No, nothing quite so dramatic. . . . And to jump to the bottom line and quickly put your mind at ease, when involved in remote customer support scenarios with Mikogo, you are always the one with the most control over your computer. (More on that at the end of this blog post.)

Now back to the above example. Your IT support technician has likely used remote desktop software to view and control your computer. This type of software allows customer support to troubleshoot your computer remotely, from anywhere in the world. It negates the need for in-person tech support, and it saves the time and cost of commuting. A member of the remote customer support team can connect to your computer, run software, de-glitch your system, and leave without a trace.

Understandably, this kind of conduct causes uneasy feelings in some people. . . . “It’s an invasion of my privacy!”, they yell. However, if they stop and think about it, it’s no less an invasion than normal technical support. In-person support must still log into your computer, and they still have complete access to all of your files and under-the-hood workings, and they still (more than likely) know far more than you do about your system. A couple of the benefits of remote customer support have already been listed, but here is a list of the top five:

1. It saves time. There is no need to wait on customer support to arrive and get settled, or for you to travel to the customer support center, where you might have to leave you computer for a few days even.
2. It saves money. While the initial cost of the software may be expensive, the money saved by avoiding travel and service fees will pay for the software in due time. (Note: free desktop remote access solutions exist as well.)
3. It protects your workspace. There won’t be workers in and out of your area, consulting with others and potentially messing with your files and organization scheme.
4. It’s safe. No one likes to be alone in a building with someone else that isn’t known. Many work places are populated during the day, but quickly clear out at closing.
5. It’s awesome. Admit it, you like watching your computer do weird things and go through processes that you didn’t even know existed.

Finally a note about Mikogo remote support. If you’re new to using Mikogo, be sure to read about the remote keyboard/mouse control feature. As a technician controls your screen, you can always disable control with a keyboard shortcut that will immediately disable remote control. And a technician can never have control without your explicit consent.

Do you have any experience with remote customer support? Do you have any thoughts about the privacy factor? Please share them with us.

Posted by Andrew in remote desktop, remote support, Small Business | Permalink | 2 comments
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With the ready availability of pc remote control software, technology has lessened the need for on-site tech support meaning that those computer problems that used to result in pulling at your hair and steam from the ears can now be solved almost immediately. In the case of work at home employees, pc remote control software provides a convenient and easy helpdesk solution. This is beneficial to the larger corporations, and especially valuable to the smaller companies who lack the funds for full time tech support.

Quick and Ready Accessibility

The slow and clumsy Internet of old is gone. PC remote control is as quick as a software download and a resetting of user permissions. We’ve developed and tweaked Mikogo to ensure that the users’ remote support sessions are easy to get started. Any home or business user with a reasonable Internet access speed can surrender their computer to the skills of a distantly located computer software technician. Of course, surrendering your computer during pc remote control sessions is not an issue with Mikogo’s explicit consent security features.

PC Remote Control Application

Consider the startup problems of a small home security firm that specializes in remote, home visual surveillance. The process uses multiple installed surveillance cameras linked in to a special pc video card and then accessed through a remote laptop. Though home surveillance in itself is a prime example of using remote software, this particular application of remote control actually developed into a separate yet major remote pc support situation.

The company owner used his own home as the first test site. After running cables, mounting cameras, and installing the special video card and software into the home computer the project dead-ended. The cameras worked. The home pc displayed the visuals. But the remote process would not function.

After two hours of fruitless efforts, the installers concluded that the included software setup instructions were incorrect. They called the software developer. Using remote pc control, a technician from the developer’s site, working also out of his home, took remote control of the troubled system. Within minutes, the problem was resolved.
What about you? What is your use case for pc remote control software?

Posted by Andrew in remote support, Small Business | Permalink | No comment
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Desktop sharing is one such form of software, and is a fast and effective way to get the job done when collaborating online. Why wait for several emails to be sent back and forth across the city, country or world, if you have the opportunity to share and discuss the work over the Web?

In general, business collaboration software allows people to put their heads together in a virtual document workspace. Collaboration software, or groupware, can allow users to work on a document simultaneously and allows for real-time feedback and brainstorming. But there are many forms of business collaboration programs, ones that allow us to collaborate in real-time and others that enable us to manage documents and projects via a web-based system.

Don’t Lose That Thought

Take an online document management system as an example – One advantage to online business collaboration software, over traditional document sharing methods like e-mail or print, is that the document is available anywhere a user has browser-based access to the Internet. Going back to the system design example, suppose Mary realizes there is a missing use-case scenario in the middle of the night. She can make the change immediately. When James accesses the document, Mary’s change will be available for him to see. Better yet, if both Mary and James are online at the same time they can meet each other in a live web conference to discuss the document and each other’s suggested changes there and then over the Web – a form of real-time business collaboration.

Don’t Lose Changes

When it comes to online document management software, another important advantage is that a single master copy of the document is stored and versions are tracked by the software. Have you ever worked on a project where multiple copies of a document were modified by different people? Were changes lost because of version skew? Such business collaboration software packages support the ability to check out documents before making a change. When this feature is enabled, only one user will be able to check out a document for modification. Other users will be able to read the document, but not modify it, until the document is checked back in. The result –changes are never lost.

