Beef Up Tech Support Without Going Broke

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Q: With big-box stores and online retailers squeezing the profits out of the business, how can a system builder make a living in today's market?

A: By offering superior tech service and support.

The opportunities have never been greater. Ask anyone who has purchased a PC from a retailer, and you'll probably hear a tech-support horror story. Maybe they've wasted hours waiting on hold, only to get a technician who can't fix the problem. Or they've struggled with systems that just won't work. Whatever the problem, these frustrated users represent potential customers for the savvy system builder. It all comes down to support, built on trust.

But wait: How do you offer advanced support without breaking the bank? After all, most system builders don't have contract employees in India working for pennies on the dollar. And offering on-site service can be hugely expensive.

There is a way. New online services, available inexpensively on the Internet, can help system builders offer advanced support while still turning a profit. Using these tools, system builders can bring proactive support to customers. At the same time, system builders can create opportunities for selling enhanced support contracts.

In this TechBuilder Recipe, I'll look at two Internet tools that can help system builders beef up their tech support. One, called LogMeIn, lets you remotely control a customer's computer. The other, called Skype, lets you offer telephone tech support without the high cost of toll-free lines.

Let's look first at LogMeIn.com, a basic remote-control service that is offered free by 3am Labs Inc. Using this service, a tech-support person can reach out via the Web to any system running the LogMeIn applet and then take control of the system for basic troubleshooting, fixing problems, and even training users. What's more, the service works through firewalls, proxy servers, and other normal impediments to remote-control products.

LogMeIn can help system builders overcome a major barrier: Offering on-site service is costly. That's especially true when so many technical problems turn out actually be due to the ingnorance of end users. Remote control is simply a low-cost alternative to on-site service.

True, remote-access/remote-control solutions have been on the market for some time. But until now they've added costs to the support equation. Available as either software installed on a system or via a service, they're driven by a monthly fee that quickly chews into profits. Also, in my experience, both remote software and services inevitably run into trouble. The problems include incompatibility between networks and platforms, blocked IP ports, and firewalls blocking remote access. Although service-based solutions have overcome many of those problems, their monthly fees quickly add up, especially when multiplied by the number of systems sold.

Five Steps To Installing LogMeIn

1. Access LogMeIn.com to create an account, as shown below.

   
   

2. Step through the account-creation process, as shown below. Note: You can always do this with your customer's e-mail address. Just be sure to let them know you're setting them up with free remote access.

   
   

3. Voila! Your account is created. Next, add a computer to be remote controlled, as shown below.

   
   

4. Run the "add computer" wizard, shown below. Do this from the computer to be remotely controlled, perhaps as part of the pre-configuration or burn-in process.

   
   

5. Continue with the install wizard. First off, you will need to give the shortcut a description, that will help you figure out what's what when accessing multiple machines, with that in mind you should give the computer to be remotely controlled a meaningful name and password. For example, user name RSmith-555-1212, and password RSmith*Support.

   
   

Taking Control With LogMeIn

Now that you have LogMeIn installed, remote management of other systems is just a couple of mouse clicks away. First, visit LogMeIn site, from any computer. There, login with the assigned e-mail address you used in Step 2 above and the password you assigned in Step 5. You will then be presented with a list of systems you can take control of.

As shown below, the LogMeIn interface offers an easy method for locating and controlling computers that you have registered with the logMeIn service.

By right-clicking or pointing at the computer's icon, you can choose to immediately remote control it, upgrade to a more advanced service, or add a shortcut to you desktop, making it quicker to reach the remote system in the future.

Choosing remote control brings up the login screen, shown below. To proceed, you'll need the password assigned to the system during setup.

Once authenticated, remote techs are presented with the handsome screen shown below. It offers a few options, including sharing files and remote control. (While remote control is available on the free version, other features usually require a paid contract.)

Selecting remote control brings you to a remote control session, shown below. This is where the "magic" happens. Now you can fully control a remote system as if you were in front of it. And the customer can watch what you do, learning the right way to do things.

Advanced Features For Adding Value—And Profits

That's all there is to using LogMeIn for remote control. But wait, as the TV infomercials say, there's more!

A system builder can also use the LogMeIn service to upgrade customers to additional capabilities. For example, one of 3AM lab's offerings, a product called LogMeIn ITReach, brings advanced management and monitoring capabilities to the remote-control process. ITReach lets techs actively monitor a system remotely using a dashboard approach, as shown below. This is ideal for monitoring custom-built servers or high-end workstations. ITReach costs $99 per PC per year.

System builders can also set up automated alerts with LogMeIn that inform them of any problems on a system, allowing for proactive monitoring. The neat thing about this is that a system builder can charge a monthly service fee and keep garnering profits, even as they build a long-term relationship with the customer.

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