Sam Valencia, Jerry Zigmont and Joe Saponare discuss working with Apple technology and clients. Drawn from their combined experience of over 20 years in the Apple Consultants Network, they discuss technical support issues both with the technology and working with clients.

Command Control Power: Apple Tech Support & Business Talk

444: Entrepreneurial Spirit

Topics: -Joe had some audio troubles. Could it be that he spilled water on his own computer? -Jerry is tied of the “How did we do?” surveys for phone support. -A Thanksgiving recap. -Will Joe get a puppy? -During Thanksgiving dinner, Jerry had to clarify that the FBI were not providing free Wi-Fi. -Tech support for family is par for the course over the holidays. -AT&T and T-Mobile have discounts for seniors but…only in Florida. -After buying an AirTag, Jerry finds a nifty case from Elevation Lab. But he was not pleased with the outcome. -After listening to The Beatles Documentary, Let It Be, Jerry gifts us his review. -While on the subject, Sam recommends The Velvet Underground documentary.  -Joe likes the From the Basement series -How do you troubleshoot communicating with an Apple TV when you didn’t bring the remote with you? -Sam uses his phone to prank his son when using Siri on Apple TV.

443: FBI Surveillance Van

Thank you to our VIP sponsors! Special Thanks to our friends: Topics: -Jerry encounters a personal situation with a client and Joe recalls similar situations, even remotely. -Does this photo look like an electrical outlet or two USB ports? -Joe has a heck of a day involving QuickBooks support. -Unbelievably, after considerable support time on what he believed to be a Mac, Joe’s client sends him a photo that surprises him. -Clients lack of planning shouldn’t be our emergency. -Prepaid hourly blocks can feel like free work if enough time passes. -Jerry asks the question; Is it Connect4 or Control4? -One of Jerry’s clients cannot grasp the concept of cloud vs local music. And the A/V tech was not helping. -Complex A/V systems can be cumbersome for a user. -Joe experiences problems with a UniFi/Sonos setup. -Using a modem purchased separately rather than “renting” from the ISP can be a good alternative.

442: Streaming, It's A Good Thing

Topics: -After conversing with some old friends, Sam hears of the crazy concept of ending your workday at 5 or 6PM. -Sam feels like he may be reaching a breaking point of work/life balance being tipped too far over. -He talks about Craig Cohen at HCS who starts his day at 6 AM and leaves his laptop at the office at the end of the day. -Sam realizes his productivity is hurt by his lack of focus. -Command-Tab is Joe’s “what the heck am I doing?” shortcut. -HCS is hiring! We need someone that has Jamf 200 certification or better to join our team. Reach out to Sam via MacAdmins Slack or email if you are interested. -Joe let’s Sam know that a new hire will actually add to his workload. At least initially. -What is multitasking? -Jerry asks the question, should you be taking on less work to fit your life? -Jerry also talks about the responsibility of taking care of people on your payroll. -Perhaps a schedule of when to work after hours is a good start. -Transitioning to tech, Jerry has an odd issue where Apple Mail was not respecting the Reply All button. -Once you break the drives in a fusion drive iMac, the data is difficult to retrieve. -Jerry has another weird one after a data transfer.

441: Save Changes and Shut Down

Topics: -Jerry finds a great deal with AT&T where you can turn in an older iPhone, only to find that it’s not so great.  -To top it off, the iPhone he returns gets “lost” in the mail. -1Password recently released a very welcomed new feature to share credentials with users, even if they do not have a 1Password account themselves. https://support.1password.com/share-items/ -One of Sam’s clients also used 1Password and he describes how to invite people and share vaults. -A big win for Daylite (daylitemac.com) as Sam had to retrieve an important email communication with a client in order to show the onus was on the client to make a key decision. -Both 1Password and Daylite by Market Circle are very friendly to the ACN community. -Jerry has a good iOS 15 Control Center tip. -What is Apple Music Voice Plan? -Sam signed up for AppleOne Premier, since he was already paying for a variety of Apple services  that equalled the same price. -Jerry is frustrated about how Apple News notifies you about an interesting article, only to show a service he needs to subscribe to. -One of Jerry’s clients had lost access to their iCloud account. He describes the painstaking steps he had to take to try to have his client remember their iPhone unlock code. -Joe has almost the exact same story with one of his clients.

