Clients calling 7 days a week

**pmbguy** · 11-Mar-14, 01:20 PM

Receiving machines on the weekend and only repairing them on Monday morning means a client’s machine is not ready at 8-9am on Monday morning, many weekend machines are urgent specifically for Monday 8-9am. Some repairs can take very long. The one’s that are not urgent or otherwise just in for a service will, if left until Monday, interfere with other work. If I receive a large amount of printers on the weekend and I leave it till Monday I am going to miss all my deadlines, interfering with Tuesday. Many clients have a multifunction or printer they just can’t have off line, so they have it scheduled for a weekend service. Some of my bigger clients sometimes request a service of all the machines in a department over the weekend and they expect to have that department running again Monday morning.

I have gained countless clients through proving this service, one after the other

I could just say no to weekend work and go camping. Or I could take advantage of the need that exists for repairing/servicing machines on weekends.

I guess the bottom line is that I am willing to do this for the profit, knowing that one day I will again have free weekends.

**IanF** · 11-Mar-14, 03:42 PM

The guys who service my printers on a cost per copy basis charge R500 per hour for after hours/weekend callouts. During the week it is included in the cost per copy charge.
The weight of my printers precludes taking them in.

I have called them out once after hours.

**Justloadit** · 11-Mar-14, 07:33 PM

Originally Posted by pmbguy

I could just say no to weekend work and go camping. Or I could take advantage of the need that exists for repairing/servicing machines on weekends.

Well there you have it, you have a weekend worker, take Tuesday and Wednesday off for camping

**pmbguy** · 11-Mar-14, 09:35 PM

Originally Posted by Justloadit

Well there you have it, you have a weekend worker, take Tuesday and Wednesday off for camping

Justloadit... I shudder to think of the shit implications on Braai and Beer day if Tuesday and Wednesday was my weekend.

Everyday more and more business around SA and the world extend their working hours/days, a definite trend. Personally I don’t like this trend, but the world is changing and I want to be in step with that change

**Justloadit** · 12-Mar-14, 08:49 AM

What I find interesting, is that over a century ago, everyone worked 7 days a week.

During the last 50 years, unions step in , alongside Socialism, to look after the worker and provide social grants, because after all we are more civilized now, , and now we are in a major crises, where unemployment is rampant, simply because employers are being fleeced by the unions and labour laws and can not afford the labour rates, and the solution now the SMEs is to extend working hours so that we can get business in order to remain profitable. There is something wrong with this picture.

**HR Solutions** · 12-Mar-14, 09:29 AM

Its a very difficult one pmb, because in one instant we say that if a person really wants to get out there and make something of his business and career then he must work hard etc etc which would include weekends etc. I think most of us have all been there and a lot of us still do work on the weekends, albeit on a sat morning. Although I do climb on my computer on a Sunday, and do a bit of work, which is different to yours because you have to climb in your car and go out to the client. I think that it really depends on you at the end of the day whereby you do have to put your foot down and even switch off your cell phone or charge double rates if it was on a Sunday.

Perhaps you should try to slowly "train" your clients and tell them that you can only help them on Saturdays to start off with. Bearing in mind that you have built your business on going the extra mile and giving a service on a weekend, the decision would have to be yours - you may lose some clients or would they be happy with accepting this decision ? I think most would probably accept and realize that you also have a life and you do supply a good service at the end of the day and they could wait that day or two.

**wynn** · 12-Mar-14, 10:46 AM

So the only scenario left is to basically to 'Suck it up' for the short term until your business grows to the point you can employ someone to do alternate weekend work, after your business grows some more you can employ a second guy to do the alternate weekends covered by you and all you will have to do is step in for emergencies, illness or leave, that will mean at least you and another guy are on duty every week day with three of you alternating three days a week, that should leave enough weekends for your camping/braaing/fishing!

I am sure the guys you are taking business from will be shedding employees soon and you should be able to pick up well trained reliable people.
The first guy will work five days the first week and on say Monday, Thursday Friday the week he has his midweek weekend, to start with you will just have to make sure he is flexible enough for you to plan braai weekends around him.
Then when the second guy joins you will have more weekends off.

