Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Kolchinsky.
Joseph, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
The initial seeds for OneVision were actually planted 2001 when I was 17 years old. At the time I was completely immersed in technology, comfortable with complexities and eager to put my knowledge to work. A family hired me to rip CDs to MP3s for their first iPod and shortly thereafter, began requesting that I manage other technology in their lives, such as computers and cell phones.
Soon, this service I was offering began to generate referrals. Eventually, what started as a way to make a few extra bucks had grown into a legitimate business providing a full suite of personal technology management services to families in the Boston area.
Eventually these families asked me to manage the growing number of IoT devices in their homes, like smart thermostats and light switches. This experience led me to realize that what my clients needed was a Technology Manager for the ongoing support of all their technology needs.
Looking ahead, we knew the need for high quality support would grow as smart home devices became part of the fabric of the home. We set out on a mission to become everyone’s Technology Manager by providing high-quality 24/7 remote support to homeowners across the country.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Our biggest challenge was figuring out how to provide exceptional service. No one likes the Comcast experience. 24/7 access to remote support is a great place to start and in isolation, easy enough to scale up. For the past two years, we’ve been hiring the best Apple Store Geniuses in the Boston area to do exactly this. But our experience taught us that, for some issues, an in-home visit would be required. We knew we needed a local presence in every market we wanted to serve.
To solve this challenge, we created a nationwide partner network with local smart-home installers who belong to the Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association (CEDIA). CEDIA companies have been installing smart homes for decades, going back to the early 80s.
Because technology driving the smart home has become much more affordable but also increasingly fragile, many CEDIA companies are struggling to keep up with the increasing demand for faster and better service. So partnering with them was a perfect match.
We faced some challenges as we set up our partners, developed processes, and facilitated training; we were effectively building a franchise. Changing the culture and implementing structured process at each small company we partnered with was a challenge, but ultimately worthwhile because together we’re able to provide an unparalleled service experience.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
OneVision is in a unique position to address the growing need for high-quality service and support in the smart home. Leaning on our deep expertise in providing concierge-level service to local Boston families, we’ve been able to build out the infrastructure and highly-trained support team needed to provide excellent support 24/7/365.
By pairing our offerings with the established and highly-qualified partners in our network, we also have a unique combination of both a local presence and their meaningful client relationships that are absolutely vital to ensuring a great user experience.
The smart home used to be prohibitively expensive for most people. Now, this technology is coming within reach for broad segments of the market. However, most will agree that high quality support is a missing piece of the puzzle that still needs to be addressed for the smart home to be a success. OneVision is the only company executing on a plan which is aimed squarely at addressing this challenge.
What ultimately sets us apart from others is that we see technology support as first being a human issue, and only later being a technical issue. For instance, let’s consider a grandmother who is having trouble with the network connection on her iPad. She’s highly frustrated. But what is the real problem? She uses her iPad every day to FaceTime with her grandson. She looks forward to this every day, and not being able to make that human connection becomes deeply upsetting.
That’s why we have always hired on EQ (emotional intelligence) and train our technology specialists to quickly detect and address these underlying emotional concerns first and foremost. We address ~1,500 unique technology issues a month. Pick any one of these events at random and I assure you, you will find an underlying emotional concern beyond the technical one. That is the problem we are really trying to solve for.
What were you like growing up?
I was always entrepreneurial and disliked school, spending my time thinking of new ways to solve problems, building businesses and exploring opportunities. My parents immigrated to the US in the early 80s and were entrepreneurs themselves starting multiple businesses. My brother, seven years older, included me in all his endeavors. It was a safe and encouraging environment to explore the world and try new things.
Most of my ideas didn’t work, but the experience gained by always trying to innovate was formative in my childhood. At the age of 8 I had identified a new way to save trees. The answer was clear in my head and I knew it would be a big business. I was going to…wait for it…”copy paper.
In my college years, I knew I loved technology and working with people. I’m lucky to have ended up with a career perfectly suited to my passions.
Contact Info:
- Address: 11 Elkins Street
Boston, MA 02127 - Website: www.onevisionresources.com
- Email: joseph@onevisionresources.com
Image Credit:
Doug Walter
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