We get a lot of requests regarding the remote support tool we choose to use when taking control of customer PC’s. For many years we’ve been using one such tool that we refer to as ‘rs.exe’.
This is actually a free customised tool based on the ‘Ultra VNC Single Click’ package http://www.uvnc.com/docs/uvnc-sc.html.
By following the setup guide it’s possible to quickly customise your own version of this utility, add both branding and text and then build a single executable to use with your own customers.
This has proven to work really well – its a simple to use tool and has the benefit of only requiring the customer to download and run a single executable. As well as remote monitor, keyboard and mouse you can also run a simple text chat, as well as open a two way file manager to move files between the remotely accessible PC and that of the support agent. The only issue we have come across is that remote access isn’t always possible if a customer’s sat behind a web proxy service of some kind.
Recently we were recommended a free online remote support service Join.me. Similarly easy to use, the emphasis with this service is on the customer downloading and running a client from the join.me web page and the providing the support agent with a 6 digit connection number to use for the remote session. Join.me has better support for Web proxies and has proven to work well where the VNC single click would not. It also has the ability to do text chat and simple file copying. as well as multiple viewing, which we find particularly useful in training scenarios.
If you’re looking for a free, easy to use and support solution we can quite happily recommend either of these however we’d love to hear from you about any alternative solutions you may prefer? If you’ve got one in mind, why not let us know using the comments section below….
For remote support I use ScreenConnect. I chose ScreenConnect because the company does not charge reoccurring fees for Saas hosting like most of the competition. For the year I’ve been with them they have had 3 new releases and the software just keeps getting better. I switched after being LogMeIn Rescue (LMI123) customer for years and have not looked back because of the competitive pricing. I like both software for support, but SC wins for their SMB pricing hands down. http://www.screenconnect.com/
Additionally I’ve used RealVNC and liked it. The install/setup was a bit of a hassle but after that it was pretty clean. I don’t think join.me is intended for remote support, as it does not include all the features of a robust remote support tool from what I remember.
Thanks for pointing out ScreenConnect , I must say I have not come accross it before, looks interesting.
Teamviewer or why not the simple traditional RDP
We use Teamviewer which works on everything we use. The presentation and remote control capabilities are excellent as are the built in VoIP tools for communicating with the people you support and present too.
I prefer Techinline. Much cheaper than other pro remote desktop versions.
Thanks Daniel, Interesting i will add it to the list. do you use it with multiple support agents and if so do you purchase a licence per agent or per concurrent session?
Another solution which does not have recurring cost is RHUB remote support appliance (http://www.rhubcom.com/). It is cheaper than ScreenConnect and most Saas. It is also more secure as it allows you to set up a private cloud for collaboration.
Has anyone used Mikogo? http://www.mikogo.com/. A customer used it today to give us access to a server and it seemed to work quite well for a free offering.
I prefer Uvnc and TeamViewer
The best remote tool i have used so far is TeamViewer, it is very good and easy to use.