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Once, it was necessary for a technician from the IT department to physically go to the office of cubicle of employees that were having computer problems. Thanks to the creation of networks and the internet, this is no longer the case. IT professionals can run support software on their own computers or servers and solve many problems either by giving directions via chat or email, talking the employee through the problem on the telephone, or by taking remote control of the affected computer and solving the issue. These are the primary benefits of IT support software. Today, it is not even necessary for these technicians to be located in the same building or employed directly by the same company. They can be remote technicians located anywhere in the world. Good support software can be configured so that it routes support requests to the most qualified technician to fix the particular problem being experienced, regardless of location. Such reports are sent via email, chat, or telephone. The employee making the request does not have to know that his/her problem is being worked on by someone halfway around the world, just that the problem gets solved in a timely manner. He/she does not even have to know whether or not the technician works for the same company or contracts his/her services. The technician is able to view the help request ticket and identify the problem. He/she is then able to walk the affected employee through fixing the problem via email, chat, or phone. Many good IT support software titles offer the option of remote access so the technician can work on the problem directly from his/her location. These include several layers of security to protect the user's data from unauthorized access by the technician as protection for clients willing to consider this option. Better quality versions of this type of software also include methods for authorized to technicians to access and update remote computers while they are idle. Again, several layers of security are put into place to ensure that the person accessing the machine from a remote location is an authorized tech. Access is normally limited to the application that is being updated. In addition to all of these features, this type of software must include administrative tools that allow tracking of support requests. IT supervisors and/or clients who contract techs to perform these services must be able to track all technical support requests and responses in order to ensure proper billing and payment. In addition, they must be able to spot computers that are more prone to certain types of problems so they can be marked for replacement if necessary. It is also necessary to evaluate the level of service provided by support personnel and response times following initiation of a help desk ticket. These data can be used to evaluate the service if it is performed by remote technicians to aid in the decision of whether or not to renew a contract when it expires. If the service provided meets or exceeds expectations, this is great. However, sub-par service can be discontinued and another provider located when necessary. The software should also be able to track which technician receives the help desk ticket and ensure that multiple techs are not working on the exact same issue. It should route requests to specific individuals based on their field of expertise in order to streamline the process of getting problems solved and the person back to working productively. IT support software can be provided that offers several different levels of service based on the needs of a firm and its budget. Some require a monthly subscription while others can be licensed outright with a one time payment. A bit of research is needed to find the title that contains all the features needed by a firm without a lot of extras that are not needed. These software titles can be run in house if a firm has its own IT department. Most are run by contract providers of support services and include the ability to access client computers from a remote location. However, most problems are solved via email, chat, or telephone conversation with a tech located in a remote location who receives the request for help because it falls into his/her specialty.
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