Company offers remote computer repair service
Technicians link up to solve spyware, virus problems
Tuesday, January 4, 2005
PEORIA - A Massachusetts-based company is growing by leaps and bounds by providing tech support over the Internet.PlumChoice, a firm located in Bedford, Mass., 20 miles outside of Boston, uses "desktop sharing" technology that allows technicians to view and interact with computer users at home or work.
"We believe we're the first ones to provide a completely remote service for computers," said Ted Werth, the company CEO who formed PlumChoice three years ago.
Werth believes there are two reasons for his company's success. "People are more dependent on the computer. Everyone from kids to seniors is using the Internet these days," he said.
"It's also getting increasingly complex for computer users. You've got a lot of viruses and spyware making it more difficult than ever," said Werth, who hears about computer problems firsthand.
"The first statement many people make is, 'I want to throw it out the window,' " he said.
Werth's company has adopted the slogan, "It's like watching your PC fix itself," referring to technology that lets PlumChoice "read" problems online.
"We cover any problem other than a computer's hardware problems. That means (cleaning up) viruses and spyware, which right now is most of our business," said Werth.
PlumChoice charges $80 an hour, but most problems are handled in 15 minutes for a charge of $23, he said.
"We help people set up software or configure their e-mail. We do a lot of training for people. We also handle problems of recovering data," he said.
If technicians decide problems require a new computer, they'll go online with a customer and help them make a purchase online, said Werth, noting the company has no access to a customer's computer after a service call is discontinued.
PlumChoice has served more than 7,000 customers in the past 18 months, with 38 percent of that being repeat business, said Werth. "We have a 94 percent positive rating from customers we've served," he said.
The firm presently employs 40 technicians but is "hiring as fast as we can find people," he said. Werth expects the company's growth to continue as more people learn of the service.
"We're rolling out a television campaign in New England but that could soon be expanded to other parts of the country," he said.