Business collaboration software helps minds merge anywhere, anytime, ideas occur. Let us know via the comments if you have been supporting your Mikogo communications with other forms of collaborative software.

Posted by Andrew in Collaboration, Small Business | Permalink | No comment
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Many vendors offer a large array of software that are simple to install and use. Common software for business operations include accounting, scheduling, payroll, collaborative tools and inventory management software. Each type of software can be purchased individually or in a bundle, which is usually more cost-effective. Though there is plenty of universal software for business use, you may also find that software developed specifically for your business type will come in handy. The amount of software available to you will depend largely on the type of business that you practice. For example, a web design firm will probably see more options than a law firm.

Many software vendors offer free trials to allow businesses to test their products before buying. Business owners are encouraged to take advantage of these no-risk opportunities to get a feel for the features of each type of software. When you are ready to purchase a software package, be sure to check the purchase conditions thoroughly and be sure of the price. Alternatively there are freeware software products, such as Mikogo, which allow you to use the program for as long and often as you wish.

Choosing Software for Business Sum-Up

In sum, when it comes to selecting software for business use, consider the following:

1. Individual licenses vs. Bundles which can be installed on multiple computers.
2. Universal software vs. Industry specific: Consider your industry, your use case and what you intend to achieve by purchasing software.
3. License agreements: be sure to read the terms carefully so you are aware of your rights when using the software (such as what the software can be used for) or any conditions placed by the vendor.
4. Freeware: if you can employ one of the many free business software solutions in your company, then you are making savings two-fold – productivity savings and software expense savings.

Posted by Andrew in Small Business | Permalink | No comment
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Collaboration Will Set You Free

The ease with which collaborations can be achieved has allowed businesses to seek out the best and brightest minds from their branch offices to work on collaborative efforts. Putting their best men on the job has improved the efficiency and effectiveness of their efforts improving business for everyone.

Mikogo’s online meetings simplify the business world by allowing instructions to reach all corners of a corporation at the same time despite vast distances. A CEO can manage their employees from the comfort of their home office, or even their home. This enables companies to lower travel expenses and saves countless hours in travel time. Online meetings as a cost-cutting tool and to improve management efforts have saved several businesses from their struggles in this hard economy.

Collaborations are beneficial when two or more people or groups are working toward the same goal and their efforts might assist one another. For instance doctors collaborate to make proper diagnosis, lawyers collaborate on big cases, businesses collaborate on projects to improve product quality, customer service, work efficiency, restructuring, expansion projects and more.

Business improves if everyone is moving in the same direction and working toward a common goal. Collaboration is a key component in today’s business world. By working together we all move forward more freely.

Leave a comment below and let us know what collaboration via Mikogo means to you and your business.

Posted by Andrew in Collaboration, Small Business | Permalink | One comment
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Virtually anyone can benefit from a few high quality collaboration practices. Whether your team is a sounding board for marketing material, an engineering group comparing the benefits of different product designs, a collection of artists sharing techniques and visions, or a programming team debating the merits of different problem solving methods – any of those scenarios needs to have comprehensive documentation, clear channels of communication, and an accessible forum to share ideas.

Modern software tools like web conferencing or wikis are different forms of collaboration that are suited to different needs. Wikis are ideal for programmers who need to modify documentation constantly, pass notes between themselves and large groups, and maintain long-term archives of the many stages of revision their work undergoes. A web conference provides a comprehensive multimedia event that enables remote participation from team members anywhere in the world.

Group collaboration may be as simple as bringing everyone into a room with a whiteboard, or as complex as sharing code notes on a wiki during a simultaneous webcast from partners on three continents with automated digital backup and archive indexing. Your needs are specific to your business and your process, so be creative and explore your options and test out the methods with the highest return are for your group. New collaboration methods are coming out constantly, meaning your options expand continually.

Feel free to leave a comment below and share your latest experiences of group collaboration.

Posted by Andrew in Small Business | Permalink | No comment
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Sales support options exist to assist a sales team during a sales call. Typically, sales teams brought a technician to the sales call to ensure questions could be addressed with the client in the room. So having the right sales support team resulted in a higher number of sales getting closed.

However, the cost of bringing technicians on-site including the increased travel costs and downtime from other support opportunities all impact the bottom-line and erode profits. An evolving option to enhance sales teams is online sales support. This refers to the flexibility of screen sharing software solutions that can be accessed via the web at the client site, during the sales meeting. This means the sales team is never without their remote help desk sales technicians, who can quickly attend the meeting over the Web, even while still located back at the company office.

Sales support is also available through SaaS (Software-as-a-Service), which allows a company to subscribe for a license and avoid the need to fully implement the application, but access those necessary support features through a web service.

The services vary significantly among online sales support offerings. But the important criteria to consider for those interested in online sales, are ease-of-use and to ensure you are familiar with using the service prior to the sales meeting – It would be a waste of time to set up a sales call or sales meeting to only not close the deal because you have trouble reaching your sales support team when they are needed the most.

If you have any interesting experiences about using support software to close a sales deal, feel free to share in a comment below.

Posted by Andrew in Small Business | Permalink | One comment
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Both sides have come to the conclusion that an out-of-court settlement is currently favorable and a lawsuit should be avoided. This is because the difficult legal situation is interpreted differently.

Today at 4:45 PM the following amicable settlement was reached:

• Mark Zondler commits to provide his name and a photo on his Twitter account and a declaration in the Twitter account Bio section that he does not represent the city. This is to prevent confusion with the City of Mannheim. Furthermore, Mark commits to not transferring the account to any third party.
• Mannheim City withdraws the cease and desist order sent on January 13, 2010. Furthermore, the City of Mannheim has committed to not initiating a court proceeding against Mark Zondler within the next 12 months.

Mark Zondler can continue to use the Twitter account @Mannheim and it has been made clear and public that the Twitter account @Mannheim does not represent the city of Mannheim.

To read the official agreement between Mark Zondler and the City of Mannheim, click here.

Posted by Andrew in Small Business | Permalink | 8 comments
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Luckily, advances in technology have brought new possibilities. And desktop sharing software is one of these. Desktop sharing software is an application through which one can share computer screen content live over the Web with others. It might sound trivial, yet it is a powerful tool, applicable in various business occasions such as online meetings, web conferencing, web presentations, online training and remote support.

1. Online Meetings:

Desktop sharing allows for real time cross-office collaboration among many colleagues. By sharing the same screen content, such as an image, a graph, or a chart, meeting participants can see exactly what others are referring to very quickly. Session time is shortened because the desktop sharing app saves you the time that you would have spent describing what you see to meeting participants. Moreover, the “switch presenter” function of the desktop sharing tool allows an appointed participant to share his/her screen. This transforms a one-way communication into an interactive one and thus makes the meeting more productive.

2. Web Conferencing:

Desktop sharing tools are frequently used to conduct web conferences as well. The presenter can use the desktop sharing tool to send out an invitation and inform attendees of the necessary info to join the web conference. There is no need to distribute files in advance because participants can view any files shown on the presenter’s screen in real-time or ask the presenter to transfer the files via the desktop sharing application’s file transfer feature.

3. Web Presentation:

Web presentations enabled via desktop sharing are a perfect way for companies to interact with customers and clients. With desktop sharing tools, not only can salespeople demonstrate their products but they can also invite customers to experience the product, such as software programs, by handing over remote control of the computer’s mouse/keyboard.

4. Online Training:

By using desktop sharing tools in employee training, companies can save considerable money because they no longer need to set up projector equipment or pay for the travelling cost of external lecturers. Instead, a lecturer’s teaching material can easily be shared from their computer screens via a desktop sharing app for all their participants to view. Lecturers can also utilize such desktop sharing features as “participant pointer” or “whiteboard” to engage trainees and thus create an interactive learning environment.

5. Remote Support:

Some desktop sharing tools include remote keyboard/mouse control function, which is particularly popular among IT companies. Now, with just a few mouse clicks to start the desktop sharing app, support personnel can request to view a clients’ computer screen as well as control the client’s keyboard and mouse and therefore offer timely technical support. One can also record the whole technical support session for documentation and any future cases.

Understanding the advantages of desktop sharing applications is one thing; finding the most suitable one to achieve the greatest effect may be another, especially when there are several desktop sharing tools on offer and each has its own features. Here are a few things to consider:

Functions

When choosing desktop sharing tools, start from scratch and list the functions that you truly need. For example, if remote support is part of your services, then you should exclude those without remote keyboard/mouse control.

Computer Knowledge

The point of using a desktop sharing app is to facilitate communication. High level technology only works when users know how to make it work. Thus, choose a tool that is accessible and easy for users, including the average computer novice.

Security

In the business world, the confidentiality of business information is of great importance. Choose a desktop sharing tool that conveys your information in a secure way. 256-Bit AES encryption is widely recognized as a secure form of communication architecture.

Reliability

It is crucial that the desktop sharing solution is reliable. If it freezes during your session, this would disrupt the flow of communication; even worse, you would leave your customers/clients with an unprofessional impression.

Budget

A desktop sharing solution is not an exclusive privilege to big companies with huge budgets. Small businesses with small budgets can also enjoy the convenience brought forth by small business software including desktop sharing tools. Freeware is actually a good starting point as it does not incur any costs and usually includes the core functions you would need in online communication.

In a time of globalization, businesses and services take place anytime and anywhere. Desktop sharing solutions improve the efficiency and effectiveness of cross-office collaboration, online product demonstrations, employee trainings and customer services at little or no cost. With it, small businesses can save a substantial amount of time and money and achieve greater success.

Posted by Andrew in Desktop Sharing, Small Business | Permalink | 4 comments
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