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Whilst technical support is an essential component of any online service, it is one of the most challenging areas of IT operations to manage. Efficient technical support can greatly enhance users' experience of the service, whilst a bad experience can unravel much of the painstaking marketing effort expended to attract and retain users.

Technical support can range in complexity from delivering point solutions, e.g., handling product recalls, auto-qualifying new customers, personalising product support, to handling the complexities of multi-platform multi-product interoperability.

For more information on how work4sure can help you with technical support point solutions click here.

The problem

Where technical support is provided in a B2C environment, the knowledge and skill levels of end-users adds another variable. Typically, the problems encountered are multi-dimensional. That is to say that both the cause and the solution vary tremendously according to the endless permutations of components and configurations. These are a long way removed from the known variables of a standardised corporate desktop environment.

Any mature technical support function will have built up a detailed knowledgebase of causes and solutions. Resolution is therefore a relatively straightforward part of the process. The difficult aspect is the diagnosis; specifically understanding the specification of the computer on which the fault is occurring

Current methods of diagnosis rely heavily on the technical support function guiding the end-user through a series of clicks and questions in order to determine the specification. For lack of any alternative, this approach is adopted by default, but it has a number of drawbacks:

• It is time-consuming. Industry studies from Gartner, Dataquest, Forrester and others consistently report that the discovery process constitutes at least half the total time of the typical support call. This process therefore represents a substantial overhead to the organisation in its own right
• The process is based on scripts. These can be patronising to the power-user, and confusing for the novice. Neither scenario endears users to the service, or enhances their view of the service provider
• Data capture is limited. There is a severe limit to the amount of data that can be obtained via this route. Of the thousands of potential permutations that a PC can present, only a few key ones can be checked. This is fine where the description of the symptom is accurate, but any inaccuracies can blind the technical support team to the true cause.
• The outcome is uncertain. There is a limit to the extent to which the process can be rendered error-proof. Any mistakes can simply create further wasted effort and reduce the level of service delivery to the end-user.

How can work4sure help?

work4sure's technology is based on the fundamental premise that in the age of the Internet, where distance is irrelevant and new channels of communication offer competitive advantage, the answer is simple: Why ask the user when you can ask the PC directly?

work4sure's PrecisionSupport service is designed to do much more than simply replace or improve the discovery process. It delivers:

• a complete picture of the PC's configuration;
• in seconds;
• with absolute accuracy;
• without the need for any effort or knowledge on the part of your customer;
• in a format that integrates seamlessly with your e-business processes.