Posts By: Susan Brown

How to build your own custom library of tech documents on a Kindle Fire, iPad, or other tablet in 4 easy steps!

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Susan Brown - Tech Talk

technical-documents Instead of acquiring a pre-loaded Kindle with technical documents that may or may not be what you need, create your own custom, searchable library on the tablet of your choice following these 4 easy steps!

I'm going to show you how to save lots of money and make sure you have what you need when you need it.

It all starts with Professional Appliantologist membership at our tech support site, Appliantology.org.

Become a Professional Appliantologist today!

The following four, easy steps will show you how to find and download technical documents at Appliantology.org.

(If you'd rather watch a screencast showing this, check out this Blog Post.)

NOTE: All of the images below can be clicked for a larger view, opens in a new window.

1. Log into Appliantology.org from your computer or mobile device. NOTE: Your Appliantology.org login is NOT the same as your login here at MasterSamuraiTech.com. They are two different websites with two different logins.

- If you are on a mobile device, you need to be viewing the Full Version as shown above. If you are seeing the mobile version, simply scroll down to the bottom and click "Full Version."

- Look in the upper right-hand corner to make sure you see your user name. If you don't, click "Sign in" to log in. (If you are not yet a member at Appliantology, please see this page.)

2. Use the search box in that upper right-hand corner to find the document you need.

- Click the grey box to select the Downloads section.

- Enter the model number of the appliance you are wanting to find information for into the search box. (Note: an optional, but helpful, tool is to use the asterisk symbol, as shown, as a "wild card." This means that the search results will include any model numbers that begin with the letters and numbers before the *.)

3. Download the document that you want.

- Look in the search results for the doc you need.

- Click the document title, then click the Download button. It will open up the file and you will see the document.

4. Save the document and/or send it to your device.

- If you are at your computer, then you can save the document there, but then also share it with your tablet using an application. Popular app choices among techs are GoodReader, Evernote, or, if you have a Kindle Fire, Send to Kindle.

- If you are already on your tablet, then "Open in" the application that you use to store your documents (such as GoodReader or Evernote). (On iPads you double-tap the screen to get the "Open in" option.)

What if the search results don't include the manual or tech sheet you are looking for? Simple! Go to the Appliance Service Manual Requests Forum at Appliantology and state your need, and your Brethren in the Craft will assist you by locating and uploading the manual you need to the Downloads section. Please follow the posting guidelines carefully to expedite your request.

Would you like to see a video that goes into more detail about how to do all of this? No problem - check out this Blog Post.

Video Tour of Master Samurai Tech

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Susan Brown - Academy Talk

Are you one of those folks who likes to have a tour guide rather than exploring new territory on your own? If so, sit back, relax, and enjoy as the Master Samurai himself leads you on a stroll through the site.

Assembling an Awesome Information Arsenal for Appliance Repair Technicians

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Susan Brown - Tech Talk

Having the right technical document with you on a service call and knowing how to use it are the two key ingredients to getting an appliance properly diagnosed and repaired.

Does that mean that you should try to find a mobile device that is already pre-loaded with appliance repair technical documents? There are several downsides to this approach, including the fact that you don't know how current or relevant the pre-loaded docs are.

Instead, you can easily create your own information arsenal using a tablet of your choice and the powerful resource we describe in this video. It's easy, cost-efficient, and effective.

This video has a lot of helpful details, but if you want a quick written tutorial instead, try this Blog post!

If you have a Kindle Fire, you can follow the procedures shown in the video to download your documents at your desktop computer, then use this application to send the document easily to your Kindle.

Then go forth and conquer!

For Business Owners: Where Can I Find a Good Tech to Hire?

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Susan Brown - Business Talk

One of the biggest inspirations for creating the Samurai Tech Academy came from conversations we had with business owners at the Appliance Service Training Institute (ASTI) this past winter. “Where can I find good techs to hire?” was the almost universal question being asked. Some companies were turning potential customers away because they simply didn’t have the manpower to handle them.

Here’s an interesting statistic about the appliance repair trade: the average multi-tech service company goes through 4 to 5 new hires before they find one that has the qualities needed. After all, the technician is the one right on the front lines. If he doesn’t have the personal and technical skills to do the job, then you would have been better off turning the customer away than sending an inadequate tech.

Many companies are coming to the realization that they may have to stop looking for a good tech to hire, and instead make a good tech out of a promising candidate. The question then becomes how to train that person. What you need is an easy, effective, cost-efficient way to train techs.

This is the mission of Master Samurai Tech and our newest, most powerful resource: The Samurai Tech Academy. The STA is an online school that trains techs in everything from basics of electricity, gas, and troubleshooting to refrigerator repair and customer relations. Finally, here’s a cost-effective way to increase the skill level of your existing techs and to get new hires trained as quickly as possible.

And because it's online, it's much more efficient than the old-fashioned way of training techs, such as sending them to a training facility or hiring trainers to come to yours. Novice techs can spend part of their day studying, then part of their day running service calls with experienced techs so they can immediately begin applying what they are learning and thus get up-to-speed more quickly. You, as the employer, can log in and check on their progress whenever you want.

Having well-trained, professional techs is critical for a repair business to thrive: you need techs that you can rely on to get the job done right and be good representatives of your company to the customer.

The Internet has become a great venue for education and now the Samurai Tech Academy has brought appliance repair training into the modern age. With courses already out – Fundamentals of Appliance Repair, Customer Relations, and Refrigeration Troubleshooting and Repair – and more coming in the near future, the STA is a trove of knowledge for your techs and a lifesaver for your company.

Great News: Positive Job Outlook for Appliance Repair Techs!

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Susan Brown - Career Talk

Appliance Repair is one of the best jobs not requiring a college degree, according to an article at CareerCast.com.

Learn Appliance Repair Today!

This comes as no surprise to us - for quite some time now we’ve seen the skilled trades frequently described as being a smart career choice in an economy that apparently will be dipping in and out of recession for the foreseeable future.

I have a few thoughts about the article that I wanted to pass along.

First of all, I encourage you to ignore the statistics at the beginning of the article about how much more money people make who have a college degree. While these numbers may be accurate on the face of it, they don’t really mean much once you dig deeper.

For example, these stats don’t separate out income made by those who get a degree in a traditionally high-paying field that requires a specific college credential, such as medicine, law, and engineering, from those who get a more general degree such as liberal arts or business. There are huge income disparities among these two different sets of grads.

These stats also don’t factor in the increasing debt burden taken on by college students and how that will affect their net income for much of their adult lives. Tuition has risen about 275% since 1970, yet real wages for a graduate with a bachelor’s degree have risen only 10%.

We are big proponents of continuing education, but think the smart options are through self study and online learning. The internet has given us many exciting options for continuing education, such as the Samurai Tech Academy!

This article says that the median income of an appliance tech is $43,460, and there’s a projected hiring increase of 21% by 2022. These are Bureau of Labor Statistics, so they do not include self-employed techs, only those employed by other companies. And remember - the “median” income means that about half of the techs earn more than $43k!

Learn more, earn more!

That's another great thing about being an appliance repair tech - while there are lots of jobs out there for you, it's also a great way to be self-employed if that is your goal!

Articles like this only reinforce our excitement that we are able to offer such a valuable opportunity for people to get started in the appliance repair trade. And with the level of instruction we provide here along with ongoing support at Appliantology, we expect that Samurai Tech Academy graduates will be among the top income earners in the field.

Click here to read the article.