Brian on the Advisory Council of the Apple Consultants Network

This week it was announced that I would be joining a small group of accomplished Mac consultants to serve as the Advisory Council for the Apple Consultants Network.

As you know, BestMacs has been a long-standing member of the ACN. For almost all of our 10 years, we have proudly displayed its logo next to ours. Membership is my direct link to Apple and also provides opportunities for discussion with my peers across the country.

But when I sat down to tell you all about this great honor and privilege, it made me think about what my ACN membership does for you. Sure, big deal to me, but what do you get out of it? Indirectly, you benefit from BestMacs being smarter as a result of program benefits. But I’m thinking more of direct benefits to you; in other words: what does BestMacs’ membership in the ACN allow us to do for you that we could not do for you otherwise?

The biggest that comes to mind is my working relationship with the Business Teams at the Apple Retail Stores in KC and Leawood. That’s no small thing, but I feel like there’s so much more opportunity for win-win-win for BestMacs, for Apple, and most importantly for you.

And that’s what I intend to push this year by committing the time to the Advisory Council: sniffing out those win-win-win ideas and helping make them a reality, not just for you and I but for all ACNs and their customers.

Ultimately, it means better quality of work for you, healthier business for BestMacs, and a stronger presence for Apple in the B2B and in-home markets.

(Needless to say, I’m excited to be a part of it.)

So Long 2009

Today is the last day of 2009.  All week I’ve been working on BestMacs housekeeping, as well as new “products” and internal processes.

I moved to Lawrence in late October 1999 and started BestMacs shortly thereafter, so 2010 represents our tenth year in business.  But right now, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on what has been, in many ways, a tough 2009.

The recession hit all of us pretty hard.  Those of us involved in the Mac market have been blessed by a number of good decisions on Apple’s part that at the very least kept us from losing ground.  For BestMacs, I had to face my own tough decisions including “reinventing” the business so that we can be sustainable in the long term.

I’m happy to say that the decision and subsequent actions, while some imperfect, were the right ones.  Many of you, our loyal customers, have told me that you’ve seen the improvements in our service from both the technical work to the big strides in customer service.  With the help of our friends and partners, BestMacs is growing, but unlike years past it’s a controlled growth that I measure carefully to ensure that our values and commitments are not in jeopardy.  The team and I meet weekly to ensure that we are on track in training and workflow.  Overall, I’m very pleased with our progress and hope that you are too.

None of this would be possible without you.  So while we say goodbye to ‘09, I want to take one more moment this year to express my sincere appretiation for your patronage and loyalty, and to thank you for being my customer.

I realize that you have choices when it comes to choosing Mac support.  Yet, you have been loyal to me and my team and I’m grateful for it.  To that end, I’m going to do my best in the coming year(s) to continue to earn your loyalty by providing the absolute best services I can.

I can hardly wait to show you what we have on tap for 2010, but until then, I look forward to serving you and wish you and your family health, happiness, and good fortune.

Measure the Quality of Certifications

Don't even get me started about getting 9.66 questions out of 10 correct.

Recently, I updated my Apple Support Professional certification to Snow Leopard.  One of our company values is “High quality of work.”  Apple Certification speaks to this value by recognizing our technical competency and helping us maintain credibility as the area’s best Mac support.

But this certification is simply passing a Support Essentials test: 86 questions taken in a closed environment to prove that you know the material.  When the test is over, a passing grade means you can safely boast that you know many of the underlying functions of OS X and how to support it.  Or can you?

Don’t assume that just because someone says they are Apple Certified that they will deliver the highest quality of work to you and your Mac.

Certification can prove that someone knows a topic or it can prove that they can memorize some material long enough to pass a test.  This is the reason a doctor has to be in residency for at least 2 years before being granted a license. Without a sufficient amount of real world experience, a certification means nothing.

Anyone can plunk down $200 and take the test.  You can prepare for it by taking a $2000 week-long class, buying a $40 book… or you can really know the material.

My preparation for the test was to take 20 minutes to make sure I’m thinking “Apple’s way,” and then to rely on 20 years of Mac experience.  I was in and out of the 2.5 hour test in 40 minutes.  I don’t say this to brag – ok, maybe a little – but rather to point out that my Apple certificate is not memorization of a book, or a class I just took; it’s a representation of a skill set I already have.

