Anyone have a 9-5 and still use Onforce?

I was wondering how you manage your schedule, and are there abundant available jobs late in the day. I can't afford to quit my day job, and would like some feedback from people who have done this. Thanks!

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themagicone

Where are you located? Personally I dislike OnForce, almost 15% in fees on WO's. Most other platforms are at 10%.

glenn_33

I tried signing up but they said that there were already enough "professionals" in my area

Iristheangel

@glenn_33, That's the canned response they send out if they determine you don't have enough experience or certifications. They turned me away when I first applied years ago but I tried again after I got my CCNA and a few more years of experience. There are literally hundreds pros in my immediate 50 mile radius but there were less when I first tried.

@OP - When I was using Onforce, I was working from 6AM to 3PM. In my area, I have some PPNS that do 3-5pm and 5-8pm appointments. I would usually take those during the week when I wasn't feeling lazy but the weekends were my busy time for appointments. It was good extra savings money. I might go back to it after I quit one of my jobs in September since I have a goal of buying a house in the next two years and I'm pretty much going to be the breadwinner for the next 4-5 years.

WiseWun

I recently signed up and completed some of the training materials. Irishtheangel, I would definitely agree competition is tough in your neck of the woods. Good luck getting that house, is your partner not contributing?

Iristheangel

The significant other is in med school for another year and then residency for about 4. When you're a resident, you don't make much money and you often have to start paying back school loans which is about $400K in her case. Yay expensive Ivy League college and med school! I'd rather leave the money making up to me for that time so she can focus on building herself up.

My area does have a lot of techs but I was getting a TON of work orders sent to me daily from my PPNs. Once I was accepted as a "Powerpro," that number went up. It just depends on the demand in your area. Several ISPs and hardware manufacturers use Onforce in my area so I'd be getting their work orders all the time. I would have my PPN shirts in my car and would just throw the appropriate one on for whichever work order I was going to. Overall, it was pretty easy work but some PPNs would misrepresent the work orders. I.e. sending a work order that was quoted and priced for wireless connectivity issues but when I got out there, the customer would insist that they were told that they were getting all their data backed up, the OS reinstalled, every program reinstalled, etc and then I'd have to call the main office to get the price (and my rate!) adjusted which usually made the customer upset when they realized that they would have to pay 3 times as much. Then there were the easy easy easy ones. I once had to drive out to Bakersfield to help some little old lady install a NIC driver on her computer that she wiped herself. The work itself took only 5 minutes but I had to drive 2 and a half hours each way and no one else was willing to do it so to keep their SLA, the PPN ended up paying me $500 for my drive.

I usually called the customers through my Google Voice number or just blocked my number. This is VERY VERY VERY VERY important that you always abide by this. I made the mistake of forgetting to block my number ONCE and the lady still calls me from over 3 months ago. I never pick up or respond to her at this point (honestly, no time and there's a limit to free help I will give. This lady has more than exceeded that amount) but she'll always leave long rambling 5 minute complaints about some new virus her husband downloaded while surfing for pron (Yes, she admits he surfs for it and constantly leaves voicemails asking for pron sites that are "safe" to view)

EV42TMAN

yeah i just signed up with them and i have my call with them today at 3:45. My plan is to do onforce job at night or on weekends, the funny thing is that i have more microsoft certifications then any one else in my area and i'm tied for the top position for comptia certifications.

TheCudder

I've been considering signing up for for OnForce, but do you guys thinks its worth it with only A+ & S+ certs? I also have 4+ years of Desktop Support exp, and 2 years of help desk before that.

Iristheangel

Your experience might get you in, Cuddler, but your certifications probably won't. I would say to give it a shot. The worse they can do is reject you and you could still apply later down the road like I did.

nerdydad

glenn_33 wrote: »

I tried signing up but they said that there were already enough "professionals" in my area

Yeah, that's what they told me too, funny thing is, they have no one with a Cisco cert in my area when I did a search, so......

It's ok, I was signing up more out of curiosity of how much was out there, not really looking for distractions at the moment, as I am currently working on my IE, but I did find it a little odd.

theanimal

nerdydad wrote: »

Yeah, that's what they told me too, funny thing is, they have no one with a Cisco cert in my area when I did a search, so......

It's ok, I was signing up more out of curiosity of how much was out there, not really looking for distractions at the moment, as I am currently working on my IE, but I did find it a little odd.

Wow turned down with a CCNP, I'm shocked! When does it let you know if you're turned down? I signed up and started to set up my account but never finished. I haven't done the phone call or entered in all my certs, education, experience, and all that stuff.

nerdydad

They sent me a nice little form email.

btowntech

I completed my call today and got my account reactivated. Just going to see what work orders are out there and maybe pick up a little extra cash. I'm only looking for network related work orders and no residential work. Site survey work orders are pretty easy and pay well if one pops up.

Cisc0kidd

btowntech wrote: »

I completed my call today and got my account reactivated. Just going to see what work orders are out there and maybe pick up a little extra cash. I'm only looking for network related work orders and no residential work. Site survey work orders are pretty easy and pay well if one pops up.

