I made a giant leap in my business this year by adding a virtual assistant to my team! I recognized the need for help on a specific set of projects and yet knew I was unlikely to find the expertise and experience I wanted in my local market. Although we're just a few months in, I have already noticed a significant shift in my productivity, and her work is moving the needle in areas of the business that I had previously neglected.

What does that have to do with remote support? It has reminded me that sometimes the solution to your problem doesn't have to be traditional, and the best person for the job may live hundreds or thousands of miles from you.

But let's back up a second and start at the beginning. Remote support refers to expert technical help provided online rather than by someone working in person at your office. From diagnosing computer issues to installing software to setting up networks, remote support offers specialized skills without the expense of providing physical workspace for an in-house employee or the hassle of coordinating schedules to have someone visit your office in person.

Understanding Remote Support

Remote support services connect users experiencing technical issues or seeking expertise with specialists via online platforms like chat, voice calls, and screen sharing. Users (your business) then grants providers access to view and control devices to directly fix problems or demonstrate solutions in real time.

The Advantages of Remote Support

Remote support offers numerous advantages over traditional in-person support:

• Convenience—It eliminates appointment wait times and avoids traveling to service centers by instantly bringing experts online, saving time and headaches.

• Speed—Remote screen control accelerates walkthroughs from days to minutes for tasks like software setups, which take far longer to explain step-by-step on-site or by phone.

• Cost-effectiveness – Eliminating travel/on-site costs while paying only for sessions used cuts technology servicing overheads substantially for businesses. Hourly remote expert rates prove far more affordable than salaries for most companies.

• Accessibility—Online support platforms operate 24/7 and provide after-hours troubleshooting, unlike the 9-to-5 limitations of in-store tech benches or a local IT firm. You also gain access to broader talent pools.

• Flexibility—Recording sessions, repurposing them as self-help resources, and sharing them for peer learning stretch your investments further, improving value.

How your business can use remote support

While it might be second nature to resolve home or personal computer issues through remote support, there's an increasingly broad spectrum of scenarios where remote support might be helpful for personal and professional situations.

• Technical Troubleshooting—This includes debugging frozen computers, malware removal, and smartphone technical glitches, as well as resolving software boot errors, sluggish performance, peripheral connectivity failures, and similar urgent issues.

• Computer Setup and Training—Hiring new team members often means installing new hardware and software and working with staff to ensure access to files and training. Remote support is helpful for all of these steps!      

• Smart Home Device Integration—Are you setting up a new office space at home or in a corporate building and integrating the latest smart technology? Installing these devices and programming them to meet your specific needs can be daunting on your own. Remote support can guide you through the process, configuring your lights, music, safety alarms, and more for optimal performance.

• Network Design, Setup, and Administration – Sophisticated wired and wireless network architectures powering everything from smart homes to complex international enterprise environments demand specialized networking certifications configuring routers, switches, firewalls, and VPNs, balancing traffic loads and applying security protocols through remote access.

• Data Recovery and Restoration—It's everyone's nightmare—losing years of personal photos or financial documents on your home computer. Unfortunately, it happens. At work, companies are struck by catastrophic system outages or hacks that require expert help to recover and restore valuable data essential to their operations.

• Software Training and Enablement—Are you running detailed enterprise software for employees all over the globe? Remote support is a perfect solution for robust software training that you can record and reuse for future hires or training refreshers.

Both entrepreneurs and large-scale employers are looking for cost-efficient ways to solve problems and get ahead of their competition. Remote support is a genius way to let tech experts handle complex issues while local leaders focus on their areas of expertise and lead well.

Choosing a Remote Support Provider

There's much to consider when selecting any expert or partner offering remote support. Here are a few places I'd start:

• Reputation and Experience – Positive client feedback and years of experience with mundane, simple tasks and resolving complex issues signal that the service provider can handle whatever you throw their way. Read through reviews and talk to current clients, if you can, to fully understand what it's like to work with them.

• Technical Expertise – Are they capable of meeting all of your needs? Ensure they have the technical expertise to handle your current devices, operating systems, enterprise software, and everything else inside your digital environment.

• Availability – Ask good questions about their hours of operation and how they handle after-hours emergencies. If Murphy's Law has taught us anything, it's that most tech disasters will happen after hours and right before a big launch or event! You'll need a provider that can show up when you need them the most and before minor issues become major overnight.

• Pricing – Is their pricing clear and predictable? Do they offer packages, or is everything billed in hourly increments? Understanding this upfront is critical so there are no surprises along the way.

Best Practices for Remote Support

There are a few ways to ensure that your experience with a remote support team is positive for your team and the provider.

Prepare Devices Beforehand

You know how when you hire a house cleaner, you do that light housekeeping right before they show up? The same kind of preparation applies to hiring a remote support provider. Take the time to update programs, close unnecessary applications, and document the issue you're experiencing, capturing screenshots if possible and having examples ready. By minimizing distractions and being prepared, your support technicians can fully focus on resolving the primary issue.

Communicate Needs and Approvals Clearly

Be prepared to get specific about your issue and how it's impacting your workflow. The more information you can provide, the better support you'll receive. Designate a member of your team who will consent to the support team before any access of confidential information or actions such as wiping drives, installing software, or viewing sensitive materials. These simple steps prevent confusion and keep actions in line with policies and procedures.

Carefully Follow All Instructions

Once your remote support team begins, you'll likely receive specific instructions. These might include steps likedownloading programs or apps, changing settings, locating serial numbers, etc.

Resist the urge to jump ahead or skip steps, even if you're being asked to do something you've already tried. You've hired the experts, so it's best to let them follow their procedures so you can get to the solution you want.

Ask Clarifying Questions

While following directions is necessary, this doesn't mean you shouldn't ask questions. If you don't understand a technical term, it's perfectly fine to say so and ask for further details. It's best to understand the changes you're expectedto make, how they impact the problem, and learning along the way will make it easier to troubleshoot down the road.

Provide Clear Feedback

Just as your business likely relies on testimonials to show customer proof, remote support providers also appreciate understanding your experience and how they can improve services in the future.

When given the opportunity, leave an honest review that covers areas like their technical competence, how well they explained and resolved the issue and your overall satisfaction.

Set Realistic First Session Expectations

Getting to the root of the technical problems sometimes requires multiple approaches and strategies. Before jumping to a solution, support teams must assess the situation, determine how it impacts your work, and workshop solutions, taking care not to cause another problem while fixing the primary issue.

Be patient as your provider learns your business, needs, and works within your timeline.

Is remote support right for your business?

Maybe! There are many advantages to using remote support, but there are also costs to consider.

You may see improved productivity, faster resolution of technical challenges, and prevention of them from escalating to more significant problems down the road, which translates to less employee downtime.

You might also see reduced expenses, eliminating high-salaried in-house IT staff and paying only for on-demand support. And, quickly solving technical issues that impact your customers means less disruption to sales and higher revenues.

Key Takeaways

Using remote support for big or small technical issues is growing in popularity. It makes a lot of sense for businesses that can't afford in-house IT teams or want to think creatively.

It does require preparation and planning and takes some effort to implement. However, it might be worth exploring for your small business. Do your research, go in prepared, and see how it goes.