Aug 9, 2021 | Uncategorized
Remote support can be a great addition to the products and services your small business is already providing, but only if you have good support technicians.
If customers aren’t getting the help they hope for, word will get out, and you’ll find that your remote support revenue is going down as a result.
An average of 58% of Americans will switch to another company if they’re not happy with the customer support they receive. On the other hand, 89% of consumers are more likely to purchase more from you after a positive experience.
To grow your remote support business and your company reputation in a positive direction, it’s important to position your tech support team for success. If you just throw them in the deep end and expect them to come out on top, you could find that your miscalculation has lost you an important client.
How do you set your remote support team up for success?
1. Allow New Support Techs Time to Train With an Experienced Technician
Just because someone has good technical knowledge, doesn’t prepare them for being online with a customer during a remote support call. The experience is very different when you’re logged in to someone’s system and with them potentially on the other end of the connection expecting you to fix everything.
You give your new techs a better chance at success and more confidence in handling support sessions on their own by allowing them some training time with an experienced technician.
Being on several support calls where they can watch an expert and then slowly ease into the lead role themselves, can ensure they’re properly prepared when doing their first solo session.
2. Train Them on Your Customer Personas
Every business has different customer personas. These represent the different types of customers you provide remote support services to. For the average MSP or IT business, you may have personas that look like this:
- Experienced with tech, like to know what’s being fixed and how
- Not comfortable at all with technology, anxious when things go wrong
- Business owners that just want things to work as fast as possible
Each persona will require a slightly different approach. For example, those not comfortable with technology will need more patience. Users that are tech-savvy will want a full report of what was done after the call is over.
For all personas, support technicians need to learn how not to talk down to people but to vary the explanations they use according to persona type.
3. Make Sure They’re Familiar With Your Products & Services
Often remote support calls end up being sales opportunities as well. For example, if a customer needs help removing a virus, once the malware is removed, a technician that is familiar with your offerings may offer to send some information on your managed antivirus plan.
If the technician doesn’t know exactly what you offer, a sales opportunity could be missed. Also, a customer might wonder why the tech can’t answer a simple question, like what’s included in a managed IT plan.
Provide your remote support technicians with a listing of your products and services so they can become familiar with them if asked or if an opportunity to mention one arises naturally during a support call.
4. Provide Them With a Reliable Remote Support Tool
Few things are more frustrating to your technicians and your customers during a remote support session than having problems with the connection. If a tech keeps getting cut off or can’t reboot a system without getting disconnected, it can cause your customer to go elsewhere for support.
You give your support team the best chance of success when you give them fast and reliable remote support tools. Robust remote support software doesn’t have to break the bank and it can pay for itself in time savings and happy customers.
5. Outline Remote Support Expectations
If you send a technician into their first remote support call without letting them know your expectations, you’re setting them up to disappoint you if they fail to record a support session or don’t send the client a follow-up note.
Go through a standard remote support call and write down the process and what you need to have done before, during, and after.
- Is there specific information they need to ask of the customer for your records?
- Do all sessions get recorded?
- Are they to note the support work performed in a CRM?
- What do they do if the session runs longer than expected?
Make sure you don’t just assume your technicians know all your expectations. Write these down so they can refer to them and become familiar with the entire process.
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Jul 19, 2021 | Uncategorized
Of all the services that IT businesses provide, the one that is typically the “bread and butter” is managed services. A managed support plan keeps revenue coming in the door each month and can be streamlined through an RMM tool to be very time efficient.
If you can effectively use your other popular services to cross-sell MSP plans, then you can increase your revenue and gain more long-term clients.
One of the services that can act as a springboard in this way is remote support. It’s gained in popularity during the pandemic out of necessity and due to the rise in work-from-home employees. This is a trend that’s not going away.
The number of employees permanently working from home is expected to double in 2021.
Because the need for remote support has increased sharply, it’s a great tool to use for promoting your managed support services. You can think of it as a steppingstone in your sales funnel if you do it right. Here are several ideas you can use.
Bundle It in as a Selling Point
Having unlimited remote support as a managed service plan feature can be the deciding factor that pushes a company towards a remote support plan. Bundling remote support with your services packages can also be a better deal for a customer who may be using a lot of remote tech support.
For example, a company with 30 remote employees might be paying nearly as much for remote support troubleshooting and software setup and not realize it. For just a little more they could get a full package of much-needed services, such as managed antivirus, backup & recovery, patch management, and more.
The thought of unlimited remote support can be a big draw and it can make the “numbers make sense” to a business owner that’s trying to justify the cost before moving forward.
