"Follow Up" callouts and charging

[Matthew McCabe]

Hiya,

I'm just starting out, so I want to get this right...

My business is domestic IT visits. I have a set call out charge of £50 (for the first hour).

On a recent visit a customer's WiFi wasn't working on their laptop. I tried every possible solution but it seems there isn't a compatible driver with Windows 7 (which they want to keep).

I returned with a WiFi adapter which they wanted me to install. And while I was there I thought I'd throw in a bit of a "spring clean". I don't really want to compromise on the £50 call out fee (which is totally transparent) but should I be handing "follow up" callouts like this a bit differently? May be half of that rate would be more fair?

 

[webprojectuk]

I would think it's better to charge a fixed rate especially when it comes to B2C. You will build better relationships with your clients when they know how much the job will cost upfront. In B2B world this is more complex and therefore the hourly rate is more acceptable.

How you quote your jobs needs to come from your experience. Ask detailed questions about the problem and provide a fixed price to correct the problem. Over the weeks, months and years you will get perfect at this.

I am very surprised you could not find a driver for windows 7. Was it working before? If so the chances are the the card failed rather then the driver didn't work. In that case you up-sell the new card and preferably have one on you - the price you sell it at will be higher then the price they could buy it online or from a local shop. Why? Because it's on hand and ready to go into the laptop.

 

[obscure]

My business is domestic IT visits. I have a set call out charge of £50 (for the first hour).

Is your call out charge different from your hourly rate?

To me a "call out charge" is a minimum charge that will be levied if you attend. When arrive it turns out the customer just hadn't turned it on. You have nothing to do but flip the switch and leave but they still have to pay this minimum amount. If however you stay and work then you charge your hourly rate for the entire time you are there. If you need to return the next day I would expect that to be added to the total at your hourly rate. I wouldn't expect to be charged another call out fee as this is part of an on-going job.

 

[Gecko001]

Many clients might rightly or wrongly assume that you will keep a range of parts in your car/van so that you could fix problems in one visit. So charging at all for travelling expenses for the second visit might not sit well with many customers. If you feel you must charge you need to explain why you have not got the part with you, eg. it is a very unusual problem and you only travel with parts to fix common problems.

 

[webprojectuk]

Many clients might rightly or wrongly assume that you will keep a range of parts in your car/van so that you could fix problems in one visit. So charging at all for travelling expenses for the second visit might not sit well with many customers. If you feel you must charge you need to explain why you have not got the part with you, eg. it is a very unusual problem and you only travel with parts to fix common problems.

Very good point..