WHAT IS IT SUPPORT?
Technical support centres around technical assistance for items such as mobile phones, computers, software, TVs, and other types of electronic or mechanical devices. This type of service offers help in solving specific technical problems that are associated with a product or device.
WHERE CAN YOU FIND IT SERVICES?
Many companies have technical support departments that are free or charge some type of fee. Technical support teams can distribute their help through email, website, live support software, or an application on the device. The internet is a valuable resource to find experienced users that know how to solve many different types of technical problems. Some companies don’t have departments that handle these problems and therefore must outsource their technical support services. A device or product can be repaired by remote and may not even be in the same country where the product was sold.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF TECHNICAL SUPPORT SERVICES.
IT support can be divided into many different types of categories. Technical support offered by each of the various methods provides options and choices to customise the IT services.
(1) Call In Services is very common and is known as “Time and Material.” The “material” is defined as items like a computer, digital media, or some other product, and the support that is offered are based on a specific cost.
(2) Block Hours focus on a pre-set amount of work that can be used for a period of time. The advantage is that it allows for flexibility without having to deal with paperwork or the cost of paying multiple bills.
(3) Managed Services is support for a fixed rate or fee, and it will be provided over time with specific times set to solve the problem. Sometimes the support is expanded into other areas such as backup and disaster recovery, project management, and vendor management.
DO-IT-YOURSELF IT SUPPORT
In some cases, the work can be done by the very individual who purchased the item. Do-It-Your-Self technical repair is an option for
those who have the education or experience. Crowdsourced Technical Support companies and organisations have created discussion boards for people to share information. This allows companies to reduce their costs without sacrificing their customer feedback. Many of the databases that offer this type of IT support will display the information in a step-by-step format. There are also IT service video instructions that are online that can aid in solving technical problems.
IT SUPPORT SCAMS
IT service scams happen when a customer receives a cold call and the caller claims that they are with the technical support department for someone like Microsoft or IBM. The idea is to access the customer’s computer by getting them to download software to repair their system and then the caller will steal money from credit cards or other types of financial accounts that are located on the computer. It is always best to take the precaution to validate the caller and to make sure that they are who they claim to be on the phone.