Need your input

[Furr]

I know this is a bit cheeky, but a few people I know and I are doing some market research.

So if you could answer the questions on this site it would be much appreciated, and if you provide your email address, name, contact number etc you might also win an ipod!!!

http://www.sherrardcorp.co.uk/

All information collected is kept strictly private and is not going to be sold, passed one etc etc.

 

[TdC]

done it for you furryknight. too bad I can't win that iPod eh?

 

[Lazarus]

mines in .

 

[pcg79]

ditto.

i am a poor student. give me ipod.

 

[xane]

... you might also win an ipod!!!

What's second prize ? Two iPods ?

 

[Furr]

Well im an ex poor student!! Nothing like going to Uni to meet a bunch of people and decide to go into buisness!!! Just in the process of seeing whether the ideas we have are marketable.

Oh if you know anyone via msn, etc etc who might be intrested pass on the link!! thank you all!

 

[Sissyfoo]

Donez0r

 

[Paradroid]

I take it you're planning on some sort of home user rental for PCs? There's a couple of companies near where I live do that - they also do rentals on TVs & videos etc (you pay a rental but after so many years it yours, or, you can trade in for a newer/better one).

I've known a few peeps over the years who were involved in IT contracts and this is exactly how a lot of big businesses deal with their IT systems ... pay a 3rd party "rental" (they also provide the support, or, another 3rd party does).

Most big companies realised that after X amount of years (probably 3-5), the value of your computer equipment depreciates into the negative (ie you have to pay for someone to get rid of them, I knew a guy years ago who got £50 a pop for getting "rid" of hundreds of old NHS PCs) - so hiring the equipment makes more sense.

In my company we have 3/4 IT systems, supported by 3 diffent companies - we're currently going through our latest "tech-refresh", as they like to call it.

As far as the training goes there's a lot of cheap open-learning solutions available, you could make it web based (like Learn Direct).

I'd be interested in the cost-effectiveness of sending someone round to someones house to teach them how to use a PC. A Microsoft end user trainer usually only make around £14-20K, and even then it's only cost-effective if they deliver training to classes of delegates (not one or two peeps at a time). Freelance is completely different though, you could charge £50-100 per day if it's just pocket money to cover a salary (as long as you're working 200-250 days/year). But then you need to take into account all the other business overheads - you need office staff (personnel, finance, sales & contracts) to support the trainers, IT support, etc.





Good luck.

 

[Furr]

Well its not just buisiness aimed. but i'll give you a few lesser ideas we are peddling

one of the ideas is the IT plumber.

another indeed is the the idea of renting a computer etc, then at the end you swap it in, data is transfered, new computer for the customer, old computer stripped down, rebuilt and sold on the lower end income groups.

Then there is the idea of a company that would preinstall a broadband connections and network into rented accom. rented property comes with a maintaince service if it breaks. makes place more attractive to buyer. and the maintaince contract is built into the rent.

but there are other ideas, that im not realllly planning to divulge just yet! mate came across it during his studies in Computing Science, but what we are also trying to acertain is where all the middle income + consumers are. already there is an obvious correlation between certain results i can see emerging.

planning to pinch alot of people out of colledge who do those HND/HNC courses etc

edit// its also easy to see who from the results is from freddyshouse!!! because your the one's all giving 10/10 for tech intrest and 10/10 for fixing IT breakdows!!!

 

[gmloki]

Done Mr Furr.

Good luck

 

[Damini]

Done it, but I think the people who would really need the IT plumber are the type that aren't on here. My mum and dad, my sister, Kenny's parents (if they didn't use and abuse his knowledge so much!) - these are the people that could really benefit from such help (I think). You'd be better off doing the survey at your local supermarket than on a nerdlings gathering ground.

 

[Furr]

Yeh thats what i thought, but the more results the happier, plus getting results from places like freddyshouse will also give me data from people who will not need a service like this, so i can look at the data and compare it, thus able to distinguish between people with traits whom would require a service like this. There's already an obvious difference between the various results and its already creating profiles of type of people.

All in all its going well

 

[xane]

Do you really think the idea of a domestic "IT Plumber" would work ?

I've been looking at this for a few years now, based on work I've done for free for family, friends, friends of friends, etc, I don't think it could ever be financially viable.

The only time I ever considered doing this sort of work was once when I could have generated contacts amongst "celebrity" customers, i.e. (a) those with lots of money who would mind paying for a service, and (b) those who valued privacy more than the spotty youth at PC World (remember what happened to Gary Glitter ?).

 

[Tom]

Done

 

[Furr]

Fixing computers is not the only aim, it would be one of alot of ideas. And quite feasible, its all about marketing, you can have the best product on the planet, but if its marketed badly, its going to crash and burn. Betamax v VCR perfect example.

its more about getting a company that will be there ready and waiting as within the next 6-10 years, most aspects of a moderm home will be converged. Heating controls, Lighting controls, Security, TV, Internet, VO-IP etc will be converging into a system whereby essentially it will be built into a house just like central heating. It all seems a bit sci-fi, but the technology is all here and being developed and already being sold (albeit to very rich people).

You'll be able to set your house to power saving mode, or alternativly you can check the status of your house from anypoint via touch sceen style pads, ie your about to leave the house, are all the lights off? all the windows shut etc installed throughout in place of your light switches (star trekky!), one product which i saw developed more throughly at my uni was essentially a power point / ethernet / wireless access point all converged into a wall type power socket, just longer and a few more discrete buttons than the average wall plugs you get in a house but deeper, was also component style so if it burnt out it was easy to replace the module (it glowed a nice blue colour when it was all working too, but i think that was just for show) , they are set into new households where you connect the power supply and cabled up.

But its just about developing something that people want, have to do the research, analysis the data, then from that design a buisness model that has the best chance of succeding.. lots of hard work and now certains it will work, but if its doesn't i'll just take my degree and get a 9-5.... bah..