Supporting the New Reality of the Remote Workforce
with Clientless Remote Desktop Control

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The Answer to the New Reality Is Remote Desktop Control

One remote support method, however, is gaining in popularity. According to PC Magazine's 18th Annual Reader Satisfaction Survey, remote desktop control has a satisfaction rate higher than any other support contact type for mobile workers using laptops and is running a close second to in-person support for remote workers using desktops.⁹

This growing preference for remote control is indicative of the effectiveness of this support method. Like in-person support, remote desktop control gives a support professional direct access to the user's problem. On the other hand, the expense of in-person support, the complexity of phone support and the tediousness of knowledge-bases and email support methods are eliminated with remote desktop control.

Although considered to be in the early adopter phase until very recently, remote desktop control is now being offered by over 60% of the respondents to supportindustry.com's survey - a jump of 55% over last year.¹⁰ Additionally, PC Magazine's Annual Reader Satisfaction Survey found that the satisfaction levels for remote desktop control increased at a higher rate than its increase in usage.¹¹ Remote desktop control is the support professional's answer to the new reality of the mobile workforce.

There is no question that remote desktop control is the future of support and will soon be expected by end-users. But is it right for your company, and, if so, which product best suits your technical and financial requirements? As these issues move to the top of the CEO/CFO agenda, being able to make the business case has been added to the job qualifications of IT professionals and support managers.

This is especially important in light of the fact that executives are less aware than managers of the troubles in the support trenches. As one example, the BPM Forum study found that four times more executives than managers said their support was available nights, weekends and holidays.¹² Similar disconnects are bound to occur as managers, who are convinced of the need for a remote desktop control solution, propose options to executives, who have a less than immediate grasp of this complex new reality.

Thankfully, the voice of managers making the case for remote desktop control is now finding resonance elsewhere. Many industry analysts predict that the use of remote desktop control and screen-sharing will be one of the hottest support segments for several years to come. Reasons for this view abound.

Using remote desktop control for support reduces desk-side and on-site visits, saving travel costs and time. Remote control allows the support rep to diagnose and fix the exact problem on the remote computer without having to rely on the confusing explanations or technical ability of non-savvy end-users. Remote workers move back into production mode more quickly when supported by a rep using remote desktop control. Both customers and internal users give remote control higher satisfaction ratings than other modes of support, even in-person support. Helpdesks hard-pressed to fill staffing needs or pay overhead find the efficiency of remote desktop control a welcome boon. And IT managers are pleased to see support reps solve problems quickly and move onto the next ticket. Managers making the case for remote desktop control are no longer isolated voices crying in the wilderness.

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9. PC Magazine, August 2005, 18th Annual Reader Satisfaction Survey
10. SupportIndustry.com, 2006, Service and Support Metrics Survey
11. PC Magazine, August 2005, 18th Annual Reader Satisfaction Survey
12. BPI Forum, 2005, The Remote Revolution: Uptime Issues, Implications and Imperatives in the Mobile Workforce

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