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Teamviewer 7 – Remote Support Now With Meetings & Collaboration

Technology

Remote Support

Teamviewer has been a great product for remote support and training. With clients around the world, it’s been a valuable tool. The software is quick and easy to install, which is essential when supporting people unfamiliar with computers. Other programs I’d tried were more complicated.” ~ Greg Johnson, Technology Consultant

Computer Setups, Security Updates, and Software Installations

“Setting up a new computer can take a long time. Software updates and software installations need occasional monitoring. Teamviewer makes it possible to oversee and manage computer setups and software installations remotely — allowing freedom of mobility. It’s possible to check-in from an iPhone, iPad, or notebook computer. So, installations can continue efficiently without disrupting daily workflow.” ~ Greg Johnson, Technology Consultant

Documenting Work

“It’s important to me that our clients know what they are paying for and receive quality documentation describing work done. With Teamviewer, it’s easy to take screen shots that provide a storyboard summary of system setup, general maintenance, or software installation.” ~ Greg Johnson, Technology Consultant

Online Meetings and Collaboration

“We recently upgraded to Teamviewer 7 and are looking forward to using the new meeting features for special events, collaboration, distance education, workshops, and hosting paid seminars. If previous versions of Teamviewer are any indication, it should be an elegant, simple, and reliable product.”  ~ Greg Johnson, Technology Consultant

I had tried Citrix-based services such as webex and gotomeeting, but found they were expensive, not very well designed, difficult for the end user to interact with, and support was lacking. For example, in 2009 WebEx promised to deliver a small-scale conferencing solution in three days for a one-day event. It took three months, long after the event was over, before anything was even partially working. Even then, there were dropped connections and poor quality issues. After 6 months of frustration and many wasted hours as an unpaid product tester, I requested a full refund.” ~ Greg Johnson, Technology Consultant

Economical

“Last year when we decided to buy Teamviewer 6, at a cost of about $1,500, it was the most expensive software license we’d ever purchased. Yet, having used the unlimited full-featured free version for a while, it definitely seemed worth having the paid version. Teamviewer 6 continues to work fine and is fully supported. This year, as an existing Teamviewer 6 customer, the upgrade to Teamviewer 7 was only a little over $400. It’s not just a minor upgrade, but expands the product to include online meeting and seminar functions. Other companies sell that additional functionality as a separate product. With Teamviewer 7 it’s included. So, I decided to gain all the advantages of this new version at the significantly lower price (about 60% off retail).” ~ Greg Johnson, Technology Consultant

Ethical, Philanthropical, and Trusting Business Model

“I believe successful companies have an ethical responsibility to offer something valuable back to society and help those less financially able. Trialware that offers limited short-term or not-fully functional use is a step in the right direction, but not really a long-term free solution for many. Imagine if Wikipedia or Google used a similar model before services expired. Teamviewer is available for free non-commercial use to everyone in the world. Forever. With phone support in almost 60 countries, it’s no wonder that over 100,000,000 people in the world are currently using Teamviewer. Inspired by the Teamviewer business model and their trust in people to ‘play fair,’ I decided to make the financial commitment to them and pay the initial $1,500 for their software and services. Not surprisingly, companies that trust the public and consumers are generally guided by those who can be trusted and have a hopeful view of the world.” ~ Greg Johnson, Technology Consultant

Invoicing?

“Last year I was at a cheese shop in Kalona, Iowa – Amish country. We’d purchased some cheese and when it came time to pay we were told they don’t take credit cards. Without a checkbook or sufficient cash, we were ready to put the items back. The sales person said, ‘We’ll just send you an invoice.’ I felt like I’d stepped back in time to the 1800s. Today I purchased an upgrade to Teamviewer 7 today. Expecting to pay for the product before receiving it, I was surprised to see an option to be invoiced instead. Although their products are of the future, their trusting customer service is from another era.” ~ Greg Johnson, Technology Consultant

By Greg Johnson

Greg Johnson is a freelance writer and tech consultant in Iowa City. He is also the founder and Director of the ResourcesForLife.com website. Learn more at AboutGregJohnson.com