440: A Link Of Confusion In The Chain Of Trust

439: Managed Services discussion with Luis Giraldo

Topics: -This week we welcome back Adam Engst of TidBITS Content Network. -The supply chain issues are hitting many areas hard. -Finding people to hire is no easy task of late. Adam gives us his thoughts based on recent research. -Quality of life is affecting people’s decisions to go back to work. -Adam uses Keyboard Maestro to automate specific tasks: https://www.keyboardmaestro.com/main/ -Sam is seeing customers that would rather pick up in store, even if the specifications are not exactly what they want, rather than wait for the supply chain delays. -Joe & Jerry were comparing new models but didn’t quite pull the trigger. -Not just increased processing power and unified memory, but faster SSDs. -The 1080p HD FaceTime camera is still weak but better than the 720p camera in previous models. -Adam talks about ergonomics like desktop height and keyboard/trackpads. -He recommends a roller mouse from Contour Designs: https://www.contourdesign.com -Does virtualization change anything for people on Apple Silicon? -Gamers are still staying away from the Mac platform. -Monterey appears to be an easier upgrade process in comparison to the issues that have plagued Big Sur. -Upgrading from Mojave is still troublesome: https://mrmacintosh.com/macos-upgrade-to-big-sur-failed-stuck-progress-bar-fix-prevention/ -Get your Apple gifts on the early side as supply chain issues could affect timing. -If you aren’t already a subscriber, get well written, professional Apple Content for you to use with your customers with TidBITS Content Network.

438: Interview With Adam Engst Of the TidBITS Content Network

Thank you to our VIP sponsors! Special Thanks to our friends: Topics: -This week we welcome Dan Monge of Monge IT Consulting / Mac IT Pros -In addition to running his business, Dan works with Watchman Monitoring in a variety of capacities. -We have our usual Watchman discussion where we discuss use cases and helpful tips. -Joe installs Watchman on his company computers as well, to keep tabs on the health of his equipment. -Dan adds “Connect to Server” shares to make it easier for users to mount network volumes. -Dan focuses on businesses only and refers any residential referrals to a fellow consultant. Dan & Jerry talk about the fall of Google Ads and being mistaken for Apple. -Another hat tip to our friends at TidBITS Content Network. -smith.ai chat feature has really helped Jerry for no additional cost. -Zendesk has a chat feature that Sam has put to use. -What is chaff? Is it champing or chomping at the bit? -The group discusses failed (or were they?) marketing ideas. -Do you still use business cards? -Company shirts and branded equipment gets noticed. -Dan tries to convince Joe to move away from hourly to monthly plans. -In Dan’s parting words, he encourages listeners to become patrons. 

437: Interview With Dan Monge Of Mac IT Pros

Topics: -Sam shares a story about a stolen iPhone that, thankfully has a good ending. -Joe debates an upgrade to the latest iPhone. He still has “the good phone”. -AT&T has a great trade in deal that Jerry took advantage of. -Jerry talks about the text capturing feature of iOS 15 vs Text Sniper. -Have you tried to type “and” and your iPhone converted it to “abs”? -An update on how to share photos to your Apple TV. Should Joe have known this? -Microsoft Word has a transcription feature that Adam Codega reminded Jerry about. -New segment: “Things everybody else knows”. -Joe discusses some of the video features within Zoom. -As Joe looks into green screen options, Sam has a good recommendation from El Gato: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0743Z892W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 -While out at a brewery to “eat”, Joe finds the restaurant uses a QR code to pay with Toast. This was a use case for app clips on the iPhone. -MacPractice was having trouble on a weekly basis at one of Jerry’s clients. The fix was an odd one. -The crew does their regular Dolly Drive check in. -We make predictions about Apple’s latest announcement. -Jerry has a heck of a time with a residential client having trouble playing music throughout their house. Using a hidden 5 GHz did the trick. -Sam’s attempt at humor doesn’t amuse Jerry.

436: Things Everyone Knows That I Want To Talk About

Topics: -Joe has to troubleshoot his own internet connection with the ISP. -GoNetSpeed appears to be a new provider in the Fairfield County area in CT. https://gonetspeed.com -Jerry has some challenges connecting routers that auto config to an Altice modem/router from Optimum Online. -One of Sam’s clients decided to upgrade their ISP service without involving his team. -Changing the all in one modem/router solutions can be extremely frustrating. -Another one of Sam’s clients was down after the wiring consultant installed new equipment. It turned out to be oversight but it required a Saturday visit. -Upgrading from Mojave to Big Sur is enough of an issue where there is a MacAdmins channel dedicated to it. (Channel: Mojave-Upgrade-Problem). -Jerry has joined the Apple Silicon bandwagon. -Has anybody else seen performance issues on Apple Silicon that requires a restart?

