3 tips for teaching your customers about remote access

Posted:
01/04/2018
| By: Jeff Bishop

As we enter into the new year, it’s the perfect opportunity to come up with a plan that showcases the value of your services to new and legacy customers. A great way to do this is through customer education. In this article, we’ll give you some talking tips for helping your customers better understand remote access and remote support.

You’re probably thinking, isn’t this 101-level stuff? For you, absolutely! But for your customers, maybe not. Why does that matter? Because the better your customers understand your services, the more value they’ll see in them.

Keep reading to find out how to set clearer expectations for service delivery and establish yourself as a trusted technology advisor in 2018.

1. Explain the difference between remote support and remote access

First things first, it’s key to help your customers understand the difference between remote access and remote support.

Start by explaining that remote pc support takes place when they are on the phone, or on a chat with you while you’re assessing and fixing the complication. Remote access, on the other hand, does not require them to be present. If the device is on and connected to the internet, you have the ability to conveniently and completely fix the issue by connecting to the machine at any time.

Next, you can delve a little deeper and explain that in addition to connecting to unattended servers, online remote access can be used to install updates on employee or customer computers and connect to virtual machines. You can transfer files, share folders and documents, and more without anyone being on the other side. That’s especially convenient when problems occur after office hours.

Product Pro-Tip: Any and all machines that have the ConnectWise Control® agent installed will only be accessible from your instance and, once built, a single installer can be deployed on an unlimited number of machines. To establish a session with ConnectWise Control, a connection is developed through an installed "agent,” which we refer to as a Control Client. The agent is created from an installer that is built directly from and is unique to your very own ConnectWise Control instance.

If the technical aspects don’t hit home for them, you can position the value in terms of savings. In the long run, instant remote access is also cost-effective not just for you, but for your customers too, because you’re not having to spend time or money sending someone to their office. With remote access software, you can address the problem instantly and help them save in the long run.

2. Help them spot remote support red flags

Now your customer knows the difference between remote support and remote access. Awesome! But those who lack cyber savvy have a higher likelihood of encountering scammers who, like wolves in sheep’s clothing, attempt to disguise themselves as known companies and convince unsuspecting users into allowing them control to their devices.

So, the next tip is to start the conversation with them about security. Major news outlets have been reporting on remote access scams recently, so your customer might already have some questions about unattended remote access security.

Either way, this is a great opportunity to show you care about their business’s wellbeing by offering free advice for spotting frauds. Explain the different ways they might receive a request to join a session—and make sure to tell them the ways they’ll never receive one.

Product Pro-Tip: The customization feature within ConnectWise Control gives you an array of white labeling options, including color matching and uploading logos for brand continuity. Recommend that your customers look for these indicators before accepting remote session invitations. It could save them a lot of headaches, and they’ll have you to thank for that!

Simply giving them a few tips for telling the difference between a support session from a scammer and one that’s legit (i.e., from your business) will speak worlds about your intent and the value of your services.

3. Continue the security conversation with your team, internally

At ConnectWise, security is a priority, which is why we don’t take risks associated with remote access lightly. Your team should also be on alert to potential cybersecurity threats that can lead to data breaches.

When armed with the right solution that provides a foolproof security plan, your organization can rest easy knowing that any data passed between you and your end-users is protected. For instance, a key security feature to make sure your remote access solution has is AES-256 encryption.

Look for other dynamic security capabilities such as two-factor authentication, role-based security, and comprehensive auditing. This feature in ConnectWise Control logs essential information from each support session, such as the host name and time stamps, and can also record each session for compliance. All notes and activities from the support session are automatically synced to both a ticket and centralized area for quick reference at a later time.

Product Pro-Tip: We suggest that you configure your ConnectWise Control installation with a subdomain or domain name before you create access agents as they will require prior information regarding the location of the server in order to call back. It is also important to understand that when a client is created the “Build Installer” button will automatically use the browser’s URL to configure a path. So, if you use the self-hosted version of ConnectWise Control, be sure to choose a browser URL that will be accessible to your organization in the future.

When it comes to remote access at ConnectWise, playing hide-and-seek with your information is a thing of the past. Functionalities like a shared toolbox stores executables, script files, and documents in a single location, so every member of your team will have access to the information they need, when they need it. Last, but not least, an additional feature of remote access includes extension capabilities that enable integration with major third-party vendors.

Ultimately, we make it our mission to help you get the most out of remote access. When equipped with a cost-efficient, easy-to-use tool built with top-notch security measures, we’re confident your customers will rest easy in your care.