...with Remote PC Control

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Published on: July 2006
Type of content: VENDOR WHITE PAPER
Format: Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) (230 kb)
Length: 11 pages
Price: FREE

Overview:
The growth of the mobile and remote workforce has made responsibility for remote support complex and strained for IT professionals. According to an October 2005 analysis done by IDC, the number of remote and mobile workers reached 650 million worldwide in 2004. IDC predicts that, over the next five years, that number will reach 850 million - more than one quarter of the global workforce. The remote workforce, while once a trend, is now the reality support professionals must face.

In an effort to reduce costs, increase efficiency and serve the growing pool of remote end-users, more and more companies are adding web-based and self-service technologies such as FAQs, knowledge bases and download centers to their remote support options. Over 65% also offer email auto- response/suggest, and nearly 59% offer knowledge bases.

Phone support has become less popular with end-users; outsourcing support has its own complexities, risks and costs; and while implementations of online self-help and email support have increased, self-help methods are not end-users' support options of choice. And although in-person support gives support professionals direct access to the problem and allows them to troubleshoot deeply without the convoluted process of deciphering an end-user's description of his issue, this support method is expensive, time consuming and impractical in the new mobile marketplace. Traditional models of remote support are losing ground.

One remote support method, however, is gaining in popularity. According to PC Magazine's 18th Annual Reader Satisfaction Survey, remote PC control has a satisfaction rate higher than any other support contact type for mobile workers using laptops and is running a close second to in-person support for remote workers using desktops.

This growing preference for remote control is indicative of the effectiveness of this support method. Like in-person support, remote PC control gives a support professional direct access to the user's problem. On the other hand, the expense of in-person support, the complexity of phone support and the tedium of knowledge-bases and email support methods are eliminated with remote PC control.

There is no question that remote PC control is the future of support and will soon be expected by end-users. But is it right for your company, and, if so, which product best suits your technical and financial requirements? As these issues move to the top of the CEO/CFO agenda, being able to make the business case has been added to the job qualifications of IT professionals and support managers.

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