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ComputerRepair.com Gets New Image—and New Name

ComputerRepair.com—the online marketplace for IT services that has assembled a network of 12,000 service providers, mostly VARs, in the last year—now has a new name: OnForce. The company had been searching for a new identity for several months as its function grew beyond that of a marketplace for break/fix services, said Jeffrey Leventhal, president and […]

Written By: John Hazard

Jan 12, 2006

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ComputerRepair.com—the online marketplace for IT services that has assembled a network of 12,000 service providers, mostly VARs, in the last year—now has a new name: OnForce.

The company had been searching for a new identity for several months as its function grew beyond that of a marketplace for break/fix services, said Jeffrey Leventhal, president and CEO of OnForce.

“Break/fix is just one component of the work that runs through our platform,” Leventhal said. “Providers have been completing work orders for server installations, point-of-sale equipment upgrades, office configurations and micro-staffing assignments for small projects or help desk support. … It’s not just computers or repairs anymore.”

Executives settled on the name OnForce to characterize the on-demand nature of the service, the company said. The name also provides a sustainable brand as the company adds more services and functions.

OnForce operates as a clearinghouse for IT services, allowing users to put in a ticket for work to be done at a set price and allows service providers to bid on the ticket. OnForce charges $12 to submit a ticket.

Ninety-three percent of users classify themselves as VARs, and many have taken to working both ends of the program, Leventhal said.

Many VARS fulfill service orders for others and bid out work to be done on their behalf in a way that extends their labor or geographical reach.

VARs benefit by leveraging each other’s resources to earn incremental service revenue without investing in the necessary training, authorizations and certifications themselves, Leventhal said.

IT distributor Tech Data entered into an agreement in November with then ComputerRepair.com to provide the members of its TechSelect community of SMB (small and midsize business) resellers the opportunity to leverage service partnerships among each other and additional OnForce participants.

OnForce also guarantees billing and payment, as participants must deposit money with the company before accepting bids for work. OnForce makes the payment.

The OnForce Web site provides a window on the service industry, with real-time tracking of work order progress, bids and prices available online 24 hours a day.

ComputerRepair.com Gets New Image—and New Name

John Hazard

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