**pmbguy** · 12-Mar-14, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by HR Solutions

Its a very difficult one pmb, because in one instant we say that if a person really wants to get out there and make something of his business and career then he must work hard etc etc which would include weekends etc. I think most of us have all been there and a lot of us still do work on the weekends, albeit on a sat morning. Although I do climb on my computer on a Sunday, and do a bit of work, which is different to yours because you have to climb in your car and go out to the client. I think that it really depends on you at the end of the day whereby you do have to put your foot down and even switch off your cell phone or charge double rates if it was on a Sunday.

Perhaps you should try to slowly "train" your clients and tell them that you can only help them on Saturdays to start off with. Bearing in mind that you have built your business on going the extra mile and giving a service on a weekend, the decision would have to be yours - you may lose some clients or would they be happy with accepting this decision ? I think most would probably accept and realize that you also have a life and you do supply a good service at the end of the day and they could wait that day or two.

It’s a tricky one. One the one hand I want my weekends back on the other I can see how well its working to get new clients in. Clients hardly phone on Sundays, I certainly don’t hang around just in case I get a machine in. Most sunday work is to finish off any work that came in on Saturday. Essentially I am closed on a Sunday, but will still take a call and I might receive a machine or go on call out, this seldom happens. Sometimes I receive a big order which takes up the whole weekend solid, perhaps once a month.

I could try compromise and say Ok open till 1 on sat, but I still have to service and repair those machines as normal through the rest of the weekend, I will still get about the same amount of machines, they will just get dropped off (I go onside) before 1. So being open only till 1 on a Saturday still means “working weekend” as usual.

In my situation it’s difficult to compromise I am either open on weekends or not.

**pmbguy** · 12-Mar-14, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by wynn

So the only scenario left is to basically to 'Suck it up' for the short term until your business grows to the point you can employ someone to do alternate weekend work, after your business grows some more you can employ a second guy to do the alternate weekends covered by you and all you will have to do is step in for emergencies, illness or leave, that will mean at least you and another guy are on duty every week day with three of you alternating three days a week, that should leave enough weekends for your camping/braaing/fishing!

I am sure the guys you are taking business from will be shedding employees soon and you should be able to pick up well trained reliable people.
The first guy will work five days the first week and on say Monday, Thursday Friday the week he has his midweek weekend, to start with you will just have to make sure he is flexible enough for you to plan braai weekends around him.
Then when the second guy joins you will have more weekends off.

I could do with a full time qualified technician, but I still have enough me man hours to cover the work most of the time. I also can’t afford to pay a full time qualified technician salary yet.

When I have a big order or I am very busy I have a good printer technician I outsource to, he has a job in IT, so he does work for me afterhours only. He gets 50% so I will only do it if I really have to. If he did weekend work for me it would also mean 50%, which is fair, but I know he is too busy with all sorts of things to take on more work.

I have another chap that is working part time at an IT shop that also does printer repairs. He is still an apprentice and can do some basics. I call him up from time to time when I am busy, just having an extra pair of hands in the workshop is a great help.

My maid cleans the machines for me, so I can get on with working, she is a huge help. My wife complains about everything and does my books.

Once I have 2 qualified guys in permanently I will camp and fish all weekend long, pulling out fish after fish after fish...more beer

**HR Solutions** · 12-Mar-14, 12:20 PM

Its the age old story that you don't have enough work (or cash) flow to expand, therefore you do it yourself, therefore you do make a little bit more money, but you don't have enough time for yourself and therefore it becomes a catch 22 situation.
I am by no means an expert in your field, but I would suggest hiring a technician, whereby it frees you up to go out there to get more work to pay his salary and also frees you up a little bit more for yourself. It is difficult but it is the next step to expand a little and ease the pressure off yourself a bit. It is difficult for the first few weeks, but the "pain" slowly eases as more work flows thro the doors to cover the extra overhead ............ and you never know soon you might then look at the next step to expanding.