Know Your System
It is important that clients know their own computers. This might sound silly, but we often have cleints tell us that there is important data on their system, but no idea where it is. In the same fashion, clients often don't know what programs they use for e-mail, or if they have licences for programs like Mircosoft Office (word, powerpoint, excel, etc.). When you buy this software, you are not paying for the disc, you are paying for the license. While we can often figure this out, it will save us time and as a result, you money if we know these pieces of information when we start work.
To make your life a little easier, it is worth looking on your computer to see what you have, what you use, and where you store data. It might just save you a few hundred dollars if you have to buy office again...
Here is a breakdown of info that will make your computer service go smoother.
E-mail:
Do you use a program, or access you e-mail via a web browser (usually gmail, hotmail and yahoo mail use browsers)
If you use a program, what one do you use? (Outlook, outlook express, windows mail and Windows Live Mail are the most common programs.)
Do you know what your password is? Shaw and Telus are good at helping if you don't remember, but it does slow things down if we have to wait for them to reset your password.
Programs:
Are there any programs that you have purchased that are installed on the computer? Did you have to type in licence to install it? If you answered yes to these, it is a good idea to keep the discs and documentation that came with your software in a safe place.
As we said above, when you buy software, you are almost always paying for the licence number, not the discs.If you have Microsoft Office, Adobe Products, and accounting software all use licences. If you are bringing your computer in for service at any computer shop, it is a good idea to know where that info is before you do.
For more info on what you should do before bringing in your computer for service, check out our guide via the link below.
