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Simplenet Solutions LLC
is an IT service firm handling everything from hardware setup,
software installation, network security and tech support to
efficiency consulting and disaster recovery. The following is a
Q&A with Mr. Rich Kukla, President of Simplenet Solutions. |
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Q: We know that Simplenet Solutions LLC uses TurboMeeting to
provide remote computer support to your customers. What do you
use TurboMeeting for?
A: “Currently we are using TurboMeeting for two technicians to
handle all of our remote support requests. On average we use
TurboMeeting about 7-8 times a week. Previously we would use a
combination of Remote Desktop, Radmin, VNC, pcAnywhere, etc. In
most cases this worked fine, but in cases where the end-user was
not very computer savvy - which is often the case in our line of
work - and where firewall configuration was necessary, these
solutions weren’t always our best choice.”
Q: Did you have any specific problems or issues to resolve?
A: “The primary problem was trying to keep track of all the
different remote tools and which client was configured to use
each one. Additionally we’d run into constant remote software
issues that were caused by the end user. After a while we
realized that the longest part of each support call was getting
control of the users’ desktop to begin with – often times this
process would take the better part of 15 minutes by the time we
were able to establish a remote connection. A typically scenario
would be a remote tech trying for 10+ minutes to connect via VNC
to an end-user only to have the end user say something like “Oh,
that icon by the clock? We closed that because we didn’t know
what it was.” Or “Oh, we installed new firewall software but I
don’t know how to configure it.” It became apparent that we
needed a solution that would standardize the way we handled
remote support, eliminated the possibility of an end-user caused
problem and also eliminate the need for special firewall
configuration.”
“We evaluated a few products that all fit our needs, but as with
any small business the up-front cost is always a major factor.
At the same time we didn’t want to be short sighted and purchase
a product because it was less expensive and sacrifice
functionality or stability. TurboMeeting seems to meet every
concern we had, so we went for it and haven’t looked back
since.”
Q: Could you explain how you installed and configured
TurboMeeting?
A: “Installation was a cinch. It probably took about 20 minutes
total from the time we removed the unit from the box until we
were able to service clients. We probably could have done it in
about 5 minutes, but being IT consultants we had to poke around
at every menu and customize every feature we possibly could.
With that being said, without much more then a glance at the
documentation we had the TurboMeeting device configured on our
network, customized with our logo, user accounts setup, firewall
configured and servicing clients in 20 minutes flat.”
Q: Which features of TurboMeeting are most useful to you?
A: “Remote support is really the only feature that we use. As
part of the remote support feature, the file transfer feature
really comes in handy as well. At this point we really have no
need for the seminar mode or any of the view-only meeting
features, however it was certainly a selling point knowing that
we had these features in the event that we want to do training
or webinars in the future.”
Q: Can you give us an example of how your efficiency or
productivity has been improved?
A: “Our typical customers pay us by the hour, so the less time
we spend fiddling with various remote support applications, the
more time we can spend generating income. Previously we would
spend almost 15 minutes per support call just trying to get
connected – if you multiply that by our average number of
support cases per week, that’s about 2 hours a week of lost
revenue - not to mention the lack of functionality with the
former products. Being able to connect to our customers quickly
keeps us productive, keeps our revenue in the black and keeps
our customers frustration level to a minimum.”
Q: How did you find RHUB’s products compared to other Web
conferencing solutions?
A: “Overall there are a few bells & whistles available in other
products, but they just aren’t worth the cost. The main thing
that drove us to select TurboMeeting was our return on
investment – it was a one-time fee that delivered 95% of what we
were looking for in an easy to use & stable package.
Additionally, a huge factor was that we actually owned the
product instead of paying a monthly fee for a hosted service
like the competition offers.”
Q: Are you satisfied with TurboMeeting, or are there any
changes or additions you'd like to see?
A: “Overall I’d say that we’re very satisfied. If I can take
this opportunity to be a nit-picky customer, there are a few
things that I would like to see added in future revisions – in
order of importance to us:”
“Better auto-install/auto-launch of TurboMeeting – when a user
does not have Java virtual machine installed, the auto-launch
fails and the user has to manually download and launch
TurboMeeting. 100% auto-launch would be nice.”
“TurboMeeting interface makeover – the software works great, but
it doesn’t look as good as it works. I’d love to see a new
interface in the future.”
“Tech support queue – if there are several techs assigned to
handle remote tech support, it would be nice to have a common
queue where clients can sign into and wait for the next
available tech.”
Q: Do you have anything else you’d like to add?
A: “TurboMeeting has become as essential part of our business by
improving the services that we offer to our customers, as well
as increasing our bottom line. The amount of time that we save
by using TurboMeeting allows us to service more customers in a
much more efficient manner. Often times minor computer problems
require a significant amount of travel time to address, but by
using a remote support session we can correct the problems
quickly which saves us time and saves the customer from
additional downtime. Additionally, with rising fuel prices
TurboMeeting helps us keep our services at a reasonable
price-point which is very attractive to new customers.”
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