SupportSpace Corporate Blog

Firefox Support and Updated Tools at SupportSpace

        SupportSpace website now supports Firefox and includes updated ways to choose the right expert for you based on feedback and customer testimonials.

Feedback

We have improved the Feedback pages meaning that you can now share your opinions with others and use other people’s experiences to help choose the right expert for you. Feedback is a major part of our platform and we have now made it even easier for you to contribute your thoughts and so help us make improvements. There are now 4 simple questions for you to rate your expert on a scale of 1–5 in the areas of knowledge, efficiency, communication and overall help. We have also added the all important question: Would you recommend this expert? With all these improvements, we hope the answer is yes!

Expert Profile Page

There is now even more information about the expert available on their profile pages. You can see all the service history plus comments and testimonials giving you better tools when choosing the right expert for you. You can bookmark your preferred expert ensuring you spread the word and there is a sharing button on the homepage for you to recommend your expert to friends and family.

Using Our Tools

For those of you who have visited us in the past, you may have had some problems with pop-up blocks. Therefore, we have been working really hard to overcome this situation and have eliminated all pop-ups meaning that chatting with the expert is now instantaneous, easy, and requires no installation. If you agree with your expert that you need to use one of our tools, you will be asked to download software, a new window will open and the expert can then take control of the support session.

Firefox

And now to finish on a really high note! Following several customer requests, we now support Firefox!! Thank you all for your fantastic feedback and please keep those comments coming – it just means that SupportSpace keeps getting better.

SupportSpace is the Standout Employer for Work at Home Techs

So says Tom Harnish, creator of Undress4Success, the Work from Home website and author of several books on the subject.

I don’t want to talk too much as the article is self explanatory, but Tom does say,

“SupportSpace is the standout employer for work at home techs, from our research. Their business model has attracted the venture capital community, and their online approach is unique".

In the article he highlights the services that SupportSpace offers their tech experts by mentioning that “Another nice aspect of remote tech support work is that you don’t need any special equipment or tools. SupportSpace provides online diagnostic tools, and if you’re a geek, you already have everything else you’ll need.”

You too can join the SupportSpace expert community “if you’re an exceptional techie, and can make a disappointed customer with a fried hard-drive thrilled they called you. A college degree isn’t required, but you do have to be at least 18.”

All SupportSpace experts go through a special certification process, click here to register and start our expert certification.

Tom also mentions that this post on the undress4success blog is a condensed version of what will be included in his new book, Undress for Success: The Naked Truth about Making Money from Home, expected to be released in early 2009.

We can’t wait!

SupportSpace Customers Can Publish Testimonials and Feedback

What a fantastic opportunity to thank your expert in person and to let all our other customers know about the great service you experienced at SupportSpace! Yes, you guessed it; we’ve introduced a new Testimonials page to our site.

So next time your expert gives you outstanding service, please feel free to write a testimonial either through the feedback page or by using the testimonials link which can be found at the bottom of the homepage.

We love hearing your feedback, which remember is 100% unedited, as it helps us to know how you feel about our service. All testimonials are thoroughly checked to ensure that they come from completely genuine customers who really have run a session. Our experts enjoy reading the comments written by their customers and added automatically to their individual store profiles allowing potential customers to read what you think about them.

Our experts always try to go that extra mile and appreciate being given a “pat on the back” as seen by our latest testimonial written for SupportSpace expert Joseph McCluskey:

“R u kidding me! First, I couldn't believe that I was talking 2 a real person. Secondly, he really knew his stuff. He helped me straighten out not only my main problem but other things as well. I will definitely become a member and use his services again! Thanks for everything.”
Kassey Nall

So, many thanks to those of you who have already written to us with your feedback and we look forward to receiving more comments in the future. We will be posting your testimonials on our Facebook Fan Page as well as on the testimonial page on our site and from time to time, will write brief posts on our blog.

In the meantime, have fun with our experts…..…just let us know about it!!

SupportSpace Secures Additional $10M Investment from BRM and Gemini

SupportSpace announced today the completion of an additional $10 million of financing led by returning investors Gemini Israel Funds and BRM Capital. This funding brings total equity capital raised by SupportSpace to $14.25 million since October 2006.

Launched in January 2008, SupportSpace provides a virtual workforce of certified experts who utilize a SaaS platform to deliver managed and consistently high-quality online tech services to vendors and retail users. Individual users can get the service directly from the experts at the SupportSpace site, while venders' customers can access the service from a vender-branded platform. The new funds will be used to support the company's go-to-market strategy, accelerate customer acquisition and to focus on partnership development activities.

