One of the challenges is to choose which features are needed and what methods we will use to connect to and manage PCs remotely.

For those clients who have a Microsoft Windows domain, connecting remotely to a server running Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, or a version of the Small Business Server — http://www.microsoft.com/sbs/en/us/default.aspx –is easy to accomplish.  This allows a wide range of services to be monitored and managed remotely, from managing computers and users on the domain, to setting up and configuring email accounts, to configuring and running data backups, to managing security for the network.  In addition, many individual workstations can be remotely accessed and managed via the functions provided by the Microsoft Server OS.  Technicians can access user profiles, setup printers and file sharing, or install, remove, or configure software, or even troubleshoot and resolve problems a user may be experiencing.  Lastly, the Windows Server/domain environment allows for the possibility of all sorts of reports, logs, and system tools that make managing many computers and resources on a single network much simpler.  And all this can be done via a web browser or a Remote Desktop connection from our offices or remote locations!

For clients not using Microsoft servers or not housing a domain environment for their machines, there are still plenty of options.  A wide range of products now exists on the market for other kinds of remote PC management and access.  From LogMeIn — https://secure.logmein.com/ – to Citrix’s GoToAssist/GoToMeeting — http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/ –, to Ciscos’ WebEx — http://webex.com/ –, to Microsoft’s LiveMeeting — http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/live-meeting/?CTT=1 –, to other less known but equally useable tools such as those based on the VNC protocol (RealVNC — http://realvnc.com/ – and UltraVNC — http://www.uvnc.com/ –are only two examples), there is a huge array of tools and options to choose from.  Varying in usability, price, ease of use and feature set, all these programs offer some methods of getting access to computers remotely over the internet.  Some, such as the VNC variants, require much more configuration and are very limited in their features beyond connecting to desktops remotely.  Others, such as several of LogMeIn’s products, allow for asset management, inventories, custom reports, and alerts when certain conditions on client machines are reached.

Depending on the needs of the client, their budget, and the amount and variety of uses they put their computers to in the workplace, one or more of these tools can be used by technicians at NSI Partners in providing our TechConnect services to clients.  Assessing the needs and capabilities of each client, we are able to select a set of tools that work best for each scenario.

All of these solutions share several key factors in common. First, they allow clients to save costs by not having to necessarily have an IT employee or department on the payroll full time.  Second, they allow the clients to acquire and pay for only the services that meet their technology requirements.  Third, remote support further reduces the costs of contracted IT support by reducing travel expenses and infrastructure.

For today’s small or medium business that has come to rely on computers but doesn’t have the budget for a part- or full- time IT employee or department, outsourcing IT services and using all the technologies available in today’s world, such as those provided by NSI Partners’ TechConnect, can save loads of money, energy, and keep their technology working for them, rather than feeling ensnared by it!

Well, maybe not a no-brainer in the customer service carnival of telecommunications churn, which apparently costs $10 billion per year, according to CGI–so much, it’s developed a “Churn Management” program. That’s where “Customer Justice”–that is Customer Service from a macroeconomic point of view–comes in. When things get so bad that you need “churn management,” it becomes a matter of justice.

Going on 30 years now, I have taken an interest in Customer Justice because it’s one of the greatest marketing levers that far too many businesses fail to value. It’s actually a comparative advantage in international trade and will be a major factor as services continue to be globally outsourced.

“But, look–it gets a whole department in our org chart,” I’m told. Yes, but it’s rarely a rung in the corporate ladder’s fast track or among the required classes in business school. It seems too simple to warrant being considered a “discipline,” like the more sexy Finance or Business Development. And Stanford or Wharton grads don’t ”study” Customer Service–it’s too vocational.

Of course, one Harvard Business School grad, Fred Reichheld, did. In 1989 he pioneered Loyalty Marketing at Bain and developed the statistic that the cost of acquiring new customers was five times the cost of servicing established ones. First widely published in 1996’s The Loyalty Effect: The Hidden Force Behind Growth, Profits and Lasting Value, it’s quoted every recession when customers get hard to find. In fact, it’s been elevated to a mantra so often that it rarely includes a citation, and it’s now been inflation-adjusted to six or seven times depending on who’s doing the chanting.

But many businesses don’t believe it. They think customer service boils down to how well you write your call script and how many calls need to be escalated to Supervisor “Bill,” part of the staff of our former telecommunications vendor who was unwilling to provide me with his last name, even though he had all my information. I told Bill that if that Early Termination Fee did in fact appear on our final bill, I’d have to recoup our losses by developing this incident into a case study.

We have a lot of great vendors — how would they have treated this? Why do telecommunications and financial services come up in churn discussions more than, say, manufacturing? (Regulation, anyone?) How often is churn associated with this particular vendor, who, out of fairness, shall remain nameless pending that final bill? If, however, that bill reflects Bill’s heightened emotional state during our call, then this will be a matter for Customer Justice, and I can share with you what I learn. After all, if you have to pay a fee, you should get something in return, don’t you think?