It seems like almost every day, the app store has released about 100 new options for communicating with customers, colleagues and clients, and they all try to compete with longtime mainstays Skype and others. Depending upon your business, you may have a particular preference for one or two conferencing and online video apps that offer you specific features geared towards your industry, but if you are looking for a general online video app that allows you to connect with anywhere from a few to hundreds with one easy call, then there are a few you should try that stand out from all the others.
Be sure to examine all the features before making your choice. Although some are free to try, others cost a bit of cash if you want to install the full versions or acquire additional features. Additionally, some might work better for some industries, while others are geared towards companies with other types of customer service needs. While the apps listed below are mainly for universal use and should be a good fit with any company providing customer service and support, you may have a preference for one over the other, so take the time to review them all and see which one works best for you.
- Chrome Remote Desktop
If you have a Google Chrome browser installed on your PC, as many people do, then you have Chrome Remote Desktop, and like Windows Remote Assistance, you can use it to connect with other people’s computers, provided of course that they accept your connection and also have the Chrome browser. Again, this is a one-on-one operation, and requires a few steps to connect with the other user.
- UberConference
This remote screen sharing tool is made primarily for conferencing with others, but it has emerged as a great customer service and support tool as well. UberConference also encompasses a wide range of useful features that make it a standout amongst many of the other apps available. UberConference app lets you connect with just a few people at a time or potentially hundreds, making it great not just for customer service, but also for explaining product details or instructions to a large group of customers at once. Additionally, screen sharing is another feature of this app, which makes it easy to share documents and files with others and also view each other’s screens for easy support and troubleshooting. UberConference is easy to use, and easy to install. A meeting or connection can be set up within seconds, dismissing many of the other steps needed by other apps.
- Windows Remote Assistance
Believe it or not, your Windows PC already has a remote assistance application built into the software, so long as you have the professional version. This is useful for one on one support and assistance, and the customer doesn’t need to install anything if they are also on a Windows computer. You just simply need to send them an invitation to connect, and then you can easily assist them. Obviously, there are limitations that make Windows Remote Assistance a less than optimal choice for many other types of customer support, as the user must have a Windows computer, and you can only engage with one person at a time. However, for PC-based assistance, it is an excellent tool that allows you to access the person’s computer desktop and troubleshoot whatever problems they may be having.
- TeamViewer
Another popular tool is TeamViewer, which once again allows you to remotely connect to another computer. One good thing about using this tool is that if some customers require support on a regular basis, you can set the tool to connect automatically without requiring passwords and acceptance once an initial connection has been made and accepted. This makes it easy to troubleshoot another person’s computer without having to wait for them to be there or have them sitting at the computer the whole time.
There are of course many other options for support and service that are currently available, but the above list represents some of the best and most popular, for ease of use as well as additional features. Take the time to work with the ones that you might already have on your PC such as the Windows and Chrome remote desktop applications, and then try the others, such as TeamViewer and the remote screen sharing tool UberConference, to see which ones might work better for you. Remember that even if you don’t currently think you need one of the apps with the extra features, you never know when they might come in handy in the future.
