Technical support can be made easier and more efficient with remote support software, which allows a customer support technician to take direct control over the customer’s computer. by following remote support best practices your support team can deliver an immediate impact, with increased productivity, shorter average call times, and better results.

There are two types of remote support technology; on-premises and Software-as-a-Service.

On-premises remote support technology may come in the form of a dedicated appliance or software that is loaded onto a corporate server. In this case, the support staff initiates the remote support connection directly. The cloud-based services on the other hand, do not require on-premises equipment, and the tech initiates the connection remotely. In either case, it may be necessary for the remote support customer to download and install a piece of software to enable the connection. In most cases though, this can be achieved through a thin client environment, where the customer is able to establish the remote support connection simply through a secure web browser connection.

The remote support technology can be used to achieve several goals. The most common is to take control of the remote system for the purpose of correcting a problem or configuring a piece of software. Remote support software can also be used as an instructional tool, and tech support staff may use the system as an opportunity to show the remote customer how the problem was resolved, step by step, so that if it occurs again, they will have the knowledge to take care of it themselves—thereby reducing the number of support calls. Some remote support tools even have drawing tools included for this purpose, so the tech personnel can draw circles or arrows on the customer’s screen to draw their attention to certain features.

Further, the remote support software can help to improve post-call analysis. Many remote support systems offer the ability to record sessions and to capture information, which can be used by the engineering staff later on in discovering the root cause of the problem. In many cases when there is no such utility available, a customer may be trying to describe a flaw or a bug that is not easily duplicated, and this may make the support process difficult. Then, even when the situation is resolved, the engineering staff still may not be able to duplicate the situation, leaving open a potential vulnerability to reappear in the future. By capturing the remote support session, engineers can see the situation directly, and take action.

In addition to reducing average call time and capturing information for post-call analysis, remote support software also leads to improved customer satisfaction, delivering the customer the advantage of less time on the phone, and more accurate solutions.