In this discussion, Nolan Formalarie, owner of Discover NC Homes, introduces a groundbreaking service known as TechConnect, offered by NEST in St. James Plantation. Jerry Passione reveals how the service, launched in late 2021, aims to provide hands-on assistance for personal and in-home technology devices and applications. From troubleshooting issues to guiding users on device setup and transitions, TechConnect covers a wide spectrum of technology-related challenges. The interview sheds light on the service’s areas of expertise, its process of operation, and the significant increase in service requests it has experienced since its launch.

Here is the interview:

Nolan
Hello, this is Nolan from DiscoverNCHomes and Nolan’s News and I have Jerry Passione with me. Jerry, how are you today?

Jerry
I’m doing great, thank you.

Nolan
Well, thank you for being here. So we’re here to talk about NEST, which is an unbelievable organization in St. James Plantation, and it’s all about neighbors helping neighbors. And Jerry is with the TechConnect, service of Nest, which is a new service that’s actually been added in late 2021. So Jerry, can you just tell us a little bit about the service?

Jerry
Sure. It is a new service. It was launched in September of 2021, and it’s all about providing hands on assistance, relative to personal or in-home technology devices and applications.

Nolan
Very nice, which we all could use, I’m sure. So, we were talking earlier, Jerry, what are some of the most requested services that have come in through Nest?

Jerry
I’ll approach it from a couple of angles – One, from a technology perspective, and then Secondly, from a functional/support perspective. So it fits into four buckets, the kinds of things that we deal with and support folks with.

First and foremost, there’s the troubleshooting aspect of what we do: if a member has reported a particular problem and they can’t get the printer to work or they’ve got a printer jam, or they may be having trouble with email- so we would go in and try to help them diagnose and fix that problem.

Nolan
So troubleshooting with almost any device.

Jerry
Yeah, for the most part we can undertake different technologies based on the skillset of the organization. We could also provide how to guidance. So if it’s not a critical problem, but somebody wants to know how to set up email on a device, or they want to understand how to work their new Apple watch that they may have gotten for Christmas. So there’s that aspect of consultation and guidance.

We also provide assistance with the installation of a new device, a new printer, a new monitor, a new keyboard. So something brand new and they need help setting it up, we can do that.

And then there’s a component of migration, where they want to move from an older iPad to a new iPad and they want to make sure that they move the data. So, providing that sort of transitional support to the new device.

From a technology perspective, with computers, laptops, desktops, streaming media, and that could be streaming media both resident on a smart tv as well as through a streaming media device like an Apple tv or Roku or an Amazon Firestick. It could it could also include printers and scanners and then networking components, and some folks have problems with networking from time to time, where they can’t connect a certain device to the network or the router has gone out so, you know ,computers, printers, streaming media, and then the network, those are the major areas.

Nolan
So how does the service work? If I’m part of Nest and I’m needing your help, how does it work? Walk me through how the process works.

Jerry
Well, it’s basically the members would submit a service request, and then from the pull down menu on the type of service that they’re looking for, they would just punch in “tech connect.”

Nolan
Okay, and do you actually go to the home or is it just over the phone

Jerry
For the most part, we would go to the home. I mean, there’ve been a couple of things that we’ve been able to do remotely, but it’s important to be able to assess the situation and see what the environment is like.

Nolan
First class service! So, and you and I were discussing earlier that you came online in 2021, how has the service, and we’re talking about the service requests, you’ve had quite an uptick in that.

Jerry
Yeah. So, at this point we’ve had a total of about 70 service requests since we launched the service in September, 2021. We have seen an uptick. So for 2021 and 2022, we were averaging about two to three service requests per month. And now, in 2023, we’ve jumped up a little bit to three to five service requests. So we’re just getting out there about what we can do.

Nolan
That is phenomenal! So Jerry, if I purchased my brand new TV, and I purchased a bracket for it and my soundbar, so you’ll come over and put it on the wall and hang it? So what are your parameters?

Jerry
Well, not necessarily. There are a few things that we try to stay away from. Those are the things that are basically unsafe for the volunteer or the member, like mounting a large screen TV on a wall. Best to bring in Best Buy or Geek Squad to be able to do something like that.

And then there’s the issues that are complex, where you need the right set of tools for things like malware and viruses. They can be very, very challenging, to eliminate those completely from a computer. So those would be better served by a professional. And then major upgrades to operating systems, because chances are if you’ve got an older computer, that can be very challenging because you may not have the memory, you may not have the storage to be able to handle it.

Nolan
That’s phenomenal. So, all in all, you guys are a pretty encompassing service that does a lot of this, which is great that you actually go over to the home. I know I get very frustrated sometimes being on the phone with someone and not being able to do that. Again, great, great service.

So if you haven’t utilized, we’ll put the NEST information in this video for you. So, please by all means, reach out. It’s a wonderful organization. And Jerry, thank you so much for coming.

Jerry
You are welcome. Thank you.

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NEST – Tech Connect
Website: https://sjnest.helpfulvillage.com/
Help Desk Phone Number: (910) 250-8388

About Nolan Formalarie

Nolan Formalarie has been in the North Carolina Real Estate Industry for over 8 years and enjoys every minute of it. He is involved in every aspect of the industry including selling and purchasing residential property, home watch services, property management, association management and construction.