We recently connected with Christopher Barber and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Christopher, thanks for joining us today. Please tell us about starting your own firm and if you’d do anything different knowing what you know now.
Our founder was on the receiving end of a bad customer service experience with an IT firm. Then he realized that’s a common phenomenon; the IT industry has a reputation for terrible customer service!
Then came the game-changing idea, starting an IT company that actually put customer service first. That was the catalyst the started Cheaper Than A Geek! He started the company in his living room over 23 years ago and we are pleased to report we have become the #1 IT provider in Maryland; we have won more customer service awards than ALL our competitors in the whole state!!!
Christopher, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Our founder was on the receiving end of a bad customer service experience with an IT firm. Then he realized that’s a common phenomenon; the IT industry has a reputation for terrible customer service!
Then came the game-changing idea, starting an IT company that actually put customer service first. That was the catalyst the started Cheaper Than A Geek! He started the company in his living room over 23 years ago and we are pleased to report we have become the #1 IT provider in Maryland; we have won more customer service awards than ALL our competitors in the whole state!!!
We bake customer services into everything we do; from answering the phones with a real, live human being in an average of 18 seconds to following up after the service to make sure everything is still a-ok. And everything in between!
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Going into business for yourself doesn’t get you away from having a boss. I went from 2 bosses in corporate America to THOUSANDS- it’s your clients!
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
We love working with other IT firms! We specialize in the smaller small businesses and frankly most providers do not want to be bothered with say a 3 person CPA firm. They would rather have a 30 person CPA firm! So that’s where we come in; we provide top-notch, IT service at a price point that makes sense for the smaller folks. Everyone wins!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cheaperthanageek.com/
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/CheaperTAG
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CheaperThanAGeek
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cheaperthanageek/
- Twitter: https://Twitter.com/.com/CheaperTAG
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm5rWNrcdpk7_2A7xZO0Xtw
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cheaper-than-a-geek-crofton