Use It to Draw People to Higher Level Support Plans
Remote support can also be a handy way to entice lower-tiered support plan customers to a higher level of support. For example, your most basic MSP plan may not include remote support as a part of the package, but your Intermediate tier does.
Getting remote support along with all the other services could be worth it, especially if a basic tier customer is having to pay for remote support on top of their monthly fee.
You can even do a few tiers and increase the level of support as people choose a higher-level package. Such as:
- Basic Plan: No remote support included
- Intermediate Plan: Three hours of remote support included per month
- Premiere Plan: Unlimited remote support included
Add a Link to Remote Session Summary Notes
When you finish a remote support session, it’s a good practice to send a summary of the session to the client afterward so they understand exactly what was done. This is especially true when you’re providing support remotely for an unattended device and the owner wasn’t there to see what you did.
This summary note can be sent via email or through a virtual sticky note on a screen when using Instant Housecall remote support software. On your summary note, you can include a message about your managed IT services.
For example, you could do something like, “We identified a virus that was causing your PC issues. We’ve completely removed it and checked to ensure all files were intact. Your system is clean and operating normally now. PS: You may want to check out our monthly managed services, which include managed antivirus/anti-malware!”
Do a Price Comparison on Your Remote Support Page
If you are bundling unlimited remote support with one of your managed services packages, then you can do a price comparison on your remote support page. You might actually capture a new MSP customer right away with this tip.
Do a comparison such as the average price for a 1-hour remote support session x times per month, and the price for your managed services plan with unlimited remote support.
You can’t just assume someone is going to figure it out for themselves that if they’re using a lot of remote support, it’s a better deal to just get a managed services plan instead. Spell it out for them!
You could even offer two buttons on your remote support page:
- One button to initiate a one-time support session
- One button to initiate the session and at the same time, sign up for managed services with remote support included.
Use a Remote Support Software That Streamlines Your Process
Instant Housecall is a powerful yet easy-to-use remote support software that allows you to spend less time and energy providing quality remote support.
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Jul 5, 2021 | Marketing
Being able to do things remotely thanks to the internet is convenient and saves time. Instead of having to wait on a PC service call, a customer can get help right away through remote support.
You also don’t need to have additional techs and vehicles to handle things that could be easily done without leaving your office, so it’s a win-win for everyone.
But, when you’re not there in person speaking face-to-face, some things can get lost in translation and you end up with costly miscommunication.
The average cost of miscommunication for a business is between $4,000 and $6,000 annually per person.
You can head off remote support communication challenges by putting some systems in place that help clarify each part of your remote service.
Clearly Explain Remote Support Steps & Cost on Your Website
If someone is requesting remote support for the first time, they may already be apprehensive about how this all works. You don’t want a misunderstanding about something like a remote client install to erode trust in remote support and cause someone to run away scared of a virus.
Make sure you clearly explain the steps that happen during a remote support session on your website. This includes how the installation of the client works.
Some of the things you want to communicate are:
- That the client download and install are needed to allow you to securely connect to their PC.
- That the software is safe.
- That the software can be automatically removed after the session if they like.
- The steps for installing the remote support client.
- The expected wait time for an agent to respond to their request
- Details on how you’ll chat with them during the session.
- Your remote support pricing and how it’s paid (i.e., upfront, after the session ends, by credit card, by PayPal, etc.)
Use a Button to Make it Clear How to Request Support
Using a small text link to connect to remote support might be lost on some people. Connecting to a tech support provider remotely is a big deal, so your link to initiate a remote support session request should reflect that.
Put remote support as a menu item in your site navigation. Then, after you communicate how your remote support works, add a big button that the user can click to initiate the session. This will remove any confusion about the action to take to start the support session.
Use a descriptive button label, like “Start Remote Session,” “Get Remote Help Now,” or “Request a Remote Session.”
Preinstall the Remote Client on PCs You Sell or Service
You can eliminate a potentially confusing step in the communication process for users by pre-installing the remote support client on their computer when possible.
For example, you could include it on any new or refurbished computers that you sell and place a shortcut on the desktop. For service customers, you could ask if they’d like that added to save time should they need IT help in the future.
Record the Session for Clients to View Later
There’s a lot that goes on in a support session and even if a client is present at the time, they most likely won’t remember everything you did to get them out of a jam.
Use a remote support software like Instant Housecall to allow you to record each session so you can provide a copy to the client afterward. This will also save you time answering calls days later from the client asking, “What was that thing you clicked again?”
Enable Multi-Agent Calls for Two Techs to Work Collaboratively
When a technician hits a problem during a remote support session that they need help with, having to disconnect and reconnect can lead to confusion for the customer and make the entire process take longer than it needs to.
