Choosing a remote support tool

A lot of RMM tools have remote support options built in which are useful for not interupting the client. The downside is the limitations in browser is used and the technology is just not as good as the interactive commercial solutions that can be run from all sorts of devices including IPads. Having a remote support tool that is very simple that you can get your customer to run is critical and a great way to pick up new clients.
They call you and explain the problem and can’t believe it when you can just jump on their machine and get it straight away. I wrote my own remote support solution many years ago when frustrated by the lack of good options and having to open firewall ports all the time. I later was happy to dump it when better solutions came out.

You may find it only takes two minutes to fix and then you have a choice:
  1. Should I charge a per unit price
  2. (A unit is normally 15 minutes of time which is how you calculate your bill. You round these up to the next unit)
  3. Do I let them have this one from free

No one wants to be giving too much time away from free but we are in a thank you economy and if you sort this issue for free there is a very high chance they will return to you next time. These are easy pickings for small IT shops as it is just not worth the time to the bigger IT companies which really are not interested in jobs that will return less than $100.

There are many tools for providing remote support some are based on VNC and are free and there are plenty of more expensive options. If you are starting out you might want to use a free one but I have found the more expensive options are far easier for clients. Remember it is about reducing their pain and making it as easy as possible for your client to deal with you. You want to look professional and not have them jump through hoops. If you are only just starting to provide remote support it may take a few months before you cover the cost but some vendors offer day passes so you can just pass on the cost to the client.

I have found the following tools work in the most places. While I use Teamviewer predominantly I have come across a couple of really secure sites which did not work and GoToAssist did work. Teamviewer is great because it is an all in one tool so I can do online meetings, training and provide remote support very easily with a single tool. Don’t believe the buy it and free forever which technically is true but you really need to buy the annual upgrades to get the new features. They is always and on-going cost to using any software. I started with Premium but found the channel limitations a pain and upgraded to corporate. I know there are techs out there that use the free version but it really does nothing for your reputation when you disconnect from the client and it tells the client that it is an evaluation version. While I get that people don’t like paying for software I want software companies that help me run my business to stay in business. If no one pays them no one wins.

Products I would suggest testing would include:
Teamviewer
GoToAssist
LogMeIn Rescue

5 comments:

  1. Greg, you are right about TeamViewer's annual upgrades - I was lured by their one-time fee but then discovered these hidden costs: https://www.teamviewer.com/en/licensing/pricelist.aspx

    You say "some vendors offer day passes so you can just pass on the cost to the client." This would be a great option but I haven't found any products like this. I am using Techinline (http://techinline.com/BuyNow)- they don't have day passes but I like their Pay As You Go licenses - I pay for each session ($3 if I buy a 20-session bundle). And if you need an unlimited yearly license, Techinline only costs $300 (much more affordable than LogMeIn Rescue which costs $1,188 per year). I would add Techinline to the list of remote support tools for small IT shops - it works on Windows only and it doesn't allow online meetings but you can control your client's desktop easily and show your desktop to your clients, transfer files, etc. This service is launched via a web browser and works behind firewalls so you don't have to make any configurations.

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  2. that's true ,James.
    Im using Techinline too. That's very handy that their "pay as you go" has time unlimited sessions.I own a small IT company and can reccomend this cost-effective software to my colleagues and home users.
    good luck

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  3. Hi @James
    Thanks for your comment I will have to check out Techinline as I have not heard of it before. Great pricing. Its a shame the agent end cannot run on other platforms like an IPad. Does it maintain a list of devices you manage reguarly?

    Gotoassist express sell a 24 hr day passes for 9.95. Mac support is a growing trend so it is a good idea to have something you can turn to when required.

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  4. TurboSupport from RHUB is cost efficient as the pricing starts one support seat at only $19.95/month. For additional capacity only $9.95/seat per month. You can temporarily increase capacity for one or a few days, and then reduce capacity to save money. It delivers reliable, free audio conferencing that assures guaranteed connection as well. You may want to check www.rhubcom.com.

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  5. Greg, thank you. I will keep Gotoassist express in mind. However, overwhelming majority of my clients are on Windows.
    Techinline doesn't have the unattended support feature, but they promised me they'll add it in future releases. BTW, I can connect to the same client any number of times within 12 hrs after the initial connection and this will be considered a single session ($3).

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