Video contribution Shane Rymer & Thomas Hawthorne
Your server just went down, customers can’t access your website and all business stops – but it doesn’t have to. With one swipe on your smartphone, you can get connected with a tech specialist and, BOOM, you are up and running in no time.
Boomtown an on-demand tech support company for small- to medium-sized businesses has expanded its operations to the Valley from the Bay Area. Boomtown co-founder & head of operations Paul Wyer said, “They selected Phoenix as a place to expand operational support because the Valley is a hub for rapidly growing startup and enterprise businesses, and the resources here are highly valued.”
[youtube]http://youtu.be/afm4Sdgog30[/youtube]
Paul Wyer talks expansion and gives a demo of Boomtown
For many who have been on the other end of the phone with IT support, the bulk of the conversation ends up trying to describe what is or is not happening on the screen-not for Boomtown customers.
Through the Boomtown app, once the customer swipes down the exclamation mark to activate the help request, a technical support representative engages in a video chat to walk the customer through their problem.
If the problem can’t be fixed remotely, the representative can schedule an appointment or dispatch a technician immediately. With an UBER-like format, the customer can track the progress of their technician to their location, then provide feedback about the experience.
Boomtown! aims to make their tech services affordable and offers a variety of packages for small businesses. For as little as $24 per month, members can receive 60 minutes of remote support and a reduced rate for priority on-site support, reporting fees, and more.
Many times with technology, the problem that originally started as a two-hour job could turn into a six-hour job. Wyer explains that to manage cost, each job has a dedicated manager who does their best to understand the customer’s problem before the technician arrives. If the job ends up requiring more support than anticipated, the manager can offer an immediate estimate.
Boomtown also offers 24/7 business monitoring, technology advice, and installations. “Boomtown has refrigeration and network monitoring and reporting,” Wyer said. “These features allow business owners to receive updates via their mobile device from the Boomtown app.”
Boomtown currently has over 380 certified technicians located in all major cities with a fifty-fifty split of servicing retail businesses and restaurants. Each technician is required to complete training programs at the company’s “Boomtown Academy” before they are assigned to particular jobs. Wyer said they are looking for technicians who have a passion for IT and care about the small merchant and their problems.
Boomtown was founded in February 2014 and launched their app in September 2014. Since then the company has raised $3 million in seed capital in two rounds from four investors.
Wyer shares that Boomtown has partnered with some of the biggest mobile point-of-sale providers, such as Square, Leapset, Clover, ShopKeep and talech to help small businesses succeed.
Boomtown is currently headquartered in Tiburon, CA and have set up their operations in Scottdale. Wyer said the local offices will house the project management team, remote support team and technician network, and are actively looking to expand their Phoenix-based technician team.
Who else is expanding to the Valley?
Photos courtesy of Boomtown!
Article updated for clarification about Boomtown partners since original post