These are transformative times for the workplace. Worker mobility is on the rise. And whether mobility is offered as an employee benefit or required during unexpected workplace disruptions, the IT help desk must effectively support employees — regardless of location.
Join us for an interactive Webinar to hear Sean Ryan, IDC research analyst, explore today’s workplace terrain and detail why organizations need to extend IT support beyond the four walls of the corporate office.
Today, as I was driving around in the pelting rain (it rarely rains in Santa Barbara but this week we’ve seen six straight days of it) I started thinking about what support means.
It can mean so many things to so many people but there is always a human element. Yes, technology can help us improve the support experience, allowing problems to be resolved faster, reducing frustrations and improving customer satisfaction but it is really the humans involved in support and remote support who make the difference. Technology, no doubt has improved our lives, it is a means to an end. The people in service and support get the credit.
I know this came up today in part because of the catastrophe in Haiti. I started thinking about how much support Haitians needs and will need, and how something of this magnitude can bring out the humanity in us. Everyone needs support sometimes. The type of support we need can greatly vary and only our human bits can discern what is needed. I can’t imagine how horrible it is for people in Haiti but their experience has changed my perspective on my challenges. I have nothing to complain about.
Support = to sustain (a person, the mind, spirits, courage, etc.) under trial or affliction
Windows 7® has been touted as the easy-to-use upgrade to Vista®. But IT professionals say that assisting users in becoming comfortable with the new program may be the biggest problem for businesses making the shift. Citrix Online recently gathered a handful of IT experts to hear their advice for managing the transition.
“The industry has looked on Windows 7 as the ‘un-Vista’ in terms of usability,” said Justin Madison, VP of Engineering and Operations for Citrix Online. “But especially for companies jumping from XP to Windows 7, the biggest headache may still be user support.”
“If more than half of small business IT professionals plan to migrate to Windows 7 in 2010, that translates to potentially 13-15 million small businesses making the migration in one year alone,” said Gene Marks, noted author and SMB technology expert. “That is ever more reason for remote-support technologies like GoToAssist to support these people in the migration.”
Citrix Online recently hosted an online roundtable featuring a handful of IT experts who offered guidance on successfully migrating to Windows 7. Their pointers included:
Offer training: Not everyone is comfortable with clicking and finding things on their own, so it’s important to provide comprehensive user training – in advance – on these new technologies. (Microsoft offers a range of training videos here.)
Back up hard drives before proceeding: This may sound obvious, but horror stories abound of IT pros neglecting to back up critical data before changing software – and losing everything;
Have the right tools available to assist users: The ability to access remote and at-home users to provide tech support improves the end-user experience and reduces productivity loss.
Other suggestions for managing the transition can be learned from the recording of the Webinar posted here (flash video player required).
“When it comes to supporting Windows 7 users, the ability to quickly and systematically sort out everything – from printer drivers to the new look and feel of Windows 7 – is key to survival for the ever-challenging role of the IT support guru,” said Madison. He added that the remote-support solution GoToAssist “makes it fast and easy to address software upgrade and tech support issues – especially for remote workers.”
On Twitter, follow @GoToAssist or join in the Windows 7 support discussion via the hashtag #Win7Assist.
In today’s challenging economy, everything hinges on the customer. And that’s why support organizations must make the customer experience a strategic focus.
Join us for an interactive Webinar to hear Peter McGarahan, president of McGarahan & Associates and industry thought leader, share best practices and proven strategies for improving first-contact resolution and customer satisfaction by optimizing existing resources.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time off and hope you were able to both take some time off and enjoy it. The kids did get their skakeboards but have realized they “need to grow bigger” before they can really learn to ride them. Fortunately, the athletic toy industy has created a wonderful device called “the scooter”. (Whew!)
The impact of implementing and supporting a transition to Win7. Citrix Online recently conducted a survey in which we found that:
55% of small business IT consultants plan to implement Win7 in 2010
65% say the largest hurdle is people’s limited understanding of the OS and Apps
“Hand-holding” (aka live or remote support) may be the biggest challenge in making the transistion to Win7 for clients
I’ll be off enjoying a holiday and family activities through the end of the year so the blog will be quiet for a couple of weeks. I do hope you all have a wonderful break and year end. I’ll be back in early January with tales of Legoland, SeaWorld and skateboards (my 3 year old twins have demanded skateboards for Christmas and I am bewildered about how to handle this request. Skateboards can’t be safe for 3 year olds, can they?)
Here’s an inspirational video to entertain you while I’m away. Enjoy and happy holidays everyone.
I came across an interesting article by Denise Dubbie of Computer World and Network World. The gist is that fewer IT pros intend to spend holiday time in the office this season, according to an Intermedia survey of 200 small and midsize businesses. In fact, only 42% of respondents planned on working in the office during the holiday season compared to 84% who said they’d work in the office in 2006. So basically the number of people working remotely or workshifting has doubled (thank you Citrix Online for providing the clientless remote support technology that allows us to have more flexibility in our lives.)
Now stock up on warm socks and hot cider so you can be comfortable when workshifting this holiday season.
It is so nice to be able to share in the giving this holiday season. I’d like to tell you a bit about our newest product, GoToTraining. It is in beta now and it is free to use during the beta. So if you have any training needs beyond your traditional remote supportneeds, or if you know someone in training, sign up for the beta and give us your feedback. We are expecting GoToTraining 1.0 to launch in early 2010 so now is your chance to check it out for free and provide feedback to our product team.
Here is more info about what you can do with GoToTraining Beta:
Invite prospective trainees to register at an Online Course Catalogue.
Deliver live interactive trainings to up to 200 attendees.
Store training materials online for download.
Test your audience before, during or after trainings.
You can sign up here or by clicking on the try it free button below.
Join us for an interactive Webinar to hear communications skills expert and former support manager Rich Gallagher share his secrets to getting the best out of today’s distributed support team.
Join us for “Windows 7 Migration Nirvana,” a virtual roundtable hosted via GoToWebinar and Twitter. We will discuss the issues small businesses encounter as they migrate to and support Windows 7, and share tips and tricks from experts on the new platform.
