Local guru Bill Vicary makes classes on maximizing your tech fun, easy, and insightful.
How do you become the go-to tech guru in your group? It’s easy: simply be willing to help—even when you don’t have all the answers. That isn’t too far off from how Bill Vicary found himself at the helm of a sought-after teaching and consulting business.
“It all started when an older friend came to me with questions after spending all this money on tech devices that he didn’t know how to use,” laughs Vicary. “And when his wife took the tech plunge and started asking him how to use those same devices, he told her, ‘Well, Bill knows how to do that. Just call Bill.’”
Good businesses solve a problem, and once Vicary started looking for answers to his friends’ questions, he noticed a distinct lack of accessible, approachable education opportunities in the Upstate. “There aren’t a lot of places that offer classes outside of the Apple store, and not everyone uses Apple devices,” he reflects. “I saw a chance to change that.”
Outside of his natural ability to translate tech speak into easy-to-apply knowledge, a genuine desire to help people feel cared for is clear in Vicary’s approach. “What I’ve seen happen thousands of times is that clients would ask a younger person how to do something on their device, and the younger person would grab the phone out of their hand and just do it for them and hand it back. But that doesn’t actually teach the device owner how to accomplish that same task in the future, which eventually leaves them frustrated,” he says. “When I teach, I don’t touch your phone at all. That’s because I’m looking to help you create your own muscle memory—that hands-off, hands-on approach is how people really learn.”
Now, Vicary teaches classes at strategic locations all over the Upstate—both for convenience and to ensure his skills are shared with the communities that need them most. “The classes started as basic technology how-to sessions and have since spun out into a series of fourteen other programs on topics like avoiding scams, using ride-share apps, understanding telemedicine—all things that are either important to clients or help enrich their lives,” explains Vicary. “I want you to feel completely confident, effective, and safe on your phone before you start using social media or online banking. Many times, clients’ children push them into [using these more in-depth platforms], and they’re not truly ready.”
Take these two seemingly unrelated facts, for instance: about 35% of people over 60 use Facebook on their phones, and advanced phone scammers can send or dial up to 4,000 individual messages or calls per minute. Even if you consider yourself more scam-savvy than most, the odds of encountering ill-intended content online are high. “It really could happen to anybody, that’s how slick the scammers have become with their tactics,” Vicary notes. “And the funny thing is, the majority of scams out there haven’t changed much, because they still work. They play to your emotions: children, pets, family.” Vicary’s safety-focused classes help users navigate unknown interactions and solicitations.
Relieving anxiety around devices doesn’t just mean addressing scams—it means classes that enable more positive experiences overall, too. “If you’re going to spend $1,300 on a new iPhone, you want to know how to get the most out of it, right?” asks Vicary, and the answer to that might surprise you. “I want to help people realize that less is more. Know what the apps pre-loaded on your phone are, and get rid of what you don’t need—a lot of programs are just taking up space, and simplifying what’s on your device can make the whole experience of using it more enjoyable.”
Have tech questions, and want to talk to a helpful human? Just call Bill: 864 621-0224, justcallbill.net
Take Note: Six Unexpected Tips
- Use only what you need. Delete those cluttered, data-hogging, pre-loaded apps.
- Resist the bells-and-whistles temptation. Let what you actually want to do on your phone decide how expensive you go.
- Get familiar with the apps you use frequently. Like learning anything new, practice, practice, practice!
- Learn and know how to manage your technology. Don’t rely on someone else to do it for you—take control to feel more in control.
- Don’t miss out on massive discounts. There are offers and programs out there that can save you hundreds. Don’t have time to do the research? Bill has a class for that, too.
- Have a plan for the unexpected. Learn how to add your in case of emergency (ICE) contact and medical ID information in your phone.
