Frequently Asked Questions
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Client
Watch this 10-minute step-by-step instructional video for an in-depth explanation about a total support request.
The expert guides and supports you in a chat to solve the problem together with you. This can be done via the exchange of text, videos, or images.
The support is effort driven, a working process cannot be guaranteed. This is also applicable for a fixed price. The obligation to pay for the job remains even when there is not a solution.
You can only see experts after a job request and only the suitable experts that match your selection criteria are visible for you.
You can select multiple (a second or more) experts at the start of a job. Remember you have to pay them all.
Expert
If you like to become a expert at SupportPoints we strongly advice you to watch this instructional video for a more in depth explanation about how a support request works (between an client and a expert). It’s a 10-minute instructional video, so please take your time for it.
SupportPoints is not (yet) a replacement for an employment, it cannot guarantee a regular/steady income. It gives additional jobs for experts. Getting those jobs depends on the client, he chooses and selects his support. Please read this article about how to get PLC jobs on our platform.
You will guide and support the client via our inbuilt chat function and solve the problem together with the client.
An open job is visible for suitable experts. This will be visible in your personal page. When a client comes to an agreement with one or more experts the open job will disappears.
A closed job on the other hand is a way for a client to select his experts. In this case he chooses the suitable experts for his job. This will not be visible for others.
The rating is up to you, remember support is all about trust. If you are too cheap a client might assume your support is not valuable as well. The costs of a process standstill are high, a client is only interested to restart his process a.s.a.p. He wants the best help, not the cheapest. Do not go much below local rates.
The support is effort-driven, a working process cannot be guaranteed. This is also applicable for a fixed price. The obligation to pay for the job remains even when there is no solution. You will receive the full amount that has been agreed by you and the client.
No, you will get an e-mail with the details. In case of an urgent job you will get an SMS as well (if you have selected this option).
You can not always predict how long consuming the solution of malfunctioning can be. If you have a limited time available take only the jobs of which a good time estimation is possible. You promote yourself as an expert; this also requires a good judgement.
This depends on the field where you are working on. If you are specialized in obsolete systems you only have to keep up with your analytical skills. If you can solve more recent systems and problems related to bus systems (SCADA etc.) you need to have knowledge of the most recent developments.
This is all depending on the problem you have to solve. There are different expert levels, you need to have enough technical skills and analytical skills to help a client to solve his/her problem. Sometimes you act as a sparring partner, in some others cases you need to have the deep knowledge to be the perfect addition. In all cases you need to have analytical skills.
You only see a very limited amount of jobs on SupportPoints, this is due to the way the SupportPoint process works. You will only see the jobs that meet your specifications (knowledge) and are open. For all other jobs you are approached immediately by the client.
Why is this?
This has to do with the different ways for a client to get support. The first is “post a job” (this is usually done when there is no urgency) these jobs are only visible for experts who meet the criteria, for example: if you are not an expert on Siemens S5 PLC’s you will not see the jobs for these types. The client looks for support and selects an expert of his choice. Other experts will not see those jobs.
Your personal page is your starting point for jobs and all the data you need. You will find your personal info, knowledge, jobs, hour rate, contracts, facturation, ratings and received reviews in it. Your personal page gives you the possibility to showcase yourself: use it!
You will get an email with the details, in case of an urgent job you will get an SMS as well (if you have selected this option).
The PLC test is not mandatory but it will improve your chances of being selected through the client to perform their PLC jobs. Remember it is all about trust.
General
At the moment not, but we are working on this.
We are open for cooperation, if you’re interested please send an email to: marketing@supportpoints.com
This platform is not a learning platform. SupportPoints mediates between PLC experts and PLC knowledge demand.
Go to your personal login page and use the ‘forgotten password’ button. We will provide you a new password right a way. Please check your spam box for the e-mail.
A feature we hope you never use. When you remove your subscription we have implemented a quick multiple choice selector to help us understand why you have decided to part ways.
Payment
At the moment we support VISA, MasterCard, PayPal, iDeal, Google Pay, and Apple Pay.
The payment is in advance, without payment a job is not allowed to start. The support is effort driven; a payment is mandatory even if there is no working process at the end.
Clients inside the EU need a VAT.
When you start working online, you need a mode to send and receive payment. Usually, you can use your credit card or debit card to make payment online, but to receive payment, you need to take help of services like PayPal. This article will give you an full explanation about how to set up an PayPal account and how to verify it.