Using a remote support tool that allows you to do virtual “3-way calls” can streamline the process when another technician is needed to advise on a particularly tough problem.
This also reduces miscommunication when a customer is trying to tell another technician what the previous one did. Both techs can work collaboratively in real-time avoiding miscommunication problems.
Leave a Virtual Note or Printout for Your Client
If you’re connecting when a customer is away, they can be left wondering what you did and what was fixed if they haven’t had a chance to check email yet for a message.
Send a note at the end of the remote session letting the client know what was fixed and what the total price was. Make it visible by using a remote support tool that can print remotely and/or can leave a virtual sticky note on their computer screen. This removes the potential for confused customers calling you and asking if the remote IT work was done, and you having to track down the technician to ask.
Use SMS Alerts So You Know When a Client Needs Help
If someone clicks your remote support button and doesn’t get a response, they’re going to lose faith and might reach out to a competitor for help. Your techs can’t be everywhere at once, but they can know right away when a customer is requesting a remote session via SMS.
Enable SMS alerts that allow your team to respond quickly to a remote support request no matter where they are.
Instant Housecalls Has Multiple Features to Enhance Communications
Instant Housecall remote support software has all the features mentioned above to improve communications, and much more!
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Jun 21, 2021 | Remote access, Small Business
A famous quote from Einstein is, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
There are two common frustrations with people that are dealing with any type of technology company, from their cable company to their IT provider. These are:
- Hearing technical jargon and having no idea what it means; and
- Getting talked down to like they’re a child.
Balancing those two can be challenging for a technology business owner, but it’s important if you want to keep good customer relations and continue growing your customer base.
42% of people will switch service companies if they feel put off by rude or unhelpful staff.
There’s a fine line during remote support sessions between oversimplifying and being way too technical in your explanations of an issue and resolution. But when you hit the sweet spot between the two, you can have a fruitful engagement with customers without any misunderstandings or hurt feelings.
The Problem With Speaking Tech Talk
When you speak in technology and IT jargon during a remote support session, what you say can go completely over the head of your client. You may think everyone knows what IP whitelisting means but find out later (when there is a problem) that wasn’t the case.
For example, say you’re adding an IT security measure that involves IP whitelisting. Your client only has a vague idea of what you mean, so when you ask if there are any other IP addresses to add to the whitelist, they say “no.”
Then a day or two later, you receive a frantic call because staff members suddenly can’t connect to resources. All the client knows is that something was working and now it’s broken because of something you did during your remote support session.
Had you noted that IP whitelisting looks at the virtual address of every device connecting to a system and blocks those not on the list you could have avoided a problem and a bad experience for your customer. They may have realized you were asking about the actual employee devices that needed to connect.
The Problem With “Talking Down” to Customers
On the flip side of speaking “tech talk” is speaking down to customers. No one likes to be disrespected, which is what they feel when they think they’re being talked down to.
They might feel that you’re wasting their time by over-explaining something that they already know. They can also end up feeling that they know more than you do because you’re speaking to them on such a low level of technical expertise.
How to Walk the Fine Line Between “Tech Talk” and “Talking Down”
Read the Room
When someone makes an inappropriate or irrelevant comment in a group, a friend might say to them, “Read the room!”
What this means for your remote support engagements is to cue from your client’s technical knowledge as you’re providing support.
If you’re getting ready to launch into an explanation of how email signatures work when helping someone with an email issue, pause and see if you’re getting some feedback. Such as, “Yes, I have my email signature set up already.” You’ll gain a clue into their technical knowledge and can adjust accordingly.
MSP providers can be working with customers at drastically different technology comfort zones, and you must be able to adjust how you explain an issue and resolution to match each level.
Watch Your Tone
When people feel talked down to, it’s generally about the tone of the support person. You can say the same exact thing and have it taken two different ways, depending upon your tone.
If someone is hearing a condescending tone in your voice, they will instantly go into defensive mode, which is going to make your work harder and strain the customer/business relationship.
You may not have any idea that you’re speaking in a “tone,” at all. But if you begin to get negative reviews that mention this, it’s a clue that you may need to make some adjustments.
Learn to Explain Things Simply Using Examples
Going back to the Einstein quote about explaining things simply, often an example is a great way to shed light on a technical explanation.
For example, say you’re trying to explain how memory impacts performance and why someone may need a memory upgrade.
If you launch into a monologue about 8GB of RAM compared to 12GB of RAM, you’re bound to lose some people.
Instead use an example and simple, understandable terms, such as:
“Memory, or RAM, impacts how many things you can do on a computer at one time. Expanding your system memory allows the PC to handle more programs being open at once and can respond faster to requests.