It really is an issue of the number of Techs in an area. Very few OF techs have certs beyond A+, N+, or MCP. Unless the app get reviewed by human (unusual), I doubt the certs even get taken into account at all. Again the typical pay rate is $20-$30 an hour, sometimes less and of course no pay for travel time except for very few buyers or unusual situations. Comcast and ATT might be slightly higher (ie $30-$50 an hour) but they shoot for less. USSI will pay $75 flat fee but that normally involves disassembling an LCD tv and doing a solder job in someone's home. That said Power Pro status, background, and drug tests do help. There are some good buyers that will pay $75 an hour but it would be unusual for a new tech to get a chance at those.

MiikeB

I am currently in Afghanistan but I think I would like to start doing this when I get home.

Should I wait to sign up? If I dont pick up any work orders for awhile do they deactivate my account?

techdudehere

I would have a lot of concerns about this type of work. What if the commute takes a half hour or you have to pay for parking? What if the person disputes that the work was completed for reasons outside of your control? I don't think I'd even consider doing residential support under any circumstance. A business should really have an IT plan outside of calling in a random person they've never met before. I'm not sure I'd want to be involved in any business so poorly organized. It sounds like a disaster.

Iristheangel

@Techdude, You are told how many miles the work order is away from you before you even accept it. You can always have the choice to pass it up. Some people have negotiated extra fees such as mileage or parking, but it depends on the area and who you're working with. As far as the person disputing the work order, your responsibility as a tech ends the second they sign the agreement which specifies the privacy policy, warranty info, etc. If they dispute something AFTER that, the buyer may ask you nicely if you'd like to call the customer and troubleshoot it but you're not under any obligation to do so. I used to give it a shot over the phone and that's why customers would usually request me again when they had other issues come up in the future. It was financially beneficial for me to go that extra step. Now if you show up for an appointment and the customer doesn't answer the door, doesn't have a part available, the customer cancels within 24 hours of the appt, etc, you still get paid a trip fee that ranges anywhere from $30-45 depending on the buyer you're working with. It basically covers your gas and a little extra.

As far as a business having an IT plan outside of calling a random person to do the work and how you see it as a poor business model: Not if they want to maximize their profit. Think about it this way: Many of the MAJOR hardware manufacturers and ISPs use Onforce professionals for warranty hardware replacements or onsite technical support. The ISPs offers phone tech supprt for the customer at a monthly rate of $20 for which they get some nice woman or gentleman in a call center in India that remotes into their computer and installs some bloated anti-virus/security software for an additional fee (regardless of whether or not the customer already HAS an anti-virus) that only slows the customer's computer down more in most cases. They make money off this because the call center is in India and they find ways to talk the customer into paying additional software.

If the customer gets frustrated or the India tech can't remote in because the customer can't connect to the internet, they offer the premium onsite support from a tech at the low bargain rate of anywhere from $200-499. Since these companies service a LARGE area and their work order flow can wax and wane, it really doesn't make sense to hire techs on as employees, pay benefits, overtime, etc all over the United States. I would argue that it's a much better business model to hire techs that have established reputations with Onforce where one can check their certifications, ratings, and reviews from past work orders. Usually these companies ensure that the Onforce technician makes at least 50-75% of what their charging the customer and, in turn, the company does not have to pay out benefits or keep thousands of technicians on the payroll.

IndyLoveless

So i've been accepted (even though they never called me for the phone part). But I am yet to see any work orders after 2 days? Do I need to do the background and drug test to get started? I see the PPN's but really don't want to pay for gear, background, and drug test. I'm just looking to make extra money, not spend extra money.

Cisc0kidd

Not unusual at all. Even after running calls there can be days even weeks with few or no calls. Zero calls ran, no DT, no BC? it could be much longer. And not to sound like a broken record but don't expect any decent paying calls at first. They are likely to be $30 to $50 flat fee. And yes, when Comcast came out with the buy our Polo for our crappy pay PPN, I laughed my head off.

Iristheangel

Without the drug test, background check and joining some ppns, you won't see a lot of work orders. A lot of these companies want to make sure (understandably) that they aren't sending a drug addict or criminal into someone's place of business or residence. Or even send someone a work order if they don't have the basic equipment necessary to safely complete your work (wrist strap, thermal compound, etc). There was one PPN that I joined that required that I wear shoe covers and white gloves as part of their "white glove service" image and even though it sounded ridiculous, they were part of a huge fortune 500 company. By joining that PPN, I was getting over 10 work orders a day routed to me from them (cisc0kid: you don't have this PPN where you live). Use your marketplace tools to view the amount of work orders being assigned daily to other pros in your area to determine if the volume is there to justify spending the extra money for these things. In a way, your profile is like your resume and you need to sell yourself and make yourself look attractive to buyers

Cisc0kidd

Iristheangel wrote: »

There was one PPN that I joined that required that I wear shoe covers and white gloves as part of their "white glove service" image and even though it sounded ridiculous, they were part of a huge fortune 500 company. By joining that PPN, I was getting over 10 work orders a day routed to me from them (cisc0kid: you don't have this PPN where you live).

