Microsoft Presents: Offis Assystent

by Diego on May 13th, 2008 in MinuteThought

Back by popular demand, techno LOLCats:

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Top 5 Ways to Get Solid Tech Support

by Drew on May 9th, 2008 in Customer Service, Computer Help, Five For Friday

We have all heard the adage “Do unto others….”. We go into a fast food restaurant and we want to assure our food is both good and fast. So we naturally turn the charm up a bit more or we conduct ourselves as professionally as possible. Not too much is different when seeking computer tech support from a live technician. A good technician is already aware that if you are bringing the issue to get help on it, there is a problem. It is his job to fix it. However, it always help to deal with a courteous and patient customer and perhaps these five tips will help us all become that courteous and patient person in crisis.

Define the Problem
The first step for anybody seeking help is to define the problem. Perhaps though the biggest stumbling block a customer can put in front of a PC technician is to abdicate any responsibility for participating in the troubleshooting process, claiming that they lack the necessary expertise or it simply saying “isn’t that your job,” rather than defining the problem at hand. Simply put, would you go to the doctor and say “I’m in pain,” and then refuse to respond when the doctor asks, “Where does it hurt?” By defining the problem at the beginning of a help session you can point the Technician in the right direction and thereby save time and resources for both parties.

Eliminate the Obvious
With MinuteFix, specifically, we are more likely to solve a problem through remote desktop assistance than by simple chat or telephone. Therefore, it is incredibly advantageous if log into MinuteFix on the computer you are having issue with. If you can’t get on the internet with that computer but can on another, then the situation will be accommodated. However, the success rate is lessened when a help session for one computer is carried out on another.
If you approach a help session having already gone through the obvious fixes you are steps ahead to a certain fix. We have all sat and listened with frustration as a tech support person asks us if we have rebooted, restarted, refreshed, etc. If you have already gone through a litany of those ‘quick fixes’, be sure to let the technician know immediately. Perhaps you could start the session out by identifying your problem and what you have already done? For instance, you could say, “My computer continues to give me an error message on my desktop. I have no programs running. I have rebooted the computer but still get the same window. I have all my antivirus programs turned off and there are no external devices attached to my computer.” You may not know all of those things but it will help to state what you do know.

Courtesy Never Hurts, And Sometimes Helps
It is important to remember that each live Technician is just that - live. He or she has feelings and can easily be swayed by discourtesy. Therefore, try and ask your question with courtesy. Use “Please” and “Thanks for your attention” and you will be amazed at how far the tech is willing to go for you.

Follow The Leader
As human beings we all tend to get excited and even get ahead of ourselves. In a PC help session you can’t do that. It is best to do only as the technician tells you. Remember, you contacted him because he is the professional. If you knew how to solve the problem all along it would already be solved and you wouldn’t be in a session with tech support. This kind of falls in line with not always questioning the tech. Granted you are generally paying for tech support. However, it severely slows down the help session and confuses the technician when a customer chooses to ask “Are you sure?” or “Have you done this before?” after each instruction given by the tech.

Don’t Go Far From Home
Because a majority of the tech support issues are handled by remote desktop assistance is fairly advantageous for the session to take place on the computer “in question”. If you can log on to the Internet from the computer you are having issues on you are much more likely to get a correct fix and in a shorter amount of time. It is tempting to want to be away from the troubled machine and just log in on one you know works (perhaps at work or a friends house) but the issue will be much harder for you to possibly remember and for the tech to accurately diagnose and fix. Now, if you can’t log on to the Internet with that computer then, of course, you should seek a different computer. However, trying to stay with the bugger machine is probably the best option for a reliable course of action.

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Nothing Says I Love You Quite Like Technology

by Drew on May 8th, 2008 in Minute Tip, From Our Techs, MinuteThought, MinuteFix Team

There was a day when a simple construction paper card emblazoned with crimson crayon hearts and lovingly misspelled words was all it took to liven up Mother’s Day. But those days are likely gone as a little more is expected from a thirty year old man. Okay, so maybe I am talking a bit too much about my own situation. As much as I think my mother is completely happy with a Hallmark greeting or a dozen imported Tropicana Roses, I know she really wants something a bit more…well, hip. We are talking about a woman who claims OnStar is her best friend and snubbed her nose at a “kind of small don’t you think” 250mb external hard drive. So, this year I am looking for something different and I am pretty sure a few others are as well. So, I have taken a few moments to make a sort of 5 Best Tech Gifts For That Very Special Mother.

Part of being a mom is about being aware of where everyone is and when. So what better way to do that than to have the ability to call and TXT right at your fingertips? But simple cell phones are so…2005. So why not get your Mom the new BlackBerry 8100c Red Pearl? A major update to the popular 7105 brings the BlackBerry experience to a whole new level. The BlackBerry 8100c Pearl is not only thinner and lighter, it also sports a memory card slot, a music player, and voice dialing. Other features, such as Bluetooth 2.0, EDGE high-speed data, and the popular SureType keypad make this a complete mobile office solution. And of course, legendary BlackBerry push email is fully supported on the BlackBerry 8100c Pearl. And did I mention it is red? The color of all those hearts you used to draw on your cards? Service is available through Verizon, Cingular, AT&T and almost all cell companies. The price of the phone depends on the service you sign up for.

