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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1877
54 MacDirectory
CLOSER LOOK
service a snap, as it allows the customer
to get help for the problem without
having to be transferred multiple times to
different technicians. If further assistance
is needed, a support rep can invite
another team member (even if that team
member is at another location) into the
remote session to collaborate on the
problem. This feature also allows newer
employees to receive on-the-job training
and assistance without causing stress to
themselves and frustration to their
customers.
Additional GoToAssist Corporate options
include the ability for companies to have a
branded Web site, multi-language
capability (15 to be exact) and multi-
monitor support.
As for reporting, GoToAssist Express has a
Notes feature that enables users to run
reports with data that can be shown in
any format (i.e., HTML). These reports
show the number of sessions, total session
time, average session time, dates and
customer names.
GoToAssist Corporate takes the logging
and reporting functionality to another
level. It automatically records every detail
of the session in a chat log and offers
session recording. These features enable
managers to see what their teams are
working on and track ongoing problems.
Employees, meanwhile, can see how
much time they spent working with
individual customers, which makes their
time charging, and consequently the
company's billing, more accurate.
What about security? As part of Citrix
Online's commitment to a positive
customer experience, the company has
gone out of its way to ensure that all
information gathered and received during
GoToAssist sessions is completely safe.
Said Dentinger, "We have an international
global business structure and have
installed a security protocol that ensures
our customers are protected and that
they have control at all times."
Another benefit for companies that use
GoToAssist has been an increase in staff
retention levels, as individuals are able to
handle more service issues remotely, and
therefore do not have to travel as much.
As far as the response to the GoToAssist
tools, Dentinger said it was great, and
noted that the products had been very
beneficial in this new era of mobile
support, telecommuting, and doing more
with less.
She explained, "In addition to looking for
efficiency we've noticed a convergence of
support and services; instead of just
reacting to support calls, people are
expected to be proactive and provide
solutions."
The GoToAssist solutions allow companies
to do this seamlessly, which in turn
increases customer retention levels, which
in turn increases revenue, which ultimately
drives profitability.
According to Dentinger, half of GoToAssist
Express's beta customers saw a
productivity spike of 30 to 50 percent. To
put this in layman's terms, that means in a
40-hour week, workers would have 12 to
20 additional hours of time available to
them.
As for Citrix Online's interest in and focus
on Mac users; that came about when the
company noticed "a huge increase in the
Mac market. So the company launched
the 1.0 version of GoToAssist Express with
Mac remote control and screen sharing
and added Mac support to GoToAssist
Corporate, which gave Mac users an on-
demand support product from Citrix.
GoToAssist Express is fully cross-platform
compatible for Mac, though some
functionality is not yet available to Mac
users. However, Dentinger told
MacDirectory, "We are committed to
releasing functionality for the Mac
quickly." GoToAssist Corporate offers PC to
Mac support only, as most call centers and
IT help desks primarily use PCs.
Upgrades, meanwhile, are done
automatically, so there is no time lost with
having to log on and see what's new. The
GoToAssist Web site is also a great
resource, providing a blog and a live
forum where users can ask questions,
make suggestions and share solutions.
So whether you're a small business, a large
business, or just someone that likes to
help people run their computers,
GoToAssist can and does provide the
complete solution for all of your needs.
For more information or to sign up for a
free product trial, visit