What no surgical mask? Is that to protect the customer or the tech?!

If you are talking FD I think you are correct they aren't around here since their mother company went BK. I believe they got sold and are now under a different corporation. White gloves and booties are too much for me but I understand sometimes a person has to do what a person has to do. $75 flat fee for virus removal or computer set up is too cheap for me. They like mos PPNs route outside the PPN if no one accepts. Also I tried to avoid in home work unless it pays really well. I use to do LCD repairs when they were over $100 and close by but not now they are $75 or less.

Iristheangel

$75 for virus removal? I've never gotten one that low for virus removal. I think the lowest work order I ever received was to register someone's new DSL so they could use it on their Xbox (they didn't own a computer to go through the registration steps) for $70. There are two PPNs down there that require white gloves and shoe covers but their flat fees for virus removal is anywhere from $110-200. I think your PPNs/rates are different than my area. The average work order in my area is $160. The only company that ever tried to offer me $30 work orders was Work Market and I would just ignore those ones. I think Oregon has much less work orders than we get down here. I have about 390 active profiles in my area but I still would get over a dozen work orders a day from Onforce to pick and choose from so business was good. It sounds like the volume up there can't support the amount of techs available if only one or two people can grab all the available work orders

Roguetadhg

You've perked my interest, Irish: ppns?

Iristheangel

@Rogue - Short for "Preferred Private Networks." Most of the ones in my area are major companies and they have certain guidelines you have to agree to such as getting a drug test, background check, going through their online training, etc before you can join. After you join the PPN and are approved, they will start routing you work orders for your area. These things made me a decent amount of money and sent me some very flexible work orders that I could schedule after work.

Cisc0kidd

Iristheangel wrote: »

$75 for virus removal? I've never gotten one that low for virus removal. I think the lowest work order I ever received was to register someone's new DSL so they could use it on their Xbox (they didn't own a computer to go through the registration steps) for $70. There are two PPNs down there that require white gloves and shoe covers but their flat fees for virus removal is anywhere from $110-200. I think your PPNs/rates are different than my area. The average work order in my area is $160. The only company that ever tried to offer me $30 work orders was Work Market and I would just ignore those ones. I think Oregon has much less work orders than we get down here. I have about 390 active profiles in my area but I still would get over a dozen work orders a day from Onforce to pick and choose from so business was good. It sounds like the volume up there can't support the amount of techs available if only one or two people can grab all the available work orders

I have no doubt there are more WO there in the greater LA area but I bet that number is even more out done by the number of techs. There was a reason they rejected you the first time you applied. The real crux of the matter is the price of the WOs and while the average may be high that takes into account the $8k and $10k WO. The same is true here. I have to be honest and point out the average pay is $30-$40 per hour not including drive time and other expenses. I've completed 2100+ work orders and can say unequivocally the vast majority of the better ones are not from PPNs. Not that joining PPNs is bad just that most PPNs pay worse not better and require more of the tech. I know kind of crazy!

theanimal

Pardon my ignorance but before I dwell too deep into this, I have a simple question.

I noticed a lot of work orders give very very very minimal detail, such as, "Computer won't boot". That's it. So lets say I accept that work order and I go over and I test the power supply, and see that it's dead. What next? Do I help the user order one? Am I supposed to have a supply of power supplies? Do I have to go back then on my own time?

Thanks for all the help and feedback everyone has given.

Edit: Well upon looking around more, I found the answer to my question. Laziness is always a bad thing

JoJoCal19

theanimal wrote: »

Pardon my ignorance but before I dwell too deep into this, I have a simple question.

I noticed a lot of work orders give very very very minimal detail, such as, "Computer won't boot". That's it. So lets say I accept that work order and I go over and I test the power supply, and see that it's dead. What next? Do I help the user order one? Am I supposed to have a supply of power supplies? Do I have to go back then on my own time?

Thanks for all the help and feedback everyone has given.

Edit: Well upon looking around more, I found the answer to my question. Laziness is always a bad thing

Im thinking of joining Onforce. So what was the answer to your question?

Iristheangel

In that scenario, you can call the buyer and get permission to do additional work (extra trip, replacing hardware, buying parts, etc). If the buyer agrees, they will pay for all these things or insist the end-user buy the part/take the charge. If the buyer and end-user don't agree to the additional charges, then you are paid for diagnosing the problem and leave. Some buyers only pay you for your trip fee but the majority of ones I dealt with were like "Well, you diagnosed the problem. You still get paid for it." Depends on the buyer. You at LEAST always get the trip fee if you showed up and gave it your best shot

JoJoCal19

Thanks Iris. I'm going to have to pull more income at the beginning of the year and out of my options, this option is more ideal than my other options of part time jobs.

YFZblu

Noob question - To join OnForce, does one have to legally start some sort of company? The last time I browsed the registration page it didn't look like an individual could sign up as just an individual.

Iristheangel

No, you don't have to legally start a company as long as you don't have employees working for you or subcontracting under you. During the sign up, you can put down Individual/Sole Proprietor