Remote Computer Assistance?

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Can anyone recommend a reputable company that does remote computer assistance? I have customers who are older women who don’t know a lot about computers but they have to use a computer to send embroidery designs to their embroidery machines. One woman needs an upgrade to her software but doesn’t know how to download and install it from the machine maker’s website.

I’ve sent her the written instructions twice and she can’t get past the first step because she doesn’t know what her “brower” is. I tried to find out and asked her if she had an icon that looked like a blue lower case “e” but she said she just didn’t understand.

Is there a company out there that would assist with this kind of thing? It would have to be someone who would take control of her computer remotely, do the download and the install.

Thanks in advance,
Jan

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Hi Jan,
If you install ‘TeamViewer’ on your friends computer, you will, once set, be able to use it remotely.

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Thank you but I need her to hire someone to do it for her. I’m a designer, not a computer support technician. I can’t get involved with one customer on such a technical (and time consuming) level. The bottom line for me is that her purchase from me was for $6.00 and I normally don’t have any interaction with customers other than sending them the designs they purchase. I’ve already spent several hours trying to assist her and simply can’t afford any more time over this small purchase. I’m hoping to find a company that would do this for a proper fee that I could recommend to her.

Thanks,
Jan

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I can see where you are coming from Jan, but I think you need to consider what your end-to-end customer support should be and price your products appropriate. If you decide that you do not provide end user support to this level, then you should state that in your terms and conditions.

Your original post indicated that the particular customer’s embroidery machine required a firmware upgrade. Perhaps you should include a minimum specification requirement and enforce through the upload software and your sales terms & conditions.

I suspect (from your description) that this particular customer will not be able find, download and install a remote support application. Somebody is going to have to visit the customer.

I think your best bet is to research local PC support companies in her area, contact them to obtain prices and present her with a solution that involves hands-on support from that company. You may even be able to negotiate a “finders fee” for introducing a new customer to the support company.

Hope that helps.

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I used Team Viewer a few times and it works good and pretty easy to figure out…

Jan, I had the same problem with someone that didn’t know what their ‘browser‘ was and it took me forever to get her to d/l the remote part of the program that has to be installed on the other side…

What I did was install Team Viewer on MY laptop and MY desktop and used it to control my MY laptop for a day until I got used to how it worked….

If you do get her to d/l and install the REMOTE part of the program she then has to run it and email you the password to give you access to her machine..
The remote part isn’t an install, it’s just an executable that is she has to run on her computer.

I found it easier to talk to her on the phone and get her to d/l and install it and that took forever to do because she had absolutely no idea about anything and she lacked the basic knowledge of using a computer….

God, was that a trying experience..!!

Good luck…

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OP, have you never been to these customers home? What kind of customer are they if you’ve never been there?
I’m just a little confused, I guess.

I have Computer Customers, but I go to their house to work on their equipment, so I see it in its natural environment.

I don’t personally do it, by my associate, sells maintenance contracts to his own customers, whereby he installs Teamviewer on their PC to run in the background all the time. It runs right from the startup folder. He has the ID and Password, written down for each of his customers.

He can go into their computer and do updates, cleanup junk, upload files to them, etc.

If Team Viewer were running on that little lady’s computer, you could download the Sewing Machine software for her and even send it to the Machine. All she’d have to do is make sure the computer was ON and the connection made to the Sewing Machine, which she should already know how to do. Eh?

Happy Holidays Everyone!

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Hello, Who.
You typed : He has the ID and Password, written down for each of his customers.
In my use of TeamViewer, the PW is renewed at every session. The ID is firm. If TV is already working, you might have to go to Task Manager and End Process on the far machine, when you use the short app, the Allow Remote Control.
Great programme !

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Your suggestion is a little over the top for this industry. People buy their machine from a dealer who should provide this support which apparently is not happening for this lady. This level of computer support is not something that is expected of a designer. My price point is just right for the 14,000 people on my mailing list and with the exception of a corrupted download now and then, there is no expectation of further support. I was just trying to help out a lady who is not computer literate.

