Rescuing customers using remote access keeps them happy and you profitable

By Hailey Lynne McKeefry 12 Oct 2006 | SearchNetworkingChannel.com

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Perhaps the most devastating emergency for the customer, and the most lucrative for the solution provider, is a security breach. "There are a wide range of scenarios for security emergencies," said Snider. "Sometimes, there's a breach and we do forensics work. Other times there is unexpected turnover in a company and they just don't have the resources to deal with security."

The rest of the rescue story Part I: Rescuing customers can be the best way to close a deal Part II: Getting out of a hardware crisis the profitable way Part III: Fix the network; use it to make your service efficient; keep the customer happy

Security emergencies also carry some of the very highest price tags, especially when they're real emergencies, rather than imagined. "We've been in business for five years and the last twelve months have been a change for us," said Rob Eggebrecht, senior partner at BEW Global, an information asset protection and security consulting firm in Castle Rock, Colo. "Before, we had organizations worried about breaches, and now we are working with clients that have been through a breach."

These clients, which have from 1,000 to 10,000 users, often end up spending half a million dollars or more to control the damage. "People are being fired, and there is a hardcore cash outlay," said Eggebrecht. "It is devastating."

In these instances, BEW Global looks for the source of the breach and fixes the weakness, said Eggebrecht. "We take a step back and do gap analysis so that we know not only where it happened but where other high risk exposures are. Then we create a plan to move ahead."

Increasing requirements around compliance also increase opportunities for savvy solution providers.

"There is a tremendous need for storage and retention of data," said Rocco Passafuime, managing director of M & K InterNetworking Security Services, based in Melville, N.Y. "Often companies are running out of space and don't know how to archive data or keep it safe. Often the technology is new, and companies don't have knowledgeable people."

Making it remotely

Whether saving customers from a security breach, reclaiming lost data or untangling network chaos, IT service providers still need to operate efficiently, especially when they're working with small customers whose limited needs and ability to pay keep the margins extra thin.

Remote access has made it practical for many VARs, even those more accustomed to dealing with customers on site and under contract, to add incremental revenue by doing lightweight troubleshooting remotely.

Rent-a-Geek uses a remote access product called LogMeIn Rescue, which allows it to take control of a PC remotely without installing any software on it. "We are able to do anything from anywhere with an Internet connection," said Keith Schiehl, president of Rent-a-Geek. "If the customer can view a Web page or read an email, we can help."

That one technical ability has extended the company's reach from the 150,000 or so people living in the 60-square-mile British Columbia valley in which the Geeks spawned to customers on four continents, Schiehl said.

"Our business has gone up to 500% from 2004 to 2006, and we are on track to do another 400% on top of that this year," he added. "We are deploying people much less often so we are saving on time and efficiency, as well as reducing pollution, and lowering insurance and fuel costs. Our business has increased productivity, as well as lower liability and insurance."

Remote access also allows service providers to keep customers happy by quickly troubleshooting minor difficulties. "We might charge or we might not," said Tulle. "We can often fix the problem on the spot and increase customer satisfaction."

Service providers should set prices for their services carefully, but not daintily. Often, customers are willing to pay to get their problem resolved quickly, especially one that threatens to cause other problems.

Recently, Zavitz had a CFO at a local business call and admit that he hadn't backed up his system in six months, then had a hard disk crash.

Zavitz brought in a local data recovery service provider and managed to save the important corporate data housed on the PC. "It cost the client a chunk of money but no where near as much as if they had lost the data," said Zavitz. "They paid over $1,000 for all services combined." In addition, the customer signed up for continuing backup service with Zavitz.

Emergency service organizations report that they can often charge a premium, but that the key to success is solving problems quickly.

"We charge rates that are higher than if the customer carried the machine into a store, but typically we're done in two hours," said Novak. In Chicago, Nerds on Site will do a basic on-site diagnosis for $129, while removing a virus costs $159. Data backup costs $229, but if a system needs to be completely wiped and reloaded, the cost is $300. The customer is only charged if the problem is resolved, Novak adds.

In this market, learning to make a realistic estimate is important to customer satisfaction. "We will give a best faith estimate on a project but it just an estimate," said Schoolcraft. "We've gotten pretty good at determining overall how long something will take."

Cementing the relationship

Perhaps the bigger opportunity than higher rates, though, is the opportunity to build a lasting relationship with the customer. "The bigger picture is that this leads to creating a strong base with the client where we've done the emergency services, and then they let us do everything else," said Tulle. "The profit up front is great, but the long term is what adds up."

A crisis situation definitely provides an opportunity for a solution provider to prove themselves. "The opportunity is huge," said Schoolcraft. "If you go in and solve this crisis they are going through, that is your opportunity to prove yourself. Once you do that, it opens up the world to the rest of the conversations and the rest of the network."

An emergency also offers a change for the service provider to identify other potential projects. "Often as a result of troubleshooting the emergency, we see things and we can question them about why things are done some way," said Schoolcraft. "Once the emergency is over, we can have a conversation about other things that we saw that could be improved. The most opportune moment to be talking to someone about these issues is when we have just helped them."

Tags: Network Disaster Recovery Planning,  Network Security,  Network Testing and Network Troubleshooting,  Small and Medium-Sized Business Networks,  VIEW ALL TAGS

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