Many of you have already used our training, and some of you are just getting acquainted with it. We've included information for all of you below.
Just click the topic you are interested in for more info!
1. Background: Master Samurai Tech's revolutionary training
2. The Basics: Courses, prices, how it works, how to sign up
3. Why should my tech earn Master Certification?
4. How do I help my tech succeed?
5. New! The Congratulations Graphic to show off your tech's achievement
6. Coming Soon: Supervisor Dashboard
7. New Courses coming soon!
1. Background: Master Samurai Tech's revolutionary training
The senior members of Team Samurai, particularly Scott, have been active in the online appliance repair world for over 20 years. We were trailblazers, running some of the first online communities for appliance repair techs and eventually adding a popular YouTube channel for video content.
Scott became known for his depth of knowledge of appliance technology, particularly in the area of circuits and electrical troubleshooting, and his ability to explain it clearly.
In 2014, we parlayed all of this experience into organized courses offered to the appliance tech community at large. In 2016, we partnered with Mr. Appliance to offer our popular courses at a deep discount at a site exclusively for Mr. Appliance franchisees, www.MrAppliance.tech.
In the first 5 years after the release of the first course, Fundamentals of Appliance Repair, we had over 1500 students enroll in it. Our reviews are great: 5-star average on each course!
One more fun fact: Scott was the first Mr. Appliance franchisee in 1996, eventually earning the first Franchisee of the Year award. After a back injury in the early 2000's made full-time appliance repair difficult for Scott, we decided to focus more on our online efforts to support and enhance the profession. We stayed in touch with Mr. Appliance folks over the years, and were thrilled to have the chance to develop a new relationship via our technical training.
2. The Basics: Courses, prices, how it works, how to sign up
We currently offer 3 courses:
Fundamentals of Appliance Repair
Refrigerator Repair
Advanced Troubleshooting
(two more are coming soon - see section 7)
For a more detailed description of each course, click here.
Each course is a series of lessons, with a mix of readings, audio and video presentations, photos, and diagrams. The lessons are on-demand, meaning that the student can choose when, where, and how long they spend each study session. Each lesson has an automatically-graded quiz that must be taken before moving on to the next lesson. Simple!
To take the courses, a tech must be enrolled in one of the 3 course "bundles" that are available.
Bundle 1 - Full-Support Courses (by far the most popular)
This bundle has the "interactive" version of all 3 courses, which includes:
- Two exams with open-answer questions in the Fundamentals course, personally graded by Team Samurai, with feedback. These open-answer questions are the most effective way to evaluate the progress of a student in grasping some of the most important concepts, and to work with them as needed to strengthen their knowledge.
- Ask the Teacher Forums where you can post questions and also review other conversations between students and Team Samurai.
- Live webinars with Samurai Appliance Repair Man where you can take a deeper dive into a variety of appliance technology topics and ask questions about the coursework.
- The ability to earn Master Certification (more on that below)
- BONUS: If you earn Certification for the Fundamentals course, you are eligible for a FREE Appliantology membership. Click here to read about the MST Alumni Program.
Bundle 2 - Self-Study Courses
This bundle has the self-study version of all 3 courses. It does not include the features listed above. This is only recommended when a supervisor at the company can follow along closely with the tech-student and help them as needed. They cannot earn Master Certification with this bundle.
Bundle 3 - Self-Study Fundamentals
This is just the self-study version of the Fundamentals course. Occasionally an employer takes this course so he can be more familiar with what his techs are studying.
Pricing
Bundle 1 $395 (retail value, $1195)
Bundle 2 $150 (retail value, $745)
Bundle 3 $50 (retail value, $345)
How to sign up
For a short video that steps you through how to sign up your tech, click here.
As soon as the tech is enrolled, he or she can get started immediately.
How long does my tech have to complete the courses?
An enrollment comes with one year of access to the courses. This is plenty of time. Even working just a few hours a week on the training, the courses can be completed in less than 6 months. Just make sure they are not taking long breaks from their studies once you enroll them.
3. Why should my tech earn Master Certification?
We think every tech should try to earn Master. Here's why:
- Encourages attention to the coursework, since they must earn 90% or higher on all tests. (Training should be about mastery, not just “passing”.)
- Offers pride of achievement for your tech, with a printed Certificate and the ability to wear the Master Certified Technician patch.
- Assures your customers that your techs are well-trained.
- Earns your tech a free membership at www.Appliantology.org
- A well-trained tech has higher job satisfaction and creates happier customers.
To give your techs the chance to earn Master Certification, enroll them in the Bundle 1 set of courses. They will need to earn 90% or higher on EACH quiz or exam in the course. (It is NOT based on an average.) This is strict, but doable. Each quiz or exam comes with two attempts, so they have the chance to study, get help, and improve their score. And, if needed, we do have an occasional reset available to them.
Click here to read more details about Certification.
4. How do I help my tech succeed?
A well-supervised tech is much more likely to complete the courses in a shorter time and earn Master Certification.
We know you are busy, but by building just a few small habits, you can make a big difference in your tech's success at learning and retaining the information in the courses.
It comes down to three simple things:
- setting goals
- tracking their progress
- intervening when needed
We explain in more detail and give you downloadable resources at the Employer Resource Page. Click here to check it out.
5. New! The Congratulations Graphic to show off your tech's achievement
When a tech achieves Master Certification in the Mr. Appliance Academy, that is news worth shouting off of the rooftops!
We've created a fun graphic that you can use to celebrate your tech's achievement and announce it to your customers and other employees. It is perfect for posting on social media or your website's blog.
Click here to see a sample, and how to get one for your tech.
6. Coming Soon: Supervisor Dashboard
For those of you who have two or more techs enrolled at the Mr. Appliance Academy, we can create a dashboard at your own account so that with one login you can see your techs' progress and scores at a glance. This is a much requested feature that we are excited to roll out for you this month.
All you need to do is send us an email after the reunion (you can just use the Contact form) and we'll get it set up for you. If you have two or more techs enrolled, just send us their names and we'll set it up for you.
7. New Courses coming soon!
We've got two new courses that will be available at the Mr. Appliance Academy in the coming months.
Oven & Range Repair - a fantastic course that explains the modern technology used in cooking appliances and includes lots of virtual service calls to give practice troubleshooting using schematics.
Washer & Dryer Repair - this course is still under development. Stay tuned!
Once they are released at the Mr. Appliance Academy, we will make them available for individual enrollment, since many techs who already took one of the Bundles will want to follow up with these.
We will email out announcements as soon as they are available!
Still have questions? Click here to contact us!
All of us at Team Samurai thank you for letting us help you to train your techs!