One time competitors
06/18/08
BY JOHNNIE BACHUSKY
Red Deer Express
It was a partnership made in heaven.
Not only did Mark Sadler and Lori Allison click big time on a personal level but they merged beautifully in the business world.
Sadler, 48, was a contract internet technician for Shaw Communications Inc. and Allison, 44, was a service representative for Telus.
They merged their skills and talents to become co-owners of Red Deer’s Computer Help Inc.
“We really were competitors,” said Allison, who took a buyout from Telus in 2003 to become business partners with Sadler. “They were both good jobs to turn into this.”
At that time Sadler, the original sole owner of Computer Help Inc., was working two jobs, for Shaw and getting his new company, which he started in 2001, off the ground.
But when Allison came on board his venture began to grow in leaps and bounds. And this year the couple’s company has rightfully earned the gold medal award in the Best Computer Repair and Maintenance category in the Express’ Best of Red Deer awards.
Sadler’s expertise is technical while Allison expertly handles customer service. Their union was a perfect fit.
Customer service is key to the growing fortunes of Computer Help Inc., says the couple.
While Sadler’s skills focus on the technical side of the business, he ensures customers they will get the best of the best when he is repairing their computers either at home or in the shop, located at #6 - 5202 - 54 Ave.
“Mark is really good about phone support. A lot of people don’t really have a lot of knowledge about computers. He will try to walk them through it. They can phone as many times as they like,” said Allison.
The company focuses on the home market, with its personal, fast and reliable service touch.
“We give the customer a choice,” said Sadler. “We have to decide how serious the problem is, and whether or not I can fix it at the home.
“If we bring it in the shop the flat rates kick in,” he added. “If we are sitting on site then we go by the hour, so a lot of folks just like to bring it in.”
For a home visit to fix a computer, the charge is $80 an hour, plus tax. If the computer comes to the shop, the charge is a flat fee of $200 plus tax. Every computer serviced gets the complete do over – problems are fixed, files are saved, computers reformatted, e-mail set up and even the printers are put back in working order. And if there is any further problems once the computer is returned, Sadler is once again ready to help.
“We have a less than one per cent call back rate,” said Sadler, adding the company has a 30-day warranty on all work.
“If there is an issue and it is in Red Deer I will go back to someone’s house three or four times. It is not a big deal for me.”
But it is a very big deal to their growing list of clients, which now numbers in the 1,500 range. There business grew 20% over last year.
Right now the company is only servicing and selling PCs, although they are open to the possibility of expanding to include servicing the Apple Mac.
“I’m starting to get a lot more calls on Macs,” said Sadler
In the meantime, Allison and Sadler are getting more than enough calls from the PC consumer, enough to keep them busy throughout the year.
jbachusky@reddeer.greatwest.ca 309-5456
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