You don’t Momma taking her eyes off the road to talk on the phone when driving your younger sister to soccer practice do you? So why not give her a Bluetooth headset to free up those hands? I personally prefer the Motorola HS 850 Bluetooth HS850 which can be purchased here. At about $70 it is a non-evasive little device that will neither mess up your Mom’s hair or cause a silly indentation in the side of her head like those ridiculous headpieces.

Speaking of soccer practice, I am sure that your Mom, if she is like mine, hardly goes anywhere without her digital camera. But with you being somewhere else you don’t get the luxury of seeing all those pictures. That is why a years subscription to Flickr is the perfect Mother’s Day gift. It is inexpensive ($25 for a year), can be purchased online and can help her organize photos into albums and note who is in each one, the year it was taken, and where.

Once you’ve got access to those images there is really only one thing left to do - print them out for deal Mom. Well, I guess it is 2008 so you don’t really need to print them out. You could simply display them digitally or, better yet, let her display them digitally with a Kodak EasyShare SV-710 7-Inch Digital Picture Frame available here for less than $80. Imagine how excited Momma will be to know she doesn’t have to choose one picture for the frame. She can choose up to 250mb worth of images. And that is a lot of soccer shots, piano recitals, Grandbaby pictures and family reunion shots. But if she is, in fact, a little more traditional than perhaps you can take those shots and have them printed in a custom portrait book by Lulu. Let’s face it. If you’re willing to put a little work into, a printed photo album is a very thoughtful and personal gift that any mother will break into tears over. Lulu lets you upload photos and create photo books (in hardcover or paperback) with a minimum of fuss. The real effort is in wittling down her gargantuan photo collection into something more manageable. Hardcover books run a mere $26 for the first 20 pages.

So don’t settle for a cardboard collective of someone else’s poems or an oversized balloon with a cheap carnation. Do something extra special for that extra special woman in your life!

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Vista Annoyance #1: User Account Control (And How To Remove It)

by Jennifer on May 6th, 2008 in Antivirus and Security, Computer Help

A few days back we published our community’s Top 5 Vista Annoyances. Our number one was the User Account Control. User Account Control (UAC) is a new security component in Windows Vista. It enables users to perform common tasks as non-administrators, called standard users on Windows Vista, and as administrators without having to switch users, log off, or use Run As…
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work quite like Microsoft describes. What it does is, when you want to install a program, Vista tells you it “Must have permission to run this program”, then you click, and you go on your merry way. I found it a pain. Here is where you turn it off (I found it after much hunting and cussing):

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. In Control Panel, click User Accounts.
3. In the User Accounts window, click User Accounts.
4. In the User Accounts tasks window, click Turn User Account Control on or off.
5. If UAC is currently configured in Admin Approval Mode, the User Account Control message appears.
6. Click Continue.
7. Clear the Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer check box, and then click OK.
8. Click Restart Now to apply the change right away, or click Restart Later and close the User Accounts tasks window.

You will now be good to go, and won’t get that nagging message anymore. Is there any Vista Annoyance you’d like to see addressed? Let me know in the comments.

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The Best Security Software: You

by Diego on May 5th, 2008 in Antivirus and Security, Computer Help

Today’s computer security threats are not frequently what people think they are. Often times, viruses or so called trojan horses keep people faithfully updating their security software giving them a comfortable sense of security. But the most common security threats today are no longer cousins of the infamous “I love you” attachment, but rather, human deceit. This new form of security threat is a combination of technology and physiology, techniques now known as  social engineering. They apply trickery to get people to divulge confidential information.

Kevin Mitnick, one of the most famous security criminals (who served five years in prison—eight of them in solitary confinement—and now runs Mitnick Security Consulting, a computer security consultancy) coined the term “social engineering.” Mitnick points out that that it’s much easier to trick someone into giving you his or her password for a system than to spend the effort to hack in.

Criminal hackers (a.k.a. crackers) simply apply cognitive bias techniques that can people into giving up their personal data, deceived by false information. One of these practices is pretexting, where the criminal creates an invented scenario (the pretext) often posing as an authority, or a trusted source, to trick a person into disclosing their information. The most common expression of these security threats is phishing where a cracker can spoof the authenticity of a website by copying the logo and format of a familiar site, and getting a user to submit their personal information. Unbeknownst to the user, instead of the information being sent to the authentic company’s website, the data is neatly stored by the information thief.

Common phishing techniques target banking institutions where an email might contain an urgent request, such as a request to change a pin number. See, for example a common social engineering attempt to steal your Citibank account information below. This is a real email sent by a so-called Riley Buckner, “Head of Citi© Identity Theft Solutions”:

Recently there have been a large number of identity theft attempts targeting Citibank customers. In order to safeguard your account, we require that you update your Citibank ATM/Debit card PIN.