Starting in April, my team and I have been holding weekly training sessions with the Support Essentials curriculum as our guide.  Like me, their skills are not the result of memorizing a book – it’s from months of solid review and training, as well as at least a year or two of working under my guidance with Macs and OS X Server.

When you see one of your BestMacs team in the Apple Certification Registry, you’ll know that the title represents a true understanding of the Mac and that this will translate into the best quality of work for you.

CLOSED MONDAY

We will be closed Monday, May 25th for Memorial Day.

Don’t Update Day

Apparently, it’s “Don’t Update Day” at BestMacs.

A big thanks to Molly and Jacob for posting articles regarding the 10.5.7 update and our policy to not do updates the day (or even the week) that they are released.  In fact, Jacob’s advice is excellent: let us install the update (we’re brave) on our computers, check it out, and research it.  We can be your guinea pigs! And then come back here to BestMacs.com to see if there’s anything to worry about.

This all reminded me of a similar article I wrote back in March of last year.  I’ve copied it for you below.

Click here to read the article

BestMacs 2.0 Update

We’ve been keeping our retainer clients up-to-date, but now we can share it with everyone!

I’m happy to announce that last week, BestMacs sold the “retail” part of its business. You know…the part that started on 6th Street, moved down to the basement of Holiday Plaza and last year grew into 3010 FourWheel Drive. It was this retail part of the business that sold new Macs and did warranty repairs for anyone off the street.

OK, Brian, so what does this mean for me?

A lot, because it allows our team to be more focused on the most valuable service we can bring you – satisfying the needs of your Mac-powered business. I have always believed that the core strength of BestMacs is our ability to deliver robust, Mac-based services and solutions to clients that depend on their Macs for their very livelihood. BestMacs means business, and divesting ourselves from retail allows us to focus 100% on business…yours.

With this sharpened focus, we are in the process of re-thinking and retooling every BestMacs’ operating process; from the way that you reach us on the phone to the way we track projects and work tickets. But it goes WAY beyond that. Over the next few weeks, we’ll introduce you to glimpses of what’s around the corner.

It’s true…the more things change, the more they stay the same.

For all our organizational changes, the vast majority of our customers won’t notice any difference in the most important aspect of working with BestMacs—your relationship with us as your trusted provider for Mac satisfaction. Every service that BestMacs previously provided you, we will continue to do. If you asked us to “handle” procurement, we will continue to do so. If you asked us to fix a broken Mac under warranty, we’ll continue to make sure it gets done correctly and timely. And you can always count on us to deliver the best possible integration, workflow, backup, troubleshooting, and security for all of your Macs.
We know you depend on your Mac to work for you. So you can always depend on us to work on your Macs. Sure we’re experiencing some changes, but change is good. When it comes to trusting BestMacs for complete Mac satisfaction, it’s all good.

So, if BestMacs is no longer a “retailer,” can I still buy a Mac from BestMacs?

BestMacs can and will still help you choose the optimal computer system/integration for your business needs. But, for hardware procurement, we can now go to any vendor under the sun. This is a good change. Before we were obligated to purchase via our relationship with MacXprts (our past retail resource). We are no longer. We believe this ultimately means more latitude/best options for our business customers.

If you still want to purchase via MacXprts, we can. Cindy Bracker Sturm, my former assistant, is leaving BestMacs to pick up where I left off, heading up Lawrence’s MacXprts sales and repair. Cindy may have already contacted you to tell you about the exciting plans she has made. We wish her luck in her new business.

If Cindy’s no longer at BestMacs, who is answering your phones?

Molly, Josh, Jacob, me – all of us!

Call our new office numbers:

• in Lawrence 785-344-0161
• in the KC Metro 913-279-9226,
• anywhere else 1-866-BESTMAC.

Our new phone system “intelligently” tries to reach the next available BestMacs team member (regardless of location), so you have the greatest possible chance of reaching a live person. If you don’t reach someone “live,” your voicemail gets emailed automatically and expeditiously to our new ticketing system. Our team checks this system hourly, so your call is typically returned on the same business day.

This is just one of the many improvements that our team, our advisers, and I are working on every day to improve the way we serve you. And again, just wait till you see what we have in store. Stay tuned to this website for all the news.  I think you’re going to love it.

Above all else, please know that your business is important to me and every member of the BestMacs team. Most valued is the relationship that we have forged together over the years. BestMacs turns 10 this year, and this is a testament to the relationship we’ve created with you. Thank you for your continued trust. This is going to be the best year so far. Personally, I can’t wait to share it with you.