For example, I worked with a client having problems similar to yours with browser windows freezing, especially if they had videos or ads loading. We tripled their memory from 4GB to 12GB, and those freezing problems were eliminated. I think increasing your system memory will do the same for you.”
Use Speech Techniques for Better Remote Support Communications
One of the tenants of giving good speeches and training sessions includes these three steps:
- Tell them what you’re going to do.
- Do the thing.
- Tell them what you did.
Often support technicians might miss a step, causing confusion and leaving customers feeling uninformed.
Once you diagnose an issue, explain in simple terms what you’ll do to resolve it (rather than just jumping in keys flying).
Then once you’ve finished your session, you can explain the fix or resolution. One great way to do this when the client’s device may be unattended is to use remote support software, like Instant Housecall, that allows you to leave a visible “sticky note” on the customer’s computer. This neatly closes that communication circle.
Use a Remote Support Software That Makes Your Connections Easy
When you’re trying to explain and address an issue, the last thing you want is problematic remote connection software. Instant Housecall is a powerful yet easy-to-use remote support tool that makes your life easier so you can focus on your customer support.
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Jun 7, 2021 | Marketing
One thing that can hold people back from using remote support services is that they’re afraid of having someone open a connection to their PC.
They may think, “Is this opening a ‘back door’ that can be used later for stealing my information?” Or… “Are they going to be able to see all my browsing history and personal photos?”
In the case of a business client, they may wonder the same types of things about data security and whether opening a remote portal will somehow leave them at risk, even if it’s not from you, but from a hacker that later finds that portal.
Remote support is only going to grow as a portion of an MSP and IT business owner’s revenue. According to a survey by Gartner, 80% of company leaders plan to allow employees to work remotely at least part-time post-pandemic, and 47% of them plan to enable full-time work-from-home employees.
Tips for Marketing the Safety & Security of Your Remote Support
Marketing your remote support services successfully should include addressing how to let customers know remote support is safe. Getting past this major barrier can keep you from losing potential business and help your company take advantage of the remote working trend.
Highlight the One-Time Connection
You can help alleviate fears that unscrupulous hackers will find your connection “portal” and use it to continue connecting to a PC after the support call by noting how one-time connections work.
When marketing remote support for one-time support calls (not ongoing MSP monitoring) emphasize the “one-and-done” nature of your support software.
When people know that you can only connect one time, unless they give you permission otherwise, it alleviates fears of an ongoing IT security weakness that might cause a breach later.
Use easy-to-understand terms, such as the Time Window. Explain that customers can open up a time window of their choosing for up to 12 hours and that the “portal” closes and can’t be reopened beyond that window.
Address the Remote Support Scam Element
A customer might not come out and say it, but in the back of their mind, they may be wondering about all those “Microsoft support” scams they’ve heard about online. This can cause them to be tentative about contacting you for remote support.
Address the elephant in the room and get it out of the way by including a note on your remote support page that speaks to the differences between your service and those unscrupulous support scams.
Here are some ideas:
- We never call you unsolicited and ask to connect (unlike those scams).
- You can see us in person at our shop, so you know who is assisting you virtually.
- We’ve been a trusted (name of city) fixture for x years (we’re not a stranger).
Promote the Security In Common Terms
It’s important to not just say that you use 256-bit SSL encryption but to explain what that means beyond the “techie term” that a layperson may not know.
For example, you might say, “Our remote support connections use 256-bit SSL encryption, which is one of the most secure encryption methods used worldwide. Hackers would need to guess 256 separate bits of information to try to crack the encryption. According to experts, that would take millions of years to hack.”
Now, you’ve translated the encryption standard into common terms that everyone can understand. Their takeaway is that your remote support can’t be hacked unless a hacker has a few million years to try.
Include Social Proof
No matter what you’re selling, social proof is important. This means having testimonials and quotes from other customers.
78% of people trust online reviews as much as they do a personal recommendation from friends or family. So, adding a quote from a few other customers about how great your remote support is, can make someone else feel better about using it (e.g., “If that accounting firm is okay using their remote support, then I guess it really is secure.”)
Mention Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Another security protocol you want to highlight is multi-factor authentication. If you’re using a tool like Instant Housecall with MFA support, it goes a long way towards alleviating any security concerns about a hacker being able to somehow exploit the remote connection.
Go beyond just saying you use MFA and explain what that means:
“Technicians need to enter a code that is sent only to our company cell numbers before they can log in. This keeps hackers from accessing remote support connections because they don’t have access to the MFA code.”
Use a Remote Support Software With Rock-Solid Security
Instant Housecall remote support software incorporates multiple security standards you can market to your customers, including a time window, 256-bit encryption, and MFA.
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