Virtual onsite support: using internet chat and remote control to improve customer service

How many times have you heard, "I don't have time to wait for a technician! Can't you come over right now?" How about those customers who don't have the computer experience to adequately describe a problem, or do not have the patience to let a technician walk them through a simple procedure over the phone? Any Help Desk analyst who answers telephones will tell you that they wish they could look at a computer remotely, without having to trek across campus to do something that will only take a minute.The American University Help Desk has been using remote control utilities to resolve an increasing number of problems that once required a visit by an onsite technician. Several remote control products have been tested over the years, but many require software to be installed and configured on the remote computer before it can be controlled by a Help Desk technician. The university finally settled on Lotus Sametime because it integrates with the campus Lotus Notes Email system, and provides real-time chat and online meetings as well as remote control and screen sharing. Help Desk analysts can quickly control an end-user's computer, with their permission, even if they do not use the Lotus Notes client. The customer simply has to click on a meeting link at a website, and then click on a button to allow screen sharing and remote control.Many companies offer remote control solutions, but there is usually a client to install and configure on the remote computer before it can be controlled. Sametime is among the first to offer remote control through a JAVA applet. Since there are no distribution headaches with Sametime, we expect that remote control will become an increasingly important tool for the support technician. Some students, faculty, and staff react with suspicion when they discover that their computer can be watched or controlled remotely, but others appreciate not having to wait hours or days for a technician to visit their office. They just sit back and enjoy the show as their mouse cursor appears to moves by itself.American University provides a centralized Help Desk call center as the front line of support for more than twelve thousand students, faculty, and staff. The Help Desk is staffed by five full-time professionals who are empowered with supervisor rights on all network systems. While the Help Desk resolves 70% of all calls without routing them, some issues must be sent to another team of onsite technicians.The onsite technicians, and departmental technology staff, work closely with the Help Desk. They often need to reach a Help Desk analyst for assistance with account problems, and file and printer permissions. Since the Help Desk spends most of their time answering the hotline, Internet Chat is.Campus computing labs often use Internet Chat to reach a Help Desk analyst for help with file and printer permissions, or account and server problems. The lab assistants appreciate this capability, because they can quickly reach a Help Desk analyst without going through the hotline queue.The Help Desk has tested several remote control options, including Novell ZenWorks Remote Control, Windows XP Remote Control, and Lotus Sametime Remote Control. Lotus Sametime is the current tool of choice, because does not require any prior software installation or configuration. Each Help Desk analyst has a meeting link on a website that is password protected. The technician simply tells the customer to go to the URL for the meeting and enter the password. Once the meeting loads, the customer can share their screen with the technician, or give the technician complete control.Remote Control and real-time chat can extend the reach of technical support staff, but it may take some testing to discover the right application for a particular campus environment. The software should be easy to implement within the current network environment. Even if you don't fix their problem, they will be impressed at your amazing ability to control their computer from across campus.