IT support isn’t what it used to be – it’s better, faster and cheaper! And that’s thanks to the relatively new prevalence of remote support software. What used to take hours can now take minutes. What was a mere IT support fantasy is now a verifiable reality. In the same way the internet changed the way information gets shared across the globe, remote support has completely revolutionized the way support technicians resolve tech issues.
If you haven’t already added remote support software to your service offerings, read on to learn how remote support has revolutionized the IT support industry, and can benefit your business.
Space and Time
Sadly, traveling instantly through space and time is still outside the boundaries of possibility for humanity. But, remote support software is probably as close as we’re going to get in this lifetime.
Imagine a scenario: A store manager halfway across the country calls your headquarters to tell you a point-of-sale terminal in one of the busiest retail stores is malfunctioning. They don’t know what the issue is, or why it’s happening, but they can’t have a terminal in such a high traffic store go down or they’ll lose thousands of dollars in business. Like a superhero, and in an instant, you take control of the machine. In mere seconds you are maneuvering the mouse, inputting keystrokes, and troubleshooting the issue.
How did you get there? Was it magic? Did you time jump? Make a deal with the devil? Nope. None of the above. All you did was use the super-efficient troubleshooting capabilities made possible by your super-powerful remote support software.
How It Works
Once implemented as a tool, remote support software has many different applications. When it comes to IT support, the most common is a shared desktop experience. Essentially, as the support technician you would be able to take control of the malfunctioning device from a remote location. You can troubleshoot and perform diagnostic tests as if you were physically in front of the machine without ever having to leave your desk. If needed, elevate your permissions and assume full administrative control of the device to fix any problems you discover.
With just an internet connection, IT professionals can remotely connect to almost any device in the world. Once connected, it’s possible to install updates, check for malware or malicious applications, and with Impero, even start a screen-sharing session or remotely transfer files.
Where on-site support is limited by physical distance and factors like the client’s or the in-house IT department’s work environments, remote support software is flexible, convenient, and time-saving for both technicians and clients.
Save Time and Money
In the bygone days of on-site support, what is otherwise known as “ancient history,” most support cases had to be resolved in person or over the phone. This meant IT professionals had to spend hours literally driving around.
Even if a client or office was just across town, that could mean an hour of driving each way. An issue that could be resolved in moments if the technician could see the user’s screen, all of a sudden takes the tech three hours to complete in total.
Take the fear out of software commitment by using Impero. The biggest advantage over the competition is we provide rock-solid security. Customers can use Impero confidently. Unlike other remote support software solutions, Impero is secure and compliant with industry regulations. Some of our customers have been able to begin supporting their critical equipment for the first time because our security, encryption, authorization and authentication features are strong enough to keep those connections safe.
Remote support software takes travel out of the equation. Not all support cases can be solved over the phone, but why should IT professionals have to spend time driving around, anyway? Their expertise is in troubleshooting computer issues and they should spend their time resolving them instead of stuck in traffic.
Those hours spent driving to the site of the issue? With remote support, each of those hours can be spent troubleshooting two other issues – increasing billable hours or improving the IT department’s efficiency.
By removing travel from your IT workflow, you are able to save money on things like insurance and gas. Remote support helps you cut out irrelevant business expenses and reduce the overall operating cost while simultaneously increasing the productivity of your support technicians.
One-to-Many and Many-to-One
Like most things in this world, IT issues come in all different shapes and sizes. There is not a “one-size-fits-all” solution. There are big problems and small problems, issues with intricate fixes and ones with simple, straightforward fixes.
Unfortunately, no matter how complicated or simple a fix might be, everything takes time. One of the more revolutionizing things about remote support software is the flexibility it provides, which allows you to maximize that time.
Sometimes an issue requires that a technician run several diagnostic tests before they’re even able to implement a fix. Remote support software lets that technician connect to multiple desktops simultaneously so that they can begin troubleshooting a new issue on a different device. This maximizes time spent, instead of waiting for the tests to finish before being able to move on to the next step or the next issue.
Alternatively, certain issues require several levels of support. With Impero’s remote support software, multiple IT support technicians with different areas of expertise can all connect to a malfunctioning device and troubleshoot the issue together.
In both cases, remote support software saves time by applying the precious resource of knowledge in the most efficient ways possible.
Workforce Support
As distributed workforces become more common, growing businesses need a support solution that can adapt. Whereas it used to only be possible for huge corporations to consider workforces in different cities, states, or countries, today it’s possible for even the smallest businesses to have staff spread out across the globe.
This shift toward distributed workforces becoming more and more common is due, in large part, to remote support software. Now, businesses have the ability to provide tech support to their staff no matter where that staff is located. This allows them to make staffing location decisions based on which locations make the most sense.
If a smoothie shop, whose headquarters are in California, is looking to hire an operations manager, remote support allows them to expand their search.
If they happen to find the perfect candidate living in Texas, remote support software could save them thousands of dollars. They won’t have to pay to relocate the operations manager, since the new hire can work from their home-office in Texas – plus the smoothie shop also won’t have to pay to expand their California office to accommodate a new employee. Furthermore, since the cost of living is lower in Texas, the business can save on the new operations manager’s salary and put that money toward new inventory or better payment systems.
Remote support software has made it possible for businesses to make location decisions based on what makes the most sense for the business itself, instead of being limited by geography. With the ability to support a distributed workforce from a centralized location, it becomes possible and scalable to actually employ a remote workforce.
Revolutionizing Expertise
In a way, the next frontier for remote support software is the scaling of support expertise. Most of the time, there’s no need for seasoned IT experts at every location. Instead, a business can staff generalists to solve and troubleshoot most problems – and when there’s an issue too challenging, an expert can connect using a remote support tool from any other location.
By having experts remotely connect only when and where they’re needed, the business can dramatically improve its operational efficiency.
Let Remote Support Software Revolutionize Your Business
Remote support software has already revolutionized the way IT professionals provide support. It’s time for you to revolutionize the way you do business. Connect with customers and staff quicker, increase efficiency, and save money all with the simplicity that a good remote software tool provides. Impero Connect provides the security you need to remotely support critical machines and has the flexibility to support most operating systems and device types.