Hey Everybody in Portland Computer Repair Land,

I only have a minute here before I head down to the office, but I just read a quote I really need to share with you all.
HP is talking about increasing automation in its call centers , and the woman in charge is quoted as saying,

“People make errors,” Ms. Livermore said. “Not technology. We’ll have software that will automate all sorts of things that had to be done by humans.”

I would like to report, conclusively, as somebody who deals with a dozen or more computers every single day, that technology does in fact make errors. Anybody who thinks technology is infallible has never used it. Computers are only as smart as the people who program them and use them. I know many computer programmers, they are all brilliant folks, but none are perfect.

Just another quote to add to the long historical list of silly things people have said…

Best,

-Zac

Hey Everybody in Portland Computer Repair Land,

One of our internal slogans here goes something like this, “professional without all the suits.” This is part of the ethic I founded my company on. To me, professional is too often closely tied to a certain “look” instead of being tied to an attitude.  I think professional is an attitude, not a power tie. You can’t put professional on in the morning and take it off at night, you either are, or aren’t, and anything else is spending too much for a single shirt.

Case in point, today I had a meeting with a vendor. He wore a proper suit, black, three button, tie, slacks, and uncomfortable leather shoes. We sat at my favorite local coffee shop, (Blue Gardenia on Mississippi) and had some drinks and ate some of their world famous pastries to talk. He, in the 90 degree heat, uncomfortably sweat his ass off. The entire first 15 minutes or so of our meeting, he kept fidgeting with the buttons on his coat, clearly trying to decide just how uncomfortably hot he would have to get before he would take it off. I finally just blurted out to him, “It’s 90 degrees, just take the damn thing off,” which he did.

Now, I am not here speaking ill of the salesman. The meeting went well and he sold his product effectively. However he became no less effective the moment he took the jacket off than he was the moment before. If anything I respected him more for realizing that, weather considered, wearing a black suit coat in the sun was a bad plan.

Here at Happy Hamster, we act professionally because we are professionals. We don’t think any item of clothing can change that, so we dress to be clean and comfortable. Getting to make my own rules is probably my favorite part of owning my own company.

Best,

-Zac

Hey Everybody in Portland Computer Repair Land,

Apparently this is the week every computer in the city breaks! On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week we received 50 new customer phone calls. In the past 6 weeks, we’ve averaged about 60 per week, which makes this the busiest time in company history almost by double. Don’t worry, though, we have four full time hamsters working day and night to ensure that we continue to repair computers at a high rate of speed.
Bring it on Portland, we’re ready for you!

-Zac

Hey Everybody in Portland Computer Repair Land,

I want to give you all a little insight into how we make our repairs in the shop so much more effectively than many other shops in Portland. You see, sole proprietors run most of the computer repair companies in town. We, as one of the cities largest shops, offer something that no individual can match: peer review of every repair we make.

We achieve our goal of perfect repairs by employing our unique repair process. First, we take in your computer and detail copious notes about the problem based on your descriptions. Second, a technician takes the machine to a bench to solve the problems outlined. Third, once a technician finishes repairing your computer, a second technician is called in to certify the repair. That second technician double checks that all work has been completed based on the original problem description, and looks to make sure all additional issues have been addressed (windows entirely up to date, anti-virus fully functional, computer loading as quickly as possible, etc). Only after a second technician has signed off on your computer do we call you to tell you it’s ready to go.

Now, of course, we would all like to think that every technician does perfect work every time. Unfortunately, because of the enormous number of small details, things sometimes get overlooked. By providing this double-check on each machine, we ensure that the highest repair standards are maintained.

The double check itself also serves as a way to keep our technicians focused on getting every detail right. It also creates a bit of friendly competition in the office, as nobody likes to have flaws found in their work.

Just another little piece of insight into how we do our job here so well,

-Zac