What do you guys do when customers ask for admin software? 2

[ogTOKYO]

Curious, i've had 2 customers ask for admin software, leading me to believe that they will try to cut us out. Now, I didn't deny, it felt a bit petty.

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[Nutritional_Info]

A lot of customers hate having to deal with tech support, no matter how friendly you are. Sometimes, they like to be in control, get it done, then move onto the next thing. Generally speaking, they keep the simple stuff like user changes, VM2email, and ICR destinations for themselves, then the meatier things up to their business partners.

You can always create a new username like ABC Company with their own password and privileges to limit what changes they can make, so they don't go breaking their SIP Lines or deleting their hunt groups.

 

[IPGuru]

The cutomer owns the system.
It would be ilegal for us to try to prevent then from having ull control of it.

we hapli provide the custoer with a cpy of the admin suit and recomend that they arange for some admin training.

I alo dvise them that if they are in any doubt to call the hlp desk first (much esier to tell them how to do it right than to try to undo whatever mess they create when things are not working)

I also warn them that if the do break it they can keep all the parts


Do things on the cheap & it will cost you dear

 

[biv343]

It's their system, they can have the software and administer it as they see fit. We provide admin training and let them do as much or as little as they want to do. In cases where things mysteriously break, the control unit audit easily shows info as to who may have made the last changes when something "stopped working but nothing was changed".

 

[critchey]

I am honestly always surprised when I help a customer and they tell me the previous maintainer wouldn't give them the passwords and/or admin software. It is there system they can do whatever they want with it... that being said if/when they screw it up they are paying for me to fix it.

The truth is just an excuse for lack of imagination.

 

[fonedude]

Give them the Admin software. Change the security password. Create an account for them. Don't ever give
them the security password.

 

[redswine]

Give it to them, create a limited access user/pw for them.

 

[ipohead]

Check out the different access levels.

There's no reason why a customer should not make day to day changes such as updating the directory with a little training. Anyway this is possible without the admin software using the web manager (*R9 and later?)

You can lockdown the serious stuff.

 

[ogTOKYO]

thanks guys, I dont feel so bad about it. Besides, they break something, well then that's just tampering we can charge for to fix what they tried to fix.

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|.....i.eat.bunny.children......|
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(•Y•). ||
/ < )<||

 

[tekguy125]

I agree, you can always give them a limited account and then give them full access with the warning that they should only use the limited account but it is their system, they should have the choice of what they want to do and what they don't want to do. I'm only here to provide help to them.

 

[CASSBusinessSystems]

Limited access account, for sure. We also recommend using Web Manager, so the client doesn't have to install any software (one less thing to worry about).

 

[shamorau]

thats what the manager account is for. it restricts what they can change if they arent tech savvy. if they are, give them full access. if they blow it up, you can always get a fee for the fix.

 

[jbalzeripo]

Give them access to everything, but warn them to only use the manager account for name/email/password changes. Setup your own account in security settings, and only use that when you access the system.
When customer breaks something, point out the audit trail in status.....your not using the default admin, they are, and charge for the fix.

John Balzer Jr
VoIP Engineer, Avalon Communication Services
ACE-IP Office, ACSS, APSS, Convergance+

 

[aarondyck]

I love it when a customer has access to Manager. My favourite part is when I get to go back to my boss and tell him to send the customer a bill because they caused their own problems.

The flip side is that it also makes support a bit easier. If no remote access is set up it becomes a simple matter of selecting your remote access software of choice and having them launch Manager on their PC. Anything to reduce the number of times we have to roll a truck.