I’m looking for a simple remote support log-in program, similar to (or exactly like) GoToAssist from Citrix. I’m using the 30 day free trial of GoToAssit Express, and it’s cool, but at $70 per month I’m sure I’d use it enough to justify it. For me it’s probably a twice a month kind of thing.
My needs are basic, I need to be able to see a customer’s screen, control the mouse and keyboard, transfer files. And it needs to be something that doesn’t need a complicated install on the user end. Something like go a website, click this button, enter this code, and you’re done. Or even just go to a website and click a button. I don’t need session tracking or multiple sessions, it’s just me.
So what low-price alternatives to GoToAssist are out there?
You might give Fog Creek’s Copilot a spin. Here are their rate plans. And if you want to give it a thorough testing, try it this weekend; it’s free on the weekends.
You want the UltraVNC remote computer access tool. It does exactly what you need.
You use their tool to create a custom executable which is preconfigured to connect to your machine. You then give that tool to the customer. The customer runs the program and it will connect to your machine. You will then have a VNC window of the customer’s system. There’s no installation on the customer’s side. They just run this custom exe.
I use it all the time when dealing with the inlaws computers. It’s great because I don’t have to worry about trying to connect to their machine through their firewalls. They simply run the program and I can connect to their machine.
Yeah, I use LogMeIn at a couple of my customers, and it works fairly well. But the install process is too cumbersome (at least the last time I did it) for a quickie support session, especially for some of the folks I deal with.
I’ve been using Crossloop recently for a free alternative. I can easily walk my Mom through it (when she deletes the desktop icon, and can’t find it again). I’ve used GoToAssist and LogMeIn before, and they both have their merits. LogMeIn Pro has file transfer, as does the paid version of Crossloop. What I’ve done in the past was use LogMeIn free and then just start up a session of ShowmyPC for file transferring, I assume this would work for Crossloop, and perhaps GoToAssist.
What it boils down to is, if you have remote access to a user’s PC, you don’t really need a combined file sharing ability. You can just d/l any files you need from the myriad file sharing sites out there, like sendbigfile, and the like.
Oh, and the paid version of Crossloop has file sharing for $50 a year it seems. Never tried it, but it’s ridiculously simple for the free version, so it can’t be that hard to implement.
You’re right about file transfer, I use my website or FTP site to store files and then download them on the customer PC when I’m using LogMeIn at the couple of customers who use it. So file transfer isn’t a need, just a convenience for remote support.
Mostly what I need is something dead simple for the first time on the customer side, where they must be walked through it verbally until I get the support session going. After that if I can see their screen and control the keyboard and mouse, that’s 99% of it. If I can transfer files, even better.
The other feature that would be cool that I’ve seen on a couple I’ve looked at is the ability to automatically reconnect after a reboot. But again, while that would be a nice convenience, it’s not a necessity.