This is an online business with a worldwide audience so I can’t just visit her home to assist, even if I wanted to. I have had others on my mailing list who have the same machine reach out to her but even that hasn’t helped.

It’s like buying groceries and then expecting someone from the store to come to your house and show you how to make your stove heat up. Your store may sell you a cook book or provide a contact to a cooking school but there is no expectation that they are going to come and cook your dinner for you.

There are literally hundreds of machine models on the market today and over 60 software formats for the designs. No designer is expected to support every model and format and my business clearly advertises the formats that I sell. She bought the correct format but her machine is out of date so she can’t use it. I’ve already refunded the $6.00 although the mistake was hers.

I just thought that there might be a remote assistance service somewhere that she could pay for.

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I hear you Jan.

It seems your customer lacks the knowledge of how to update their system, which puts you in a difficult position. Given your additional detail, I think you have probably done all that you can.

The problem in this particular case is that your customer is not probably not going to be able to download and install a remote assistance tool: If she requires remote support, somebody is going to have to visit her to install and show her how to use it.

I would chalk this one up to experience.

Good luck with the business.

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If her machine is out of date, firmware wise, then she should contact the place she bought it from for an update, either in her home or at the store. That doesn’t sound too complicated. Most likely, in either case, someone else will have to do the update for her.

Sounds like you’ve exceeded your responsibility in this matter.

Happy Holidays!

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There are two Team Viewer app’s. One is just run when needed and does generate a new ID and PW every time it’s run, and the other one can be set up to run all the time and keep the same ID and PW. OK?

I usually just use the first one, but my friend uses the second one. I hope that makes sense.

I have the second one set up at my neighbor’s so I can keep them updated on their security software.
I often just go over there and get a free beer while I’m working on the PC.
Working On-site definitely has its perks.

Happy Holidays!

The Doctor

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Doc, hello. Lovely perk !
I have yet to see the same PW when using TV, the only permanent data is the ID that is generated by the IP and the router numbers. Do not ask me how this is done, I got this from a techie at TV.
Doc, too many perks ! I have just run TV three times on two putors and never got the same PW. On both apps. Mind you, I will first got to Task Manager and “Stop Process” on TeamViewer before I click on the icon to run it. I have to go to Task Manager on one computor as if I do not, it will refused to be connected to from any of my three other machines. I found out through stellar research, that I had to stop TV and then use the ” Join Remote Control Session”, which is the other app as you mentioned. This gives me smaller dialog and I can use that PW so I can connect to this machine from afar, at the moment, afar is roughly 10′. Such is life !

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Doc, still enjoying a perk ?
I have just redone an install of TV and it states that the PW is renewed on ALL starts. Granted, if you do not restart TV, you maintain the same PW.
Are we even ? Happy Holidays! ( This is a cut & paste of yours ! )

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Somewhere, I think you missed my point.
There are TWO different (totally different) Team Viewer programs.

One is actually designed to run all the time, while the other one is designed to only be run once in a while.
The one that runs all the time can be set up to a specific password that you can create yourself.
It will, however create its own ID number.

The temporary one is “TeamViewerQS.exe” while the other one is “TeamViewer_Host_Setup.exe”.

It sounds like you DID NOT get the whole package, but just the temporary app.

Now, the version I’m using is “Team Viewer 6” is that the same version you have?

Watch your email. You never know what might show up.

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Who, hello.
There are TWO different (totally different) Team Viewer programs.

Yes, I have seen and used them both. I am on TV v.7, I totally ignore what the difference is between any version. Matters not as my problem is fixed now, it was due to my overlooking a check mark on the first page of the dialog, there are two, one to start TV with Windows boot and the other again in Extra -> Options Close to tray menu, whatever this does. And then, I got to Security and I was able to set it to “Normal”. It is amazing what one can do when one knows what to do ! :rolleyes:

Have a Merry. J.

Some funny discusion took place in my mail.

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