"There is great potential in the growing tech support market, and we appreciate the vote of confidence that BRM and Gemini showed by taking the whole additional investment. We have exciting projects in the works, and are focused on the continuation of partnership development with leading companies and brands," says Yair Grindlinger, CEO of SupportSpace.

SupportSpace enables its partners to offer 24/7 Professional Services that enhance the customer experience whilst enabling partners to augment their existing tech support capabilities without need to invest in an in-house technical support operation and or by employing a staff of Customer Support Representatives. Partners can tap into to SupportSpace's workforce of experts, each of whom have gone through a series of rigorous background checks and certifications. Experts deliver services to users from the SaaS-based workbench which contains all the tools and knowledge needed to perform the service, and which is fully customizable per partner and service.

"We have a clear and proven business model which is essential for continued success. Thanks to the low operational cost of our virtual workforce, SupportSpace can offer users and partners a no risk, no commitment, "Pay-as-you-go" payment model, so that only completed and satisfactory support sessions are paid for," says Yair Grindlinger, CEO of SupportSpace.

New and Improved Tools for Experts

We thought it was about time to introduce you to the latest goods on offer to help you promote your store on SupportSpace. As ever, you, the expert, are in our minds and we have created more fun and interesting ideas for you to enjoy.

BUSINESS CARDS

We have designed the most amazing Biz-cards for you.  We used Zazzle and uploaded four different templates which you can see above. You will notice that you can buy the card of your choice, rate, share with your friends and more.

The widget above shows the 4 designs for you to choose from, all mentioning you as a certified SupportSpace expert. Obviously you have the option to fill in your personal details and can order them in packs of 100s. We would recommend that you hand them out to all your friends and customers.

Experts that wish to print the cards on their own, here are the PSD files for you to use:

Download Expert_biz_card_black.zip

Download Expert_biz_card_blue.zip

Download Expert_biz_card_certification.zip

Download Expert_biz_card_images.zip

E-CARDS

We have written an e-card for you to send to all your nearest and dearest, click here to Download eCard.msg . This card is a ready-to-send Outlook template which we recommend be sent as an introduction to the services you provide. Feel free to edit and add your areas of expertise and store URL. If you would like a printed version, it can be found in our Fan store at a cost of 0.75 per postcard and they come in packs of 8.

MERCHANDISE

As you may remember reading in an earlier blog post, we have introduced a wide range of SupportSpace merchandise to be found here. Most recently, we have added a couple of sure-fire winners for you!! These include the newly designed “SupportSpace certified expert” Golf Shirt and these cute stickers saying “My Expert Saved the Day”. At $2.99 they are the perfect give away to let your customers know that you appreciate their business and for them to keep you in mind next time they need help.

CONTACT ME WIDGET

Lastly, don’t forget to use your “Contact Me” button. In order to do this, you need to go to My Place and click on Invite a Friend. You will see on the bottom left of the screen “Spread the Word” with a code in a box underneath. You need to copy the code and embed it to your blog or e-mail signature. The Contact Me button will appear and each time your customers click it, they will be directed to your store.

We hope you take advantage of these ideas and if you have any of your own that you would like us to consider, feel free to post your comments and requests.

SupportSpace launches its new Homepage

We wanted to thank you guys for taking the time to give us such incredible feedback when completing the survey all about how you like to choose your expert on SupportSpace. Due to the 1000s of comments we received, we have updated and re-launched our homepage.

To celebrate this event, we want to give you a little information about the upgrade and the changes you will see, so why don’t you start by clicking on the SupportSpace site and having a little peek?

Get Help

You will see that we have added a “Get Help” section on the left hand side of the page. This will enable you to choose from a list of the most popular categories ranging from Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer and Email to Printers, Digital Cameras, plus many more in between.

Select an Expert

We have left the section regarding expert availability in its original format as, according to our survey, this appears to be the way you prefer to select an expert. Our list of experts is growing so click the “View All Experts” link to browse through the variety of SupportSpace certified experts.

Featured Services

To make the selection process easier, and to avoid having to detail the specifics of your problem, we have made our featured services section more prominent. This is where you can choose support packages at a fixed price and where you will be navigated to the pages of the experts who excel in these fields. We have many more featured services which you can find when clicking “View All Services”.

