Remote assistance , especially in the IT field, has become the norm even well before the pandemic: lockdowns and intermittent openings have only contributed to accelerating a process that has already begun.

But what is it exactly? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this modality? Let’s find out!

Things

An IT technician who works remotely basically stays at home or in the office and works through a program downloaded by the customer on the PC or on his device. Through this program it is possible to carry out corrections and modifications on the device or on the network, to solve problems of various kinds. In practice, it is like taking the device to the shop, or opening the door of the house to a technician to solve the problem, but avoiding direct contact.

During a session you can:

• perform tests and checks
• analyze the situation as a whole
• identify the problem
• in most cases solve it, with a little help from the customer who will follow the instructions of the technician

Some of the problems that can be solved are PC, hardware or smartphone malfunctions, installation or correction of updates and software, antivirus checks, configurations, network errors, data backup.

The surgery takes place easily. The technician is explicitly authorized to operate on the device, his instructions are followed to move to a “common ground” of work (usually a program to download or a specific IP address) and the professional is allowed to intervene.

The Advantages

The great advantages of remote technical assistance are three:

• Interventions are more flexible: you can ask for help from distant cities or countries, at any time, to solve a large list of difficulties
• The costs are lower: without a technician who has to leave the office or home if he works in smart working, the price of the intervention is lower for both the company and the customer
• There is no direct contact, therefore the risk of contagion between operator and customer and vice versa is avoided

The Disadvantages

In the face of such attractive advantages, it is possible to think that remote technical assistance is flawless. Someone, however, is there.

If the problem cannot be solved via the PC it will be necessary to have the technician intervene directly on the machine, at home or in the office or by bringing it to assistance. Never mind: the method has worked for decades and will continue to work well into the future. What is certain is that, if all problems could be solved with a call, the costs and difficulties would be much lower.

The second problem is collaboration. Usually the technician needs some little help from the customer (such as turning off and restarting the modem, changing some machine settings, intervening on the electrical current of the house, etc.). To help him, it is essential to strictly follow his instructions, or if it is not possible to have him delegate the intervention to someone, such as a colleague or family member, who can help in the resolution.

Also Read: Work From Home: How To Set Up An Office?