cards to make sure they are seated properly. We check all the cables to make sure they are firmly plugged in and are not chaffed or worn. We check the fans to make sure they are turning freely and are in good working order. We even clean out the dust from inside your computer case. (Got any idea how dusty one of those things can get?)

We provide a log book for each system that we maintain. Each service procedure is logged in this book so that we have a refrence for all work on each system.  This helps up spot potential problems as they develop.

What it costs

Generally the cost for a single system is around $25 per month, with discounts for additional computers at the same location. This amount is subject to change and varies with the travel time involved.  Each case is different. And the initial setup and first visit can be higher depending on the time spent and any problems encountered.

Benefits

There are a number of benefits to this service, some so obvious that I don't need to mention them.  We know where to find the drivers for your hardware.  We have utilities to tell us the exact type of hardware you have, right down to the chipset on your modem or video card.  And if you have an service contract with us and you have a problem that should have been prevented by our maintenance, there is no charge for any service call.  We offer free phone tech support to all our customers and will answer all E-Mail requests for drivers or patches.   If you have a new piece of hardware that you want to install we will try to schedule our monthly visit so that we can do it for you, if that isn't feasible then we will walk you through the install on the phone or schedule an extra visit.