Software Packages

You will also notice that from time to time, we will be offering you the chance to buy featured software packages at great prices by clicking the “Buy Now” link in the bottom right corner.

Invite a Friend

As so many of you have already invited friends and family to join us, we have added a button to share this site, along with a link to bookmark it on your favorite websites.

Help

Located at the upper right corner, you will see that we added a fixed location to access frequently asked questions.

Search Bar

The option to search by product or expert name has been left as is on the site’s upper section as we understand that this is your preferred way to find an expert you already know by name. Don’t forget that you can also bookmark your expert’s profile page to access it again in the future.

Blog

As always, you are invited to read our blog and will see a new link at the bottom of the new homepage.

If you haven’t already done so, please click here and take a browse, we think you’ll be happy with the changes; we are!

With all these changes what stayed the same? SupportSpace certified experts can help you with any tech related need, just click “Connect Now” next to the expert of your choice and get connected within 45 seconds max.

As always, we are interested in your thoughts so why not add a comment at the end of this post.

SupportSpace hopes to do for tech support what Amazon.com did for books

Wow!! Compared with Amazon.com in our first year in business - it couldn't really get much better, could it?

Tom Spring of PC World has written an article posted in, amongst others, the Washington Post and says that he was more than happy with the service he received from SupportSpace. He says that there are hundreds of experts to choose from and that it can all be done from your desktop at home or the office. I found the selection of technicians impressive, and their ability to help me solve problems was excellent.

He found that the process was simple and easy to use and that he was offered a wide choice when it came to deciding on an expert to solve his case. You can choose according to area of expertise, customer ratings and price. There is a little icon on the expert profile page showing availability, so you are free to contact technicians who are online, therefore saving time.

We were happy to see that Tom managed to get his problem solved quickly and efficiently, saying "I asked a technician to help me correct a conflict between an older application and a DVD video encoder; my problem was solved, and all of the interaction happened via text chat". He also noted that payment is withheld until you are completely satisfied with the support session and that the site encourages users to post feedback and rate the technicians they use, while offering a money-back guarantee.

Tom also made a couple of interesting comments. Firstly, he says SupportSpace lacks the ability to save chat transcripts. We were happy to read this point as we have been working on exactly this idea recently and will be coming to you again soon with an update on how you can see a transcript of your session for future reference. Secondly, he wouldnt haveve liked the opportunity to contact his expert again by e-mail for follow-up questions after they've provided a fix. We are looking into how this can be achieved while maintaining a safe environment for both the customer and the expert alike.

Tom concludes, Overall, SupportSpace is a good option for anyone frustrated by traditional telephone tech support hassles, such as long hold times and dealing with multiple tech staffers to fix one problem.

SupportSpace Expert True story

Bridget, also known on SupportSpace as MommyKnowsDesk, is the perfect example of how good an expert can be. Mixing talent, service, professionalism and technical skills with a good spirit.  We are of course very proud to have Bridget with us and we recommend any of you who have a difficult situation to resolve to try and contact Bridget for either consultation or forwarding cases. And....on the top of this, she has such a great sense of humor! Read below a letter from Bridget and then you’ll see why customers are so happy with her!

Consider the Client by MommyKnowsDesk

I came to computer support from years in the restaurant business, where it was all about serving the customer. In many ways technical support and waiting tables are similar, except in the following way: If any of you have ever worked as a waiter or bartender you will know the old adage that the customer is always right. While in computer support, the very nature of it, the customer is always wrong!! Yet their needs remain the same as far as service goes.

I always bear in mind that we all started out as novice users at the very beginning. That an expert ascends to a deep understanding and development of skills sets often creates disdain for the general plain user population. Like a math teacher having to explain such basic concepts as 2 and 2 equal 4. It can be frustrating to go all the way back to the basics so much of the time.

My empathy has always been with the user. I remember how scared I was with my first PC, how bewildered. I can recall simply turning off the machine in a complete panic, many times, and praying the thing didn’t blow up or something. We should all remember that it takes a lot of guts to call for help while feeling stupid. This is an aspect I run into a lot: The user feels so stupid and embarrassed at their lack of knowledge. Therein lies the answer to good customer support: Always be reassuring. Let them off the hook and praise them when they get it right. Their appreciation will lead them back to you every time.

The single most important and hardest thing to have is patience. It can sometimes take 30 minutes just to help them find the start button! Yet it is so very hard to maintain your even keel when confronted with a hopelessly inept computer user. I guess it takes practice but if patience and understanding can be maintained the rewards of thrilled and delighted customers, that have actually learned something in the process, is very rewarding.

