When you require technical support for your computer, network, printer or server systems you have the option of receiving this support in person, or remotely. Both onsite and remote support have advantages and disadvantages, when opting for the best solution its best to weigh up these advantages and disadvantages while considering the best support option for your home or business.
When considering the best option, factors that you must consider include security, accessibility, support timeframes, the general customer experience and cost. First lets focus on the most important aspect that is cyber security. Onsite support can be considered as more secure then remote support as you receive this support directly from a local technician in person as opposed to receiving technical support remotely from an unknown individual who can be located anywhere on the planet.
The second factor to consider is accessibility. Remote support can be seen as the best option for accessibility if your local area is lacking skilled technicians who can service your systems. Support timeframes also are a factor, if technical support is needed immediately then remote support is at an advantage as the technician does not need to travel to site to provide support. However, remote support fails when dealing with air gaped networks that are not connected to the internet, air gapped systems will always require onsite expertise.
When it comes down to the overall customer experience, onsite support trumps remote support. The reason for this is that the customers tend to prefer technical support in person. Anyone who has provided or received technical support over the phone understands the challenges of guiding a customer to preform diagnostic, troubleshooting and maintenance tasks over the phone when the customer lacks experience and qualifications on how to perform these tasks (I have lost count of how many times customers dont read & then close error messages and alert boxes that provide valuable diagnostic information). Customers tend to prefer the technician to perform these technical tasks themselves instead of being glued on a phonecall. Yes, some technical tasks can be performed remotely solely by the technician via the use of remote access software, however in some environments customers may not be able to install remote access software on systems due to security & privacy concerns, difficulties installing and accessing the software or workplace policies.
To provide an example, lets pretend that your car requires maintenance. Your cars starter motor has decided to play up and you have decided to call the local mechanic. However instead of taking the car into your local mechanics you ask the mechanic to talk you through the process of diagnosing and repairing your car over the phone. This can be a challenging and time consuming experience for both the mechanic and the consumer as the mechanic must attempt to explain mechanical terms and components to a consumer who has not been trained with this mechanical knowledge . Furthermore, the consumer can misunderstand the mechanic and preform an incorrect procedure, for example they can accidently replace the alternator instead of the starter motor.
If a local technician in your area can be sourced, the best option is to consider onsite support as this also supports the local talent in your area. If you cant locate a local technician and remote support is the only option, then its best to consider support on the national level. For example, if you live in Australia always preference Australian based remote technical support as you will be supporting national talent while being assured that the technician providing this support is trained to Australian standards and adheres to Australian legalisation such as the Australian privacy act.
Finaly, cost is a factor. Yes, it may be tempting to offshore technical support outside of Australia, but this carries risks. For example, when Australian telco providers outsourced customer and technical support overseas Australian consumer information was stolen and sold on the international information blackmarket. This directly resulted in scammers purchasing this stolen information to scam Australian pensioners out of their retirement funds.
Considering the level of sensitive access to your systems that technicians require to perform technical and maintenance duties its best to not fall into the same trap that the Australian telcos did with offshoring to save on costs, as this can be more costly in the long run and in come cases, can ruin a business.
So, in conclusion onsite technical support should always be your first preference as its more secure, provides a better consumer experience and keeps your sensitive and confidential information within Australia. Remote support should only be considered as an alternative if there is no local talent in your area.