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5 Questions with 303 Computers Corp. owner and president Chance Angell [Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo. :: ](Daily Camera (Boulder, CO) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Feb. 23--Chance Angell studied mechanical engineering and business management at the University of Colorado because he enjoyed discovering the way things worked. He applied those skills to 303 Computers, a technology repair and services store, based off of east Arapahoe Avenue in Boulder. This year, Angell is transitioning 303 Computers to a "virtual" company. Angell talked about these changes and industry trends last week with the Daily Camera via en e-mail interview. The following has been edited for clarity, grammar and space. 1.) With 303 Computers going virtual, what will the business look like and what will that allow you to do differently? For years now I have avoided "remote IT service" because I believed it lacked the personal touch. However, remote IT, phone conferencing and telecommuting have all become so commonplace now that most people have come to expect it as a vital element in an office work scenario. Going virtual cuts bottom-line costs significantly, allowing us to stay competitive while utilizing new ways to provide the highest level of professional, effective services. Nathan (Paul Womack) with (Boulder-based) Outsource Locally has agreed to partner with our firm to ensure we have solid coverage of skills across our entire client base of residential and business clients. 2.) What is the timetable and steps involved in the transition to a virtual business? Nathan with our partner firm has been a vital director in the organization and coordination of combining our offices, streamlining of our services and the announcement of our new business plan. Things are progressing along nicely and we expect to have the transition completed by mid-March. By that time, all of our clients will have been advised of the new suite of service and support options offered by our combined firms. We are very excited to have successfully evolved our top-notch expectations of what technology services need to be which now allows us to care for the laptop repair and network rollout alike. 3.) How have your services and skills changed over the years? I'll be honest, the IT industry is not for the faint of heart. The learning curve for service providers is very high. I've personally evolved from helping people understand how to use a mouse in the early days to advising mid-size to larger enterprises align their business needs with solid IT vision, budgeting and implementation strategies. Being able to align client needs with the correct level of support consultant is precisely what is evolving in our virtualization process now. 4.) What are your customers' biggest needs currently? Currently, our clients need day-to-day network support, individual computer system repairs, servers and cloud services for files and apps. Naturally, all of these needs come from taking the time to first learn and understand their goals. This is why we offer a virtual Chief Information Officer or vCIO to allow for our business clients to set needs at the executive level and then we take it from there. That's a big deal when you consider the time and cost we save an organization by providing that service. 5.) How has the arrival of Geek Squad and other similar services affected your business? Firms like Geek Squad work on a quantity basis and actually help our industry by servicing the massive "consumer" segment of the market. That allows us to focus on clients, which by definition means organizations and individuals that expect us to retain knowledge about their IT vision and strategy between interactions. This allows the relationship to be more efficient while maintaining alignment to previously set IT goals. Some people just don't need that level of attention. That's what sets us apart. Its a win-win for everyone. -- Alicia Wallace ___ (c)2014 the Daily Camera (Boulder, Colo.) Visit the Daily Camera (Boulder, Colo.) at www.dailycamera.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |