Is a Remote Help Desk the Right Solution for You?

Ask any desktop tech support tech­ni­cian what their biggest frus­tra­tion is, and most likely you will hear that some days there simply is not enough time and orga­niza­tion. By utli­zing remote desktop access soft­ware, setting up a remote help desk is a great way for help desk consul­tants and their clients to save valuable time and resources. The concept of remote help­desks is rela­tively new, and users have many ques­tions about how the online systems work and whether they are a good solu­tion for computer support.

What Exactly is a Remote Help Desk?

A remote help desk is a web-based system that allows users to register for and receive remote support, gene­rally on a fee-based basis. The help desk allows users to go online and seek remote assis­tance for computer soft­ware or opera­ting system issues that they are unable to resolve on their own. Tech­ni­cians staff the service and gene­rally commu­ni­cate with users through remote access soft­ware equipped with pc remote control, in addi­tion to chat sessions, emails or some­times via telephone.

Why is it a Good Idea to Use a Remote Help Desk?

Remote help desk soft­ware is desi­gned to make life easier for not only the end user, but also for the consul­tants working to resolve their clients’ issues. Some of the features offered by a remote help­desk include inci­dent tracking. So, if a client emails a problem report there is an inci­dent created. From that point on, every commu­ni­ca­tion or action on the part of a consul­tant is recorded as a part of that specific inci­dent. The client can go online and find out the status of their problem, and a consul­tant or super­visor can track the progress as well. When the client is available, the support tech­ni­cian can assist via remote pc support.

Although remote help desk services are gene­rally fee-based, help desk tech­ni­cians are not always required to pay for desktop remote support soft­ware used for the online support, with free busi­ness soft­ware inclu­ding free remote support solu­tions available.

Will I have a Dedicated Consultant?

Most likely, if you are using a remote help desk much like a face-to-face help desk, you will not have a specific dedi­cated consul­tant. Instead, most remote consul­tants work in teams to help solve their clients’ online computer support problems. Remote desktop support can often be a single contact and in that case a single consul­tant will help. Other times, an inci­dent may require multiple inter­ac­tions between consul­tant and client. In this case, the client may work with multiple people. This is a good example of the inci­dent manage­ment discussed earlier.