The computer is just a tool, the best tool ever but still a tool. It is not necessary to know all the ins and outs of it, the concepts or configuration of it, to use the tool effectively. This is another thing I tell my clients and it is another way to help them relax and gain confidence.

The bottom line is that while it can be very hard to help sometimes it is what we are here for. If everyone knew how to use and work a computer we’d be out of a job!

To contact MommyKnowsDesk, click here. She can help with:

Firefox, Internet explorer, Microsoft Word, Office, Powerpoint, Outlook, Outlook Express, Internet Support, Laptop Support, Home Entertainment, Software Installation, Visual Basic, Windows XP, Vista, iPod, iTunes, Printer issues, Blackberry, Audio Player, Broadband and many more.

SupportSpace Named "Cool Vendor" by Leading Analyst Firm

We at SupportSpace are proud to have been selected as a cool vendor by Gartner Inc and include below the official press release.

Vendors selected for the “Cool Vendor report” are innovative, impactful and intriguing.

Redwood Shores, CA – April 14, 2008 – SupportSpace, an innovative online service dedicated to providing a new standard of technical support, has been included in the list of "Cool Vendors" in the “Cool Vendors in CRM Customer Service 2008” report, written by Michael Maoz and Ed Thompson, and published March 20, 2008 by Gartner, Inc.

"We are thrilled to be included in this report as a Cool Vendor," said Yair Grindlinger, Chief Executive Officer of SupportSpace.  “We simply believe that consumers have the right to demand a higher level of service than they’re getting today, and the analysis in the report confirms that customers and vendors are crying out for a better quality tech support service model.”

SupportSpace offers an innovative online service that provides a level of choice, quality and transparency unmatched in the technology industry today. SupportSpace provides a smart, easy-to-use interface to search for a support expert based on a user's specific preferences, including expertise, price, user ratings, number of cases solved and availability.

The certified experts offered through SupportSpace’s service are empowered by a superior technology platform that enables them to work efficiently and on their own terms. All experts go through a comprehensive  certification process including a detailed expert profile, a thorough background check, an online service skills test and live calls with the SupportSpace certification center prior to any customer interaction.

About Gartner's Cool Vendors Selection Process

Gartner's listing does not constitute an exhaustive list of vendors in any given technology area, but rather is designed to highlight interesting, new and innovative vendors, products and services. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness of a particular purpose.

Gartner defines a cool vendor as a company that offers technologies or solutions that are: Innovative, enable users to do things they couldn't do before; Impactful, have, or will have, business impact (not just technology for the sake of technology); Intriguing, have caught Gartner's interest or curiosity in approximately the past six months.

About SupportSpace

SupportSpace is a unique online service dedicated to providing "a new standard of tech support". Giving consumers and small businesses access to the Web's most robust community of independent, certified tech experts capable of solving virtually any tech-related need, SupportSpace puts people in charge of their digital world-enabling them to find their own "personal" expert by sorting across level of expertise, price, availability and user ratings/reviews. Customers also have the option of building an on-going relationship with a particular expert who is familiar with their profile and individualized needs. SupportSpace provides immediate, real-time support offering online, phone and remote control access options (with no waiting in line or on hold). SupportSpace created the first proprietary support platform that allows experts to remotely share knowledge resulting in superior customer satisfaction.

Founded in 2006, SupportSpace is privately held and headquartered in Redwood Shores, CA with experts located across the U.S.

SupportSpace Online Interview with AustinCast Vlogger

Yair Grindlinger, SupportSpace CEO and co-founder, has just completed his first ever online interview, via Skype, with Paul Terry Walhus (AKA AustinCaster). Paul is a web host and developer, videographer, blogger, vlogger and is a technical whizz who enjoys all things high-tech.

As luck would have it, just as Yair was trying to start the conversation with Paul, he encountered a technical problem with his Skype! He couldn’t really have planned it any better if he’d tried as Paul then managed to witness a “live” session with one of our experts as Yair called for support. Within minutes, the issue was solved and the interview progressed without a hitch. Yair discusses how SupportSpace came about and the advantages of using the services on offer. He explains how the business is ever evolving with improvements being implemented all the time, for example, the new SupportSpace home page which goes live shortly.

Take a look at the video below or by clicking on the link here and don’t forget to post your comments as we are always keen to hear your feedback.

Online Videos by Veoh.com