The Paradigm Shift in How We Do Support

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Technology is changing the way we do business now more than ever. Fast Internet access from various devices to the abundance of applications allowing us to connect remotely to another computer, just like we were there, have caused a major paradigm shift in the way support is handled.

Just 10 years ago, probably 80-90% of our Microsoft Dynamics GP software support was being performed on-site or via phone. Now, in just 10 years, the percentages have practically flip-flopped, with approximately 80-95% of our Microsoft Dynamics GP support being performed remotely.

It seems like we can GoTo about anywhere we want and accomplish about anything we need too, much more efficiently. Companies like Citrix have made that possible through their Internet-based applications. It seems like another “GoTo” product is being released every time I turn around. First, there was GoToMeeting®, then came GoToAssist®, which I love using to support my Microsoft Dynamics GP clients. Citrix most recently released GoToTraining® and GoToWebinar®.

In light of these new customer interfaces, companies must re-learn how to communicate with their customers. When using the internet, you cannot see if the customer is confused, has their hand raised, etc., much like communicating over the phone. We cannot see the customer’s facial expressions or the way their bodies are positioned. Technology is fixing that problem too with video conferencing, for example. But, until video capabilities are in most businesses, more often than not, we will have to communicate online without the benefit of observing a customer’s non-verbal expressions.

Citrix has some great online webinars on how to better communicate in the online arena. GoTo, pun intended, https://news.citrixonline.com/webinars/ and check them out.

While all these new online capabilities are great, do not forget that your customers like to see a warm body every now and then!

Sandra Thomas, Owner and Senior Application Specialist
IntelliPoint Technologies, LLC