Six Ways to Reduce Your Service and Support Costs

In today’s economic climate, service and support organizations are under constant pressure to improve their financial performance. They must increase margins without sacrificing customer satisfaction, meet the needs of a growing customer base without adding headcount, and support increasingly complicated products with cheaper, less skilled resources.  Leveraging Remote endpoint device management presents several opportunities for organizations to operate more efficiently and cost effectively:

Diagnose problems remotely

Once a technician has received a service call, they can use a Remote endpoint device management system to directly access diagnostic parameters and log files as well as live and historic operational information about the troubled device. Even if the device is offline, the expert can capture data about what the device was doing at the time of failure or compare snapshots of the device state at selected times, and use this data to diagnose problems without user intervention. If the device is online, the expert can take over the device using remote desktop, run diagnostics, or restart applications.

Reduce on-site travel with remote repair

Utilizing remote endpoint device management allows experts to remotely repair, adjust, or administer devices without the hassle of on-site visits. If the problem is determined to be a user error, they can monitor how the operator is using the device and offer training or advice on how to use it more efficiently. When a problem is indentified that can be fixed remotely, adjustments to system parameters, manage files, download software fixes on demand, or proactively update software across a whole range of devices. Proactive fault notification, remote problem diagnosis, and remote repair features are just some of the value added benefits that translate into quantifiable returns on investment.

Utilize service resources more effectively

Young service staff place challenges on older experts within the service team to maintain and distribute expertise across the service base.  Remote endpoint device management provides a new approach because monitoring, diagnosis, and repair can be done from anywhere in the world, companies can intelligently utilize service experts located world-wide, putting the best people on the right job, while reducing time and travel expenses. Experts can troubleshoot and resolve problems from their desktops, using a standard Web browser, and collaborate with each other and with on-site support personnel or device operators.

Reduce software distribution costs and installation errors

Manual software distribution costs often involve manual distribution of software (CD, DVD, or USB Keys) and manual follow up by the service team to track, manage incompatibilities, and provide support -Remote management provides a new alternative. A prime example is Esprida LiveControl which provides remote software management capabilities that enables individual devices or whole device populations to be updated without costly software duplication and shipping using a secure mechanism. Esprida’s LiveControl solution is able to maintain in-depth information on each device configuration, so specific software releases can be correctly mapped to a given device installation, avoiding customer errors. This reduces distribution costs and helps reduce costly call center calls from customers struggling with upgrade procedures or using obsolete software.

Improving Customer Satisfaction

Implementing remote management solutions can provide companies with a competitive advantage, allowing them to focus on and fulfill customer expectations and, as a result, retain and grow existing customers, acquire new customers, and build customer loyalty. Remote management addresses the key business requirements of device customers today—minimal downtime, minimal interruption from the service provider, and minimal involvement on their end. They want manufacturers and service providers to anticipate problems, anticipate their needs, and take care of them—quickly and proactively. Simply put, they want manufacturers and service providers to make them happy and keep them happy—and if these desires are not fulfilled, they will simply find another that will.

Minimize downtime and maximize device performance

Remote management allows users to continuously monitor their device parameters to detect problems before they cause downtime.  For example if disk space on a connected device is nearing its full capacity or in the event that an application is freezing abnormally, indicating a replacement may be required.  With automatic notifications, from a customer standpoint, the onus is placed on the technician to ensure that prompt recourse is taken to rectify any potential problems that may arise.

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