January 24, 2006

Hassle Free Support from Microsoft for Small Businesses

One of the HUGE problems I've had personally with using technology and I suspect others have had similar problems is getting the help you need for the many annoying problems that happen when using technology on a day to day basis. Your local computer consultant is a good place for support - but do you want to have to schedule a visit (more money) or call someone everytime something happens?

Microsoft has a solution.

Microsoft's self help online support is very extensive at support.microsoft.com but sometimes it can be a bit confusing and sometimes you need a HUMAN to answer your specific question.

To that end, as part of Microsoft's Small Business Web Site Microsoft is adding Microsoft Small Business + Support.

Here's the full details:

The Small Business + Helpdesk lets you chat to an expert who can answer your Microsoft software questions. You talk to the Helpdesk team online, by typing what you want to say into a chat window.

Our experts have been trained to understand the needs of Small Business and are committed to helping you find answers to your questions.

There are 2 types of Helpdesk questions.

First, General Questions ¬? these are usually simpler types of questions such as what products are included in Microsoft Office 2003 Small Business Edition (see examples of the types of questions you can ask) that will generally take less than 20 minutes for our advisors to answer. These questions are always free to you as a member of Small Business + and we encourage to use and try out the service as often as you like.

Second, Technical Support Questions ¬? These are typically more in-depth and require deeper technical expertise to answer the question and will likely take more than 20 minutes of chat time with our Helpdesk Expert. These types of questions will be answered as part of the Small Business + Support packages that we are offering to Small Business + members. (Click here for information on the three support packages). As part of Small Business + we're offering a 45 day free trial of the Silver Support package so you can try both levels of the Helpdesk service and get an understanding of what they offer. Our Silver support package gives you unlimited access to the Helpdesk for both General and Technical questions.

$149 Annual Bronze Support Package
One year of unlimited chat-based general questions and 6 chat-based technical support incidents (for just $2.87 per week).

$299 Annual Silver Support Package
One year of unlimited chat-based general questions and unlimited chat-based technical support incidents (for just $5.75 per week).

$499 Annual Gold Support Package
One year of unlimited chat-based general questions and unlimited chat-based technical support incidents + 3 technical support phone calls (for just $9.60 per week).

Check out more information on Microsoft's offerings here

Microsoft is not alone in offering online support - Plum Choice, Ask Dr. Tech and others (see this Yahoo list) provide a range of support options.

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