Virtual Entrepreneur

Post-Crescent:
In a time when more corporations are searching for ways to automate customer service, entrepreneurs who cater to people constantly on the go are filling a niche.

The days of house calls are not over.

Business owners are earning livings by offering their services either at their clients’ homes or on their clients’ schedules.

For some owners, offering house calls is about providing a better experience for their customers. Jennifer Gorshe, owner of Serene Massage Body Therapy, said she started working in homes when she had a client who uses a wheelchair and saw how he struggled to get to her studio.

“I thought, I can come to his house offer my services, and he was comfortable in his house,” she said. Her therapeutic massage business is based in Shawano and she serves clients in the Fox Cities.

Other customers enjoy it because they stay relaxed after their in-home massage, and do not have to bundle up on cold days and drive themselves home.

Jason Burgett, whose alter ego is The Computer Guy, says it is beneficial for him to work on customers’ computers in their homes because he can take the time to explain what he’s doing. About 80 percent of those who call him want to sit nearby and hear how he is solving a problem on their machine.

They’re interested, he said, because they have the ability to fix things on their computer already, but know that doing so on their own will entail hours on the phone with customer service and searching Web browsers for tips from other computer users.

“It’s worth their time to say, ‘I’m going to get somebody in here to fix it in an hour, hour and a half,’” Burgett said. “Every time you go in, you come out kind of a hero.”

One constant chore for dog owners is to get their pets bathed and groomed. Pam Case, owner of Dog Gone Clean Mobile Dog Grooming Service in Appleton, works with all types of dogs, including those that develop a fear of being packed in their crate and taken to a cold grooming environment.

Three years ago, she had a 26-foot Ford van outfitted to become a salon on wheels with an 80-gallon water tank, a table, tub and cabinets for her holistic and nature-safe products.

Case, who has years of experience as a trainer and connections with a large network of people in the canine industry, knew she could develop a client base that would pay to have someone come to their homes on a regular basis to give their pets some TLC.

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