Setting up a computer repair shop can be a challenging task. As a tech-savvy entrepreneur, you will probably begin your venture as an owner-tech. When the time comes to bring on an additional computer repair technician or two, it's important that they have the most current certifications in laptop repair and business computer repair. Providing your employees with continuing education in US PC repair will help you give your customers the best service possible.

The following U.S. computer repair services education and training resources will help ensure that your technicians stand up against the competition:

1. Validate your employees have the latest skills needed for US computer repair with a CompTIA A+ Certification.
2. Put your employees through a vocational school to prepare them for the PC repair business.
3. Keep the best reference materials on-hand for your onsite computer repair technician.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Qualify your employees to perform basic computer repair service with an A+ Certification

US computer repair companies whose technicians hold the CompTIA A+ Certification can qualify as a CompTIA A+ Authorized Service Center. This will help bring in additional business, because A+ certified technicians are proven to be able to perform important tasks such as installation, configuration, diagnosing, preventive maintenance and basic networking.

I recommend: Details about the CompTIA A+ Certification (among others) can be found on the Computing Technology Industry Association website. Find online schools that provide A+ training or search by zip code at Computer Training Schools.

Enroll your computer repair technician in a vocational school for in-depth training

Although the CompTIA A+ Certification is widely recognized in the industry, many of the training classes are crammed into five-day boot camps. This situation isn't ideal for everyone. In addition to the A+ cert, it can be a good idea to enroll your employees in a long-term vocational program geared towards computer repair service.

I recommend: DeVry University offers an associate degree in Electronics & Computer Technology. High-Tech Institute also offers a Computer Networking & Security training program.

Keep reference materials handy for your computer repair technician to refer to in times of need

Any good businessman or technician knows that you can never know all the answers. Knowing where to FIND the answers is half the battle. Keep a good selection of reference materials in your computer repair shop. Google is your friend, but it's always nice to have a shelf stocked with detailed manuals.

I recommend: You can purchase the PC Repair Bench Book at TextbooksRUs.com. This book is highly focused on what PC technicians need to know to repair, maintain and upgrade PCs. Another great reference tool is the Computer Repair with Diagnostics Flowcharts at A1Books. This is a great guide for troubleshooting PC failure from boot issues to poor performance.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  The United States computer repair industry is highly competitive. Offer incentives to your employees in the form of increased pay for completed training or certifications. Alternatively, you can pay for their training, gaining you a better trained employee and therefore better service for your customers.

Everybody's got one, even your grandma. And they all break down from time to time, usually from lack of basic maintenance. Cars? Nope, computers. And unlike 2,000 lb. hunks of Detroit and Tokyo steel, the get-in cost of a computer repair business can be pretty low.

If you've ever installed your own operating system, defragged a drive or popped extra memory into your own desktop, you could be a couple of night classes away from rewarding career in computer repair or computer services. It takes only some basic mechanical chops, the right tools and a willingness to learn new things to start a computer repair business.

In this guide, you'll learn:

1. How to learn computer repair yourself
2. What kinds of jobs lead to computer repair know-how
3. Why to consider computer repair service certifications
4. Possible franchises for computer repair services

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn computer repair: the self-taught method

One great way to figure out if you have the patience for computer repair is to build one from parts. Downside: It'll cost you a bit and take up your evenings for a few months. Upside: If you figure it out, you get a computer for cheap and a real sense of how they work.

I recommend: There's a couple of sites dedicated to computer repair as a hobby (and selling components), like PC Mechanic, My Super PC, the Wikibooks entry on PC construction, and HowStuffWorks.

Learn the computer repair business on Geek Squad's dime

A short-sleeved white shirt and Volkswagen Beetle might not be your look, but a year or two on the job at a computer repair company like Geek Squad might be your ticket to doing your own thing later.

I recommend: Check out the requirements for becoming a Geek Squad agent and apply. An alternative would be a year or two in tech support for a corporation or bank. Find opportunities at technology job board Dice.com.