435: Less Than A Minute Remaining

Topics: -We welcome Jon Brown of Grove Technologies. Jon is a long time VIP supporter of the show. -Jon recalls attending a WWE even with the CCP crew, thanks to Joe’s sister. -Starting a new business proved to be challenging initially. He talks about his learning curve and experiences building his current business. -Jon has a concept like Uber for Tech Support. -Grove Technologies is going to offer its internal SaaS based tool for other businesses and industries. There are integrations built for other tools like Addigy, Watchman, Jamf, etc. -Working with others as a sub contractor can help broaden your area of expertise as a company. -Hiring remote technicians has proven to be useful to Jon’s business model. -Should you increase your onsite rate vs remote? -Do your clients care if you or your staff make onsite visits to their offices? -Grove Technologies has put their stake in the ground about being a remote only support company. -People still don’t seem to grasp the concept of password management or Multi-Factor Authentication. -Cybersecurity training for end users can be incredibly useful. It can also provide some discounts with insurance. -Malwarebytes for Mac proves to be less powerful than the Windows version.  -Hook Security and Breach Secure Now are two big services to help with employee training. -Jerry has some recommended security methods for his clients. -Customers have a tendency to conflate security terms like VPN vs firewall. -Jon wants you to become a sponsor of the show! 

434: Interview With Jon Brown CEO of Grove Technologies

Thank you to our VIP sponsors! Special Thanks to our friends: Topics: -Joe ponders the question, what about requiring a monthly plan? -Everyone debates the merits of a managed services only approach. -One of Jerry’s customers mistakenly deleted mass amounts of Gmail data synced with Apple Mail. Retrieval wasn’t a simple solution due to how Google “labels” items in comparison to folders in Apple Mail. -One of Tim’s clients that stored everything in Apple Mail had a catastrophic issue. -Is Apple Mail a professional mail client? The ongoing debate continues. -Backupify offers native server side backups for Google and Microsoft 365.  -Backblaze affiliate accounts can be an additional revenue stream for consultants. -Alerting customers to issues that come from services like Watchman Monitoring is one thing. But getting them to take action is another.

433: Part 2 with Tim Nyberg of The MacGuys+

Topics: -Tim Nyberg joins us as a guest co-host -Half of Tim’s small business clients have either gone away or gone out of business. -Tim had to adjust his business to being a “one man show” again. -The stress of letting people go is tough for any business owner. -Joe’s latest newsletter impresses Jerry. -The frequency of newsletters and their purpose is debated and discussed. -Infusionsoft is Tim’s CRM. He uses RepairShopr as well. -Another consideration is the ratio of educational vs marketing newsletters. -Naturally, the conversation begins to shift to sole proprietors vs a small business with employees. -What questions are you trying to answer in your business model? -Joe talks about how he used to carry RAM in his bag when he visited clients. -The Personal Support Plan by Watchman Monitoring was the spark for some consultancies using the MSP model. -As we discuss the age old question of charging for Watchman Monitoring, Jerry has gone the route of moving clients to a larger package to include Addigy MDM as well. 

432: Skin In The Game - Part 1 with Tim Nyberg of The MacGuys+

Topics: -Jerry describes some of his wireless challenges in his house as he moves from Eero to UniFi.  -The UniFi Doorbell G4 is the latest addition to his UniFi suit of products. -Using a headless Mac mini, he utilizes Home Bridge to add devices that are not HomeKit compatible. -Similarly, Sam uses a Chamberlain Wi-Fi garage door opener with a “Home Bridge” device that is extremely unreliable. -“Hey Squirrely” -Hardware availability and keeping devices in stock is a constant challenge and moving target. -Sam tried to get a straight answer out of UniFi support for default settings to enable/disable to improve network functionality. They supplied a support article: https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/221029967-UniFi-Troubleshooting-Connectivity-Issues -The UniFi Smart Plug is a very useful device at an excellent price point: https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-accessories/products/unifi-smart-power -Joe & Sam gush over their Apple Silicon computers and Jerry shares his unhappiness.  -Target Disk Mode and Apple Silicon. Is this still a thing? -Joe prefers using Time Machine backups as a migration source. -Jerry uses Fiverr.com to hire a VoiceOver actor for a customer voicemail system.

431: Pavlov's Squirrels

Topics: Sam struggles with an email migration going from Microsoft 365 hosted by Go Daddy to a straight Microsoft 365 tenant.  -Somehow Sam didn’t lose financially on this extended amount of time.  -Jerry discovered an issue importing an Outlook PST file.  -New Outlook is a “dumpster fire of a product”.  -Joe talks about a method of getting Facebook support by way of buying an Oculus.  -Music Match causes some confusion for a client of Jerry’s.  -Sam’s worst nightmare seems to come true with Harmonizely.  -The Harmonizely incident spawns a bigger discussion about being up front about billing for meetings.  -Jerry misses an opportunity for a snappy comeback.  -A client of Jerry’s unplugs his wireless antenna with surprising results. 

430: Living & Dying By The Sword

Sam, Jerry, and Joe discuss their thoughts and draw from their combined experience of over 20 years in the Apple Consultants Network (ACN).

hubhopper

Command Control Power: Apple Tech Support & Business Talk

hubhopper