High Quality Computer Assistance... in the 'Middle of Nowhere'?
Rural Digital Services offers fast, reliable computer service in a rural community setting, featuring high quality work by a trained and experienced professional Computer Technician.
Rural Digital Services is unique because on-the-spot service during the "off-hours" is a specialty.
Rural Digital Services is cost-effective for clients because low overhead costs are passed on in the form of savings.
Rural Digital Services gets to your machine quicker, diagnoses and fixes it faster, and charges less than other service companies who have additional charges for calls to your home office during off-peak after-business hours, or may not offer the service at all.
Who is Rural Digital Services?
Rural Digital Services was started in 2008 in response to the incredible and un-met need for computer service in the rural communities of the Northeast Missouri area.
OWNER AND TECHNICIAN AARON SCHNAKENBERG REFLECTS,
"Living and working in rural Northeast Missouri, so many times I heard the question, "Is there any one around here that works on computers?". Most of the time the response was the name of a company miles away that would make house calls, or the name of someone's friend-of-a-friend that was 'good with computers'. My Mom and Dad (himself a computer Director) like to tell the story of teachers and administrators of our rural High School pulling me out of class while attending Middle School, to fix their computer problems.
The big thing with me is that my focus is not the business side of Rural Digital Services. Since I'm employed full time as Technology Coordinator of Putnam County R1 Schools, my larger responsibilities usually end at 4:00 pm, leaving afternoons and weekends open to help others. Computers are my job, but also my passion and what I truly enjoy doing in my off-time.
Most repair shops and field call technicians will only work during the 9-5 work day. This means you either have to give them your computer and wait for them to tell you what's wrong, or be at home during the work day when they come to look at the machine. When they are done you've paid the 1 hour minimum labor charge to possibly tell you that the monitor was in the wrong plug (a 5-second fix).
When I personally worked for one of these 'Other companies' the one thing I couldn't stand having to do was charge an inordinate amount for travel expenses in addition to labor when all I did was spend 5 minutes in front of the screen.
Now that I set my own rates, I try to treat my customers the way I would like to be treated. If it takes me less than 5 min for a field call there's no labor charge. I also charge mileage based on fuel costs, so while the mileage costs change from time to time they are typically half that of other companies.
PC Repair
I don't call it 'Computer Repair' because I don't work with MACs (Apple). I do work on any standard Windows PC (desktop and laptop) and most of their related components (printers, scanners, etc). If in doubt, call me and I will tell you if I can help you.
Working at the school I've been keeping my skills sharp, and over the last 7 years of working on hundreds of computers I've seen nearly every conceivable hardware configuration possible. From a 5 drive raid array on a 24 core server, to a bare-bones netbook that was just for web browsing and basic word processing... I'm familiar with the core of every system.
I can't say I've seen EVERYthing however. If I happen on something that might require a new technique that might not end in success, I'll tell you FIRST. This is rare however, since I test my methods on my own personal hardware first. If something is too risky for my machine would you really want me to experiment with yours?
Programing
I have built database programs for tracking records, awards, etc.
I prefer the C# language and either Access databases or MSSQL. For those who haven't spent the last 6 months of their lives looking at database information, this basically means that:
I can build you a simple database to fit your needs. I can provide one that can be accessed by one person or one that can be accessed by several people at the same time, while giving it a customized user interface that fits with your business, or the task you are working on.
The good news is that you don't need to BUY Access or MSSQL for these programs to work, and I take care of all the setup for you.
