You will need to provide certain support for your Consultant:
 1.       Be There!
This may sound obvious, but some clients fail to turn up at appointments and don’t cancel within 24 hours. If our consultant turns up for the appointment and can’t get in s/he will come back to CompuMentor and we will still charge you the 4-hour minimum. Please be there, we don’t want to charge you for work that doesn’t help you! Also note, our consultants will not work at an unattended site. You cannot just let them in and leave.
2.       Have Keys to Locked Doors and Hardware!
Our consultants may need to physically touch your servers, computers, printers, switches, routers, and other hardware. If some things are locked away, you’ll need to make sure you have the keys when we turn up.ÂÂÂ
3.       Have All Your Admin Passwords!Our consultants may need administrative rights on your computers, or for technology services you use. In order to minimize the cost of our services, make sure you have the administrative account log-in and passwords for your technology, including your servers, your software (especially server software like email or database servers), your internet service provider(s), your firewall, and any other device, service or software you have. If you do not have these we may still be able to help, but it may take more time, and you may lose more data.ÂÂÂ
4.       Be Prepared to Prioritize Issues and Decide What Should be Tackled!
Troubleshooting technology problems is an iterative process. The extent of a problem is not always clear until some examination has taken place, and some issues require working through a long list of possible solutions until the right one is found. Sometimes a solution cannot be found in a reasonable timeframe. Our consultant will start by working with you to document the issues you are facing and will then estimate how long each issue will take to resolve. You will need to be able to prioritize these issues and decide how much effort a particular problem is worth. Our consultant will require your initials on a mutually-agreed-to work plan, and will need to clear any changes or any expenses with you during the course of the engagement.
5.       Back Up Your Data in Advance!
Our consultants do not normally spend time backing up your systems before they start work. Any troubleshooting on computer systems has the potential to destroy data. If you have data that is critical to your organization (and most of us do!) make sure you make a backup beforehand. (Note: If you can’t back up, let our consultants know and we’ll explain the risks and discuss your options with you.)
6.       Have Copies of Software, License Keys and Configuration Settings at Hand!
Many problems are best solved by re-installing software. Copies of software with license keys may shorten the time it takes to resolve an issue. (Note: Our consultants will not knowingly install software that is not licensed.)  Having hard copies of your systems’ configuration will allow us to set up software the way it used to be.
What this is for
We send this checklist to clients to read before we make our first visit. They don't always read it, but it doesn't hurt to send it.
My problem with this document is that it's too much text, which is a barrier to comprehension. I think it could be improved by putting the four things we really want the client to know at the top, and if they feel like reading further then they can get the rest.
I also wonder if there are ways to improve the percentage of clients who read this kind of thing by presenting the material differently. Would it be more effective as a Flash animation? Or a stack of trading cards? If there is color or images?
Something to think about for when providing materials to clients. Check Beyond Bullets for more ideas. The site is specifically tailored to power-point style presentations, but I think the principles apply to other formats.
Zac
Zac Mutrux
Consultant and Commonist
CompuMentor