#3. Ease of Repair - because of the weight and bulk of a massage chair, simple repairs become a real bother when you have to ship an entire chair back to the manufacturer just to repair something as simple as a tear in the material. For this reason, I suggest looking into a chair that is constructed with a modular design. This makes repair cheap and easy. If a part is broken or material is torn, the modular design will allow you to isolate the damaged part and send it off for repair so much easier and cheaper than sending off the whole chair.
#4. Customer Service - As far as I am concerned, this is probably the most important thing of all. If something does happen to your chair or if you are concerned about any function of your chair, it is so great to have a company that is always available to answer your questions. This puts your mind at ease and you can't put a price on that. So, make sure that whatever chair you buy has a good company backing it up. Whether that is the manufacturer, the seller, or both...you want peace of mind right from the start of your relationship with them.
#5. Price - Even the cheapest massage chair still costs hundreds of dollars, at a minimum...they are not cheap. You will need to invest quite a bit of money to get a new chair you can count on. Prices, however, do not need to be sky-high. Depending on the features you want and/or need, prices can range anywhere from $1000 - $6000. Quite a spread, isn't it? Well, you can get a chair with all the necessary massage therapy features for between $2000 - $3000. If you want real leather vs. man-made leather, an MP3 player, a USB port, or headphones, etc., of course you will pay for those extras. But for the basic features of massage therapy, you do not need to overspend. By the way, when you compare the price of your chair to regular visits to a massage therapist or chiropractor, over time the price of the massage chair is far less than what you'd pay out for all those therapy visits.
#6. Money Back Guarantee - Does your retailer back up the sale of your new massage chair with at least a 30 day unconditional money back guarantee? If not, then you need to be a little skeptical. This is a red flag. This goes back to customer service (#4). They MUST stand behind their product. How else can you feel good about your purchase if it's not backed up by the seller? Some companies even offer 60 or 90 day money back guarantees!
By the way, it is standard policy for virtually every massage chair retailer/distributor that you are responsible for shipping and freight back to the seller if you do decide to return your chair. Shipping, by the way, can cost anywhere from $150-$400.00...it isn't cheap!
#7. Adjustable to Different Body Sizes - I have seen some chair companies that offer "sizing" for a chair. With some product lines that may be necessary, but with a well-manufactured chair, height and width adjustments are standard and can cater to virtually every body type. Some chairs now even come with a detached ottoman so that the chair can cater to a 6'10" person as well as a 5'4" person.
Most chairs will handle up to 300 pounds of body weight. If you are buying your new massage recliner for a very heavy person, make sure that you get the maximum weight allowance for the chair you are interested in.
#8. Remote Control - Virtually every new massage recliner comes with a remote control of some sort to make chair adjustments. Some remotes come with large and fancy displays, but as long as it adjusts the features of the chair, it doesn't really matter how large or small it is or how high-tech it looks.
#9. Appearance - this might sound goofy or vain, but I want my chair to blend in comfortably and seamlessly with the room decor of my home or office. Don't compromise on looks for price! You're going to have to look at that chair everyday for as long as you've got it. You don't want to be sitting in a chair you think is so ugly that it creates stress. Especially when you are using your new massage recliner for stress relief!
#10. Satisfied Customers - A salesperson will tell you everything you want to hear to get you into his/her chair. What do real and actual clients think about the massage chair you are considering? Are their testimonials for you to hear or read? If you ask him for a list of some folks who have purchased their chair and you get no response...run! I will trust another buyer, just like me, before I'll trust someone trying to sell something to me. Testimonials should be on every seller's website or literature.
Now you have 10 things that should help you make a more educated buying decision when considering your new massage chair.
But there are many providers out there. How do you go about choosing the right one for your business?
Here's the BITS list of things your IT support provider should do for you as part of a fully managed service contract.
*Prevent problems by adopting a pro-active approach.
*Provide quick response where appropriate.
*Advise on other areas of technology that may impact on IT.
*Provide advice on how to get/keep things running smoothly.
*Ensure you have a robust back up routine in place.
*Is an easily accessible point of contact for employee's IT problems.
*Provide all inclusive pricing.
*Provide fixed price for projects
*Has proven knowledge and expertise.
For example Microsoft Small Business Specialist
*Conduct annual meetings to help plan your IT strategy. More frequently might be necessary for fast-changing businesses or where the client prefers this.
*Deal/Assist in dealing with other technology providers. On your behalf. For example for warranty claims.
*Use tried and tested solutions tailored to the individual client. Not one solution fits all.
What is a managed service contract/managed service provider?
Most major companies have an IT Help Desk, often employing tens or even hundreds of staff. These are the people who are at the beck and call of employees each time their printer won't work or their laptop won't boot up.
Sounds expensive doesn't it? As a smaller business your only option is to manage your own or just call someone every time you have a problem.
This is referred to in the industry as "break fix".
1. It breaks.
2. You call someone.
3. They fix it.
4. It breaks again.
5. You call them again.
....and so it goes on.
The more it breaks the more money they make and it becomes an expensive option for your business.
But don't worry. Help is at hand!
There is another option - a managed service provider (MSP).
The keywords here are pro-activity and cost control. OK, sometimes there will be reactive issues to be dealt with but a reputable MSP will aim to prevent problems arising in the first place.
Secondly, a managed service model means you pay the same amount every month without being charged for the hours worked. That means it's in the interest of the provider to work proactively to minimise issues.
That's a win-win situation for both parties.
Here are some key features and benefits of an MSP:
? Fixed costs for budgeting
? Enables better long term planning and budgeting.
? Skills and experience of an IT department at a fraction of the cost.
? Tools in place to monitor remotely, cutting out on travelling and on-site time.
? Reduces the need for staff to spend lots of time dealing with IT problems.
? Increased employee productivity and morale. Reduced frustration!
Not convinced yet? Here are two typical examples of where an MSP can benefit businesses:
? Example 1
Space running out on the server ? this is picked up by monitoring and an engineer looks at it and resolves the problem. The client doesn't even need to know about it.
What would have happened without Managed IT Support? Eventually the server would have run out of space completely and would crash/refuse to boot up ? this would cause considerable down time and prevent employees from working. Worse still your service to customers could deteriorate.
? Example 2
Anti-virus software not updating, this is picked up by daily monitoring by the MSP and corrected.
What would have happened without Managed IT Support? The customer's machines would ultimately have become infected with a virus. Over time further viruses could have entered the system. Your entire IT system could crash thus affecting business continuity. Worse still viruses could be unwittingly transferred to outside parties via email.
To summarise, an MSP enables you and your team to focus on fee earning work. Ultimately this benefits your profitability, your efficiency and your customer service.
Both Alan Weidner & Gen Wright are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Alan Weidner has sinced written about articles on various topics from Massage. Dr. Alan Weidner graduated summa cum laude from Los Angeles College of Chiropractic, class of 1991. His website, , offers the. Alan Weidner's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.
Gen Wright has sinced written about articles on various topics from Terrier Dogs, Acne Treatment and Lose Weight. BITS Ltd is an IT support company with its base in Wiltshire Providing amongst other services , We are recognised by Microsoft as a Small Business. Gen Wright's top article generates over 1220000 views. to your Favourites.