Connections with clients don’t have to take place face to face. In today’s technology-driven world, remote access and support is more prevalent than ever.
There are several reasons that using remote support would be advantageous for your company:
It’s efficient
If a client calls you with an issue and you don’t have remote support, you can’t help them until you get to their site, which means commuting. Solving the problem without leaving your desk is far more efficient than having to drive to a site, no matter how close the site may be.
It’s also efficient in that it allows you to work on more than one task at a time. No matter what you’re working on, things need time to load and/or process, and having to sit and wait in front of a computer on-site takes longer than necessary. (Be careful when calculating billable hours with this one, though.)
It’s cost effective
As we said, not having to go to a site means less driving. Less driving means spending less money on gas and reducing wear and tear on your vehicle; it also means that you can’t have any accidents or get any speeding tickets, keeping your insurance rates lower. It may save you money in unexpected ways, too – maybe you’ll eat out less or need to buy fewer business clothes.
It’s client-friendly
Being able to choose remote support is helpful for clients too. As it so often seems to, it goes back to time constraints – if a machine is failing or a system is down, the time it takes you to get to the site negatively impacts your client because failing machines and downed systems mean lost productivity and lost revenue.
It also means that geography is no longer a restriction. You can choose clients based on criteria other than location, and they can do the same. Offering remote support makes you a viable option for people anywhere in the world.
It’s flexible
Although working “after hours” isn’t what most people want to do, offering remote support will make it slightly less bothersome if the need arises. In addition, there are certain situations – updates on servers, etc. – that must be run after hours in order to prevent lost productivity during the work day.
Not every job can be handled remotely, and as you get used to using remote support, it will become obvious what type of situations require on-site support versus remote support. Having a choice between the two, however, and offering your clients the choice as well, will make your job easier and your clients happier.
