Notes from the Unemployed: A Business Idea
After I wrote that entry on how businesses were migrating whatever they can overseas, I got to thinking about what jobs could not be migrated overseas.
Hrmm.. Retail Salespeople, Burger Flippers, mostly service type positions.. like Help Desk. But wait. You can outsource that, and move it, just not overseas.
Companies already outsource IT/helpdesk (and some have moved phone support overseas already). But often times, the outsource company just places their people at the company. My idea does not include that.
- For basic problems, users call the helpdesk or file a help ticket (online). No big deal, probably the same thing they go through now. The tech gets the request, and tries to help the user resolve the problem over the phone. Barring that each user’s system will have remote access software allowing the tech to try their hand at it without needing physical access.
- If physical access is required to the computer, the user packs it up (would work best with laptops), and same-day/overnights it to the nearest ”work” hub. At the same time, the user grabs a spare to use for the next day or two. When the repair is done, the machine is shipped back again. Work centers would have to be located relatively close to clients (some sort of geographical mean of high concentration areas with weight on rent).
- For physical problems not related to shippable equipment, there is a tech who makes rounds/house call during the day, spending some time fixing up issues (network related, whatever).
Advantages:
- Call centers and work centers are shared amongst clients, and could be used with greater efficiency.
- Spare parts are shared across all clients and this consolidation should allow for greater efficiency. Even greater efficiency could be achieved if all clients standardized on the same equipment.
- Less office space is used by the clients.
It would be slightly less personal, but pools of the call centers/work centers could be assigned to work primarily with specific clients to breed familiarity and make it more personal. The techs would also become more familiar with the clients equipment and preferences.
Basically the gains would come from consolidation and centralization, and the efficiency gained from those. Of course such an endeavor would require enormous overhead.