In an area dominated by technology and technology sales, many companies have declined or vanished since the economic downturn. We talked to David Wong, the founder and CEO of Granada Hills-based Alpha Computer, about how his company has weathered these interesting times.
Tell us a little about Alpha Computer.
Alpha Computer is a company that has been in business for over nine years. While other computer stores start up overnight and close down as quickly as they open, Alpha Computer has remained in business, selling the latest computer technology to the people of San Fernando Valley, as well as helping them with their computer dilemmas.
I started Alpha Computer with my friend Kevin Wong, to bring affordability and convenience to San Fernando Valley and to give our customers another choice besides the big names of the computer industry.
How many people work for Alpha Computer?
Alpha Computer is a small, welcoming company, with a mom-and-pop store feel. Alpha Computer is made up of fewer than 15 employees. Because most of our sales are not to large companies but rather to everyday users of computer and small businesses like ours, our workforce does not need to be large in number.
What sets you apart from the competition in this industry?
Alpha Computer sells complete computer system as well as computer parts just like any other computer store. The difference between Alpha Computer and the rest of the industry is our service.
Our customer service in the repair department emphasizes the speedy return of any computer that requires repair. Our tech support hotline answers questions about the purchased computer.
Our sales department, which is not based on commission, will put together a computer which meets your needs today as well as your wants tomorrow. You tell us how you want your new computer to perform, we will try to put together a computer meeting those needs.
How have you coped with the declining economy?
Alpha Computer has managed to keep her workforce while facing this slowdown in the economy.
Instead of downsizing our workforce, we have asked our employees to voluntarily cut a day out of their work week. In this way, we have managed to keep our entire workforce and not cut services to our customers.
What is your sales philosophy?
Our sales philosophy is simply buying without pressure. Come into our showroom and see for yourself our demo system on display. When you are ready with questions, we will answer them.
If you come to us knowing what you would like, we will assemble the computer as quickly as possible and test the integrity of the system. When you pick up your computer, your new gadget will be less likely to crash.
Who are your customers?
Alpha Computer clientele is mostly home users and small businesses like ours. Alpha Computer may soon expand its service to include computer networking so that we can better service our small-business customers.
We will continue to provide our current services of repairing computers and building new complete systems. On our tech support hotline, we will continue to provide over-the-phone service to our customers.
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