New Business - Next Step?

[OneStepAhead]

I have thought of a business I would like to pursue but I am unsure of how to qualify the idea.

The idea consists of free IT services for people. I will create a web page with free IT support for people such as how-to articles and a message board where people can post problems (nothing new).

Additionally I will provide chat and phone support for people for free. There wil be a 1-800 number where they can call and we will walk customers through whatever problems they have.

The profit incentive will be by getting information from the customers and selling it to outside companies. The way it will be stricteed will be that each phone call will begin with a 30 - 1 minute survey and that information will become leads for different industries. I hope to provide in person IT support for free as well if I can find a profitable way to do so.

Additionally we will sell advertisement on our website as well as recorded advertisements, which will automatically play every 15 minutes you are on the line with a representative.

How do I figure out if this would be a potentially profitable business?

[BusinessAdviser]

I think the simple answer is that it wouldn't. Run the numbers and you'll see.

[rogercbryan]

I can’t see you being able to cover expenses on a program like this. Write a business plan and then have someone look at it. You may not be getting a full picture of your expenses.

[GlobalITSolutions]

Free knowledge base maybe, but when you start talking about people and phone support that gets expensive....TRUST ME! Our call center in NY has 250 techs and we only charge $300 a year for 24x7 365 per user. You might be able to get it lower but you will have to go to India.

[Your_Business_Case]

OneStepAhead, I kind of agree with the other post here that your idea does not look like an easy thing to put in place and make a buck out of it. But if you are really serious about thinking it trought, I can help with the business case (lots of experience in financial modelization). For a reasonable cost, you would be able to see pretty quickly if this is viable or not, plus you would get an extra advice on your project.
If your interrested, send me a message.