Where technology changes can disrupt established processes and enable genuine business innovation.
While remote access technology isn’t new, it is being applied in more strategic ways to support radical changes to the way organizations are structured and how they liaise with suppliers, customers and employees. By introducing new ways to securely connect to any device from anywhere, remote access is helping to remove the physical barriers that hold back innovation and competitive advantage.
Organizations must be flexible and creative, taking advantage of technology that can support modern ecosystem models.
Below are four examples of how remote access technology is supporting greater business productivity and innovation.
IT help desk
One of the most common uses of remote access technology is the IT help desk.
Screen sharing software allows the IT professional to instantly connect to the device of the customer or colleague in need of assistance and quickly troubleshoot issues. Being able to connect to the customer’s device and see what happens on their screen has not only removed the need to physically travel to provide assistance, but allowed for a more interactive, real-time technical support experience.
Including remote support technology in the IT help desk strategy empowers the customers, who can learn from the IT support professional how to deal with common technical issues, improving the quality of their experience and increasing first call resolution rates. Over time, this translates to a smaller number of support tickets, and to a corresponding reduction in downtime and support costs.
The best remote access software supports the expanding demands placed on the help desk, providing the connectivity and security options that are essential in complex working environments. Whether it’s cloud-based vs. direct connectivity, attended vs. unattended access, or even the ability to provide ad-hoc support to colleagues in the field, the help desk can respond to new business expectations with the right remote access strategy.
Remote working
It’s no secret that many professionals, especially millennials, identify the opportunity of working from home as one of the most attractive benefits employers have to offer. A study conducted by Global Workplace analytics revealed that over a third of young professionals value the increase in work-life balance provided by telecommuting enough to be willing to accept a 10% pay-cut.
Remote access software supports the new business reality of remote working by allowing employees to connect securely to their work computer and other business assets from anywhere. The higher degree of flexibility granted by telecommuting provides an increase in productivity and morale boost for employees.
Additionally, over 60% of businesses have identified cost savings as a benefit to remote working as a result of fewer unscheduled absences, lower real-estate costs and, more importantly, higher employee retention rates. Employers can also hire from a much wider pool unaffected by geographic constraints, finding the best possible talent for their business.
Training and collaboration
Speaking of remote workers, the trend toward a less office-bound workforce involves additional challenges when it comes to employee training. Employers are now more than ever facing the prospect of training and supporting remote staff members who are not always able to visit the corporate office.
With screen sharing and remote access tools, departmental experts or technical instructors can hold training sessions any time coaching is required. This approach allows employees to receive the support they need to get up to speed and maximize their productivity, saving employees’ times, reducing user errors, and cutting the costs associated to traveling to traditional training sessions. Remote access can also be used to train virtual and off-site teams and share knowledge between departments whenever the need arises, such as when a new version of critical business software is deployed.
Team leaders can connect to devices of their team members to monitor the status of critical projects and intervene whenever needed, while the employees can learn new skills by watching what they are doing. With a good strategy, the use of technology that enables remote control of devices can break down departmental silos, enhancing business’ productivity and reducing costs.
Ecosystem expansion
Physical distance used to be the main barrier to effective intra-departmental collaboration. It’s common for large businesses to employ thousands of staff dispersed across various countries and time zones, and they need to be able to provide technical support, training and collaboration to all departments 24/7. At the same time, organizations need to manage relationships with other stakeholders such as partners, third-party suppliers and customers.
Customers rely on on-demand, high quality support and access to training services that used to require great investments of time and resources. Channel partners need to access business systems, information and digital resources to support their sales effort. Successful relationship with suppliers are based on sharing critical, up-to-date information in a timely manner to reduce risk of failure and prevent excess inventory and unnecessary costs.
Remote access enables easy connections across the supply chain by providing a platform that allows all parties to communicate and share data at any time, streamlining processes.
While these use cases might not apply to all businesses, there are many ways that bigger and smaller organizations can benefit from using remote access software, and some of the applications can be very creative.
If you are looking for tips on what to consider when choosing a remote access solution that meets your needs, you can download the guide below or read our tutorial.
