Office Equipment Repair In-house or Service Contract

Office equipment repair can present a bit of a nightmare for companies that rely on equipment to do their jobs.  Office equipment repair expense can be a budget item and figured into the operating costs, but some businesses may wait until there is problem.  Part of the office equipment repair expense includes the office equipment repair personnel.  An hourly rate for a repair person can be costly because it is a specialized service and often the problems occur when an immediate repair is needed.  This immediacy can cost even more.

Office equipment repair may be something that a company factors into their budget by hiring someone who is able to address the repair needs without calling in a repair service.  Some equipment, such as copiers come with service plans that can be purchased.  This allows the client to call for assistance and maintenance as a part of a monthly payment and not based on something going wrong.  Service plans can a good way for companies to save some money over time because the hourly charges wont be an issue fro each service or maintenance call.

Some businesses choose to hire their own office equipment repair personnel.  These people can troubleshoot problems, do preventative maintenance and are onsite so that there is very little response time for doing the repairs.  In addition, the repair people may have other positions in the company or be responsible for other technical services such as computer trainings and in this way, their salary can be allocated to different areas of the company.  Depending on how large the company is, the combined position might be an ideal way to hire the personnel needed as a single person. 

Since nearly every office has some sort of equipment, could this be a fast-growing career?  It is projected to increase by approximately seven percent over the next decade.  This is a bit slower than other careers, but there are going to be some office equipment repair jobs available.  This career path also provides entry level opportunities with a high school diploma and some electronics experience.  Typically, a person interested in this work will attend a post secondary training program to receive a certificate, but some will go on to get a degree for more specialty.

Many office equipment repair jobs will require a bit more of company specific training once hired because there is some variety of machinery to work on and each may need some special tools to perform the repairs or maintenance.  As the company grows or the equipment becomes more specialized, the training to maintain and to do the repairs also can become more specialized.  Once a person is familiar with the office equipment, then (s)he can determine if there is more training needed.  If that person assists with the purchase of new equipment, then (s)he will know what to expect for the repair and maintenance of new machinery.

Office equipment repair can be a nightmare for companies to deal with, but with some planning, the costs can be lessened.  Looking for service plans can keep expensive repair calls to a minimum.  Hiring an in-house repair person can also help because there is little to no waiting time for response from a repair service.  Whatever the budget plan is for repair costs, as long as a company plans for the eventual repair of machinery and for the maintenance of the equipment then there are no huge bills to deal with when something happens.  If you want to pursue a career in this field, there are training programs available for both certificates and for degrees in electronics.