Get certified in the computer repair business and computer services

There tons of schools, online and at local colleges, offering certificate degrees in computer repair and computer services, a sign of the demand for the computer repair business. Whichever you choose, you will likely be best off taking a certification test to prove your abilities as a computer repair business owner.

I recommend: CompTIA is a computer repair industry group that conducts training and tests in all manner of computer repair subjects, hardware, software, networking and the like. Microsoft offers its Microsoft Certified Professional tests, which are pretty tough but often required of some customers. Consider computer repair coursework first from ExpressCert and Training Camp. Good guide sites on certifications and the computer repair business are Technibble and the About.com entry on certifications.

Consider starting up with a computer repair business franchise

If you think you know the basics of the actual machinery but feel slightly dizzy at the thought of starting any kind of business, take heart. There are franchise opportunities -- turnkey computer repair business plans in predefined markets.

I recommend: Some computer repair business franchises include Fast-teks, Lucky Gorilla and Concerto Networks. See the Business.com directory pages on starting a small business, business plans and getting started as a consultant.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Fixing a machine and running a business, even a computer repair business, are two utterly different skills. If you find balancing a checkbook boring, seriously consider a partner with small business skills to chase customers and track money.
• •  Do not, under any circumstances, dump a ton of cash into online or 'career school' training. Most techs either have legit college degrees in computer repair or, if self-taught in computer services, come up through corporate or consulting experience before starting their own computer repair business.
• •  Be ready to spend a lot more time seeking clients than actually doing computer repair work, at least for a couple of years, until referrals begin to kick in.

When looking for U.S. computer repair services, you’ll encounter a range of service options to help you fix your computer. Some computer technicians are very technical, and there may be some computer repair services key terms that you may not fully understand. Learning more about key computer repair terms such as diagnostics, troubleshooting, remote services, on-site services, data recovery and technical support will help you gain the necessary knowledge to speak intelligently about the types of repair services you need.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Diagnostic flowchart

Diagnostic flowcharts, or tool kits, are instructional guides that can help you fix your computer problem without assistance from computer technicians. There is a range of flowcharts available to address common computer problems associated with hard drives, motherboards, video cards, data recovery, virus removal and operating system issues.

I recommend: Learn more about diagnostic flowcharts at HP.

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting applies to a series of questions asked by computer technicians to help them determine the type of operating issue you may be experiencing. Troubleshooting typically involves determining whether the computer issue is a result of a hardware or software problem. By determining the source of the issue, technicians can help troubleshoot common operating, software and hardware problems.

I recommend: Find out more about troubleshooting at Computer Hope.

Remote services

Remote computer repair services allow technicians to link to your computer virtually to address computing issues. Remote repair doesn't require technicians to ever physically touch your computer.

I recommend: Computer Geeks Online.net provides information about remote computer repair services.

On-site services

On-site computer repair technicians come to your home to fix computer problems. When using on-site services, there's no need to disassemble your computer or take it to the repair shop. Computer technicians provide a range of on-site computer repair services, including virus and spyware removal, computer upgrades and wireless network installation.

I recommend: Find out more about on-site computer repair services at Geeks on Call.

Data recovery

Data recovery is a computer repair service that involves recovery of data when it can't be retrieved by normal methods as a result of physical damage or computer system corruption. Data recovery can include repair of hard drives and other data storage components such as electronic, optical, and magnetic storage areas.

I recommend: Read more about data recovery by visiting Data Doctors.

Technical support

Technical support, also known as tech support, is a range of services encompassing various technology devices. You can obtain technical support via online chat, phone and email from a hardware manufacturer, internal help desk or third-party support firm. When contacting tech support, it's critical that you provide extensive details about the issue you're experiencing. It's also important for you to be at your computer when calling tech support so that you can provide error message text verbatim to the support personnel.

I recommend: Learn more about what to expect when receiving tech support at PCMag.com.