A Rockville company is maximizing its return by turning its training site for technology neophytes into a haven for late-night Guitar Heroes.
X30 Emerging Technologies, one of WashingtonVC’s companies, provides a combination of services, including technical support for homes and businesses, as well as a facility for software training that companies can use, according to Chief Executive Officer Michael Feldman. But after business hours, the training facility turns into a gaming center with every type of system imaginable, from Xboxes to Nintendo Wiis.
“People ask all the time why people would come to us when they can buy a PlayStation and go home and play it,” Feldman said. “I tell them that you can buy a six-pack and take it home, but most people would rather go to a bar for the social aspect.”
Clients of the gaming center include teenagers with monthly benefits, birthday party attendees and contestants participating in national tournaments held there. The center has a lounge-like atmosphere that caters to adult gamers, particularly women, rather than kids, according to Feldman.
X3O has around 2,000 in-home clients for its technical services business, plus 50 to 60 small and medium-sized companies who use its training facilities. One such firm was Finesa Group, a Rockville-based real estate monitoring company who did software training at the site.
“We didn’t have the capability to do it in our facility, so it was very helpful,” said Maria Palacio, a financial controller for Finesa.
The company tries to emphasize personalized customer services when providing technical support — technicians have to sit down one-on-one with clients to discuss their habits and technology before attempting to find a solution to their problems. They also have unique programs, such as training parents on how to deal with predatory forces on the Internet. One class educates parents on sites such as MySpace and helps them download free protection software.
