Do you have your own computer guy or gal?

Recently I was helping cook hot dogs for a fundraising event for my daughter's gymnaestrada groups trip to Finland. I generally dislike fundraising events but the one part I usually enjoy is meeting the other volunteers. This time out was no exception as all the parents and kids were fun and interesting to spend the time with. As we chatted I discovered one of the dads, Peter Schlegel, provides technical support services for those folks and families that use computers but don't necessarily have anyone around that knows much about them.

These grassroots service providers play an important role in our communities. In this case, Peter's business was created by going out to dinner at a friends place. As a computer enthusiast friends would often ask him to help out with their computer problems or answer questions. This led to starting up his personal computer support service, leading him to gain a sizeable following of customers all over the world.

We all know there are individuals and businesses out there that do technical support for computers; that in itself is not new. What is special about My Computer Guy is how he makes the less computer savvy people of the world feel confident and well looked after by helping with everything from setting up anti-virus and security features to helping people shop for the next computer or tablet.

At SilverServers technical support is one of the most challenging parts of our business. A lot of folks find it hard to know when they should be talking to us or talking to their internet service provider, mobile phone provider, software provider or computer technician. As website developers and hosting providers, our primary role is to provide support for our services. Generally what this means is if your website is down, we help get it back online. If our email services are not working, we work on the servers to get them running. If you're not able to get into the control panel to get your email or hosting details or you don't know how to create a new email address, we help with that. When it comes to setting things up on a client's computer or mobile device, that's generally something that is up to them.

This is where it is important for individuals and business owners to understand their technology needs and limitations to help ensure they have access to the right support services. Some people find it easy to set up things like email accounts on their own computers and phones. Others have no idea how to get to the settings area, turn on encryption or change their incoming and outgoing ports. Having access to a technician that knows your network set up, has worked with your devices can be a valuable resource, helping save a lot of time, money and frustration. It also makes our job of supporting our clients much more effective, as we can focus on building and maintaining the products and services we provide. This is what helps us to keep our services working smoothly while keeping our pricing competitive.

If you're an individual or small business interested in learning more about Peter from My Computer Guy you can give him a call at 604-723-7130 or 250-372-3725.

Enough shop talk.  The fundraising event was a success.  I'm not sure how much was raised for the Kamloops Gymnaestrada group but I know I cooked a lot of hot dogs!  We got to meet and chat with a lot of local folks most of whom were very eager to learn about the program and support the young gymnasts.  It's great to be part of a supportive community!