Logmein v Instant Housecall

[Compbck]

Hi Guys,

My Logmein costs shot up this year based on the number of customer computers registered in my online control panel.

Today I have received an email from Technibble highlighting Instant Housecall.

As it is Black Friday I am solely tempted to sign up for a 1 user account @ $279 (£171) as it seems to offer just a little bit more flexibility than Logmein for the price.

As a 1 man business all I require is to be able to remote access customers computers either at their request or at any other time whether the customer is present at their computer or not.

All I need now is some feedback from anyone from Technibble regarding whether it would be good business sense to move from Logmein to Instant Housecall based on other technicians's use of the programs.

Thanks Guys and look for ward to your replies.

 

[bitznpcz]

Have you looked at or considered ScreenConnect? I've been using for a few years and been really pleased.

I prefer the option to buy outright than have an annual cost.

 

[acscva]

I agree screenconnect is a great choice and one time purchase. With TN or ACRBO you can get a good discount.

 

[Davena]

My experience is with Instant Housecall. Have to say I really was impressed with it. As a break fix, virus removal, tuneup tech starting MSP with a small shop this worked well for me.

D7 was a great bonus and the the support by Corey is unmatched (IMO). I am moving into more remote work and for me this was a very comfortable intuitive program.

 

[carrcomp]

D7 was a great bonus and the the support by Corey is unmatched (IMO). I am moving into more remote work and for me this was a very comfortable intuitive program.

This.

Seriously .... huge benefit here. We could not handle the volume we do without Instant Housecall's Auto PC Repair. Not to say it fixes everything itself, but it automates quite a bit for when you're fixing multiple systems at once.

Question for you though, do you tend to connect to more than 1 computer at a time?

 

[Compbck]

Thanks for your feedback on this - I tend to only remote into one machine at a time and carry out routine health checks, update security / utility software and where possible remove viruses and malware and check that current software packages are working correctly.

Most of my customers allow me to log into their machines in an unattended mode, as and when I think they need a check up, so tend leave them switched on for that purpose.

However, it would be nice to respond to new customers on the fly so to speak and carry out a remote session without the need to send them a Logmein web link to install the plugin, before any work can be carried out.

I'm presuming Screen Connect has both those features. I certainly like the idea of buying a lifetime licence, rather than the annual fee, which seems to increase year on year.

 

[Davena]

Corey and I just spoke about this as I was inquiring about the special. The Black Friday Special is for:

1 Remote Session
and No D7 Included

Still an amazing deal though.

But for me he suggested the Express Edition which has multiple sessions and D7 integration.

 

[carrcomp]

But for me he suggested the Express Edition which has multiple sessions and D7 integration.

This.

Screenconnect charges per concurrent session, so if you're already connected with someone and you haven't bought a second licence, you can't connect to a second computer.

Screen connect is self hosted, which is a problem for some people, whereas Instant Housecall is a hosted solution.

And, just to toss this out there about lifetime licences (this is true for both Screen Connect and Instant Housecall), I don't buy them. Yes, Instant Housecall also offers a lifetime licence, but you have to pay for upgrades if an update is released and you want to get the up to date software.

Screen connect does the same thing ..... you pay for updates of they are released.

Personally, I'd rather pay for an Annual licence and always have the updates included. It winds up costing way less in the end, and makes it easier to balance the budget when I know what I'm paying.

 

[dombooth]

Have you looked at or considered ScreenConnect? I've been using for a few years and been really pleased.

I prefer the option to buy outright than have an annual cost.

Didn't think you was a member of TN Kevin.

Dom

 

[bitznpcz]

Hi Dom, have been for years... Just too busy to join in recently! How's your business going?

 

[dombooth]

Hi Dom, have been for years... Just too busy to join in recently! How's your business going?

Not bad, bit slow this week but I'm sure it'll pick up.

Dom

 

[TechLady]

I think what I'm going to have to do is start having my clients pay a small fee to pay for my remote software. Was hoping to avoid that but it's just getting too expensive to cough up on my own

 

[Krilus]

How are you planning to pitch this to the clients? $/hr + $ fee or something? I'm just asking because I have a hard time new getting clients to catch on to the remote support, so if I start added a Remote support fee I think it would just make it harder.

If you have good way to implement this I'm all ears personally.

I think what I'm going to have to do is start having my clients pay a small fee to pay for my remote software. Was hoping to avoid that but it's just getting too expensive to cough up on my own

 

[TechLady]

I know...same here, that's what I'm trying to figure out. It's a matter of wording just right. Look for this in my next newsletter which I'm working on as we speak...

 

[carrcomp]

Remote support should cost your clients less money.

Saves gas, time etc.

Plus, if you're doing something like a tuneup or a virus removal you can do more than 1 at a time.

I think the direction you should be going in is how you can optimize your remote support time to make up for expense, not how much extra you should charge to pay for the software.

 

[JohnKennex]

+2 ScreenConnect! I have two licenses and I'm getting another soon. it's what I needed. I've been comparing features vs price - SC is slick.

 

[MDD1963]

Logmein...$139...monthly??

Good....Lord!

At that price, it had better have MAJOR advantages over the plethora of lower cost alternatives...!

 

[rsarceno]

Try RemoteZilla, It's perpetual licensing. (no monthly)
You can use it / install it as many times as you want.

 

[TechLady]

I just got off the phone with Logmein. They've decided to move away from the small fries like us and over to "premium"--and y'all know what that means. My pricing just shot up to well over $700 (and that was their "we're REALLY cutting you a crazy deal" price). You CANNOT buy a single Pro license that you can just move around between computers anymore. That is gone, over. Their plans now are set up to force you to take all or nothing. And Central has tripled in price. Their new pricing scheme makes zero sense for the kind of clients I have and the way I work.

The girl on the phone actually said, "To be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure we're the right product for you anymore."

 

[acscva]

Yeah one of the other groups I belong to there has been a huge discussion about this same issue. I would look at screen connect or splashtop business as another option if you didn't want to host it yourself.