This update is requested of you as a precautionary measure against fraud. Please note that we have no particular indications that your details have been compromised in any way.

This process is mandatory, and if not completed within the nearest time your account may be subject to temporary suspension. To securely update your Citibank ATM/Debit card PIN please go to:

https://www.citibank.com/signin/citifi/scripts/login2/update_pin.jsp

Please note that this update applies to your  Citibank ATM/Debit card - which is linked directly to your checking account, not Citibank credit cards.Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter and thank you for using Citibank!

Regards,

Riley Buckner
Head of Citi® Identity Theft Solutions

Notice that the address in the email seems legitimate; however, the thief has coded the address to go to the page you see below. You will notice that the phisher has actually opened the genuine Citibank website, under the pop-up where they display a page, hosted on their servers, where your personal information is being requested.

If you are concerned about security, be careful not to believe that the best way to protect yourself is with an antivirus software or firewall. Keep in mind that modern security threats attempt to play with your mind, not with your computer. And the only antidote to this virus, is you.

Have you been deceived by social engineering?  If so, why don’t you leave us a comment and tell us about your experience?

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Get Your Hands On Antivir

by Jennifer on May 5th, 2008 in Antivirus and Security

Finding a good, free antivirus is a difficult task. When I purchased my new computer, it came with a trial of Norton Antivirus. I used it for the 60 days, and then I decided not to keep it by purchasing it. I had purchased a few others over the years, but nothing seemed to do the trick.

A MinuteFix Tech sent me a link from PC Magazine which conducted some testing of antivirus programs; an independent report by Av-Test.org . Pretty interesting stuff. I have always used more than one anti-virus program and spyware/malware program for protection on my own system. I’ve tried AVG, Avast!, and several others, even paying for a few like Panda.

I wasn’t familiar with the first product on the list, WebWasher, but I was thrilled to see Anvira’s Antivir listed as #3.  Douglas Wong, another MinuteFix Tech, recommended this product to me, and it has become my absolute favorite program to use and recommend. The best part is that is has a free version. In my experience, Anvira finds all kinds of things that others miss. I use it in conjunction with NoAdware , and Spybot Search and Destroy. Between these three products, my system runs pretty smoothly, and stays pretty clean of viruses, spyware, and malware.

There are a couple of things I really like about Anvir. It can be set to auto update, so I don’t ever have to worry about that, and I can run it automatically with an easy to use scheduler. Scans can also be run in Windows Safe Mode, which is terrific for times when you can’t get Windows to boot totally into full mode (a lot of programs such as this won’t run in Safe Mode), so that is a definite plus. It leaves a very small resource footprint, unlike other competitors, and it seems to find things that other programs don’t.

On a downside, unlike Avast! and AVG, it does not scan incoming our outgoing emails. Its built-in on-demand scan doesn’t quarantine found items, it only tries to delete or repair them.

Antivir has also received positive reviews by PCMagazine, Sofotex, and About.com.

Everyone who I have recommended this product to loves it.

If you need any help configuring your system, we’re online and ready to help.

How do you deal with Viruses and Spyware? Please let me know, I’d be very interested in hearing your thoughts on this product, if you’ve tried it, or others you use, both good and bad.

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Top Five Vista Annoyances

by Diego on May 2nd, 2008 in Five For Friday

This week we asked some of our Tech community members: What are your favorite top 5 Vista annoyances? Since it’s launch, we’ve heard a lot of carping over Microsoft’s latest operating system. There is even an entire book dedicated to it. In addition to getting reactions like “OMG, only 5?”, this is what our community came back with:

1. “Windows needs permission to run this program” Windows UAC (Universal Account Control) is truly a pain, I turned it off right away (as soon as I figured out how).
2. Network icons are different – They used to show traffic, different connections, info on that connection, speed, etc.. no more!
3. File Associations are now in the Control Panel instead of in Explorer, where they belong!
4. It is extremely difficult, if you’re coming off of Windows XP to find settings for any feature in the Control Panel. It’s definitely a hunt.
5. Not finding drivers or software that will run on it – It’s getting better, but still has a long ways to go.
6. “You must be an administrator to run this software” But there isn’t always an option to “Run as Administrator”. And if you are an Administrator, that’s not enough. You must be THE Administrator.

And, last but not least:

7. You can’t open the damn box in which the software comes in. Microsoft had to publish a how-to. Joel on Software chimes in, Network World too and you can even find a tutorial on Flickr.

Yes, that’s more that five. But we couldn’t resist. What is your favorite Vista annoyance? Tell us in the comments.

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Leave Your Mark On MinuteFix

by Diego on April 30th, 2008 in Updates

Take a moment to head over to the Technician Blog where we are opening up our comments to find a slogan for the MinuteFix t-shirt. If your slogan wins, you get a free T. This is your chance to make your mark on us (and get some free shwag).

Update: The deadline has been extended to Sunday, May 4th. Speak up now.

Credit: “Home of the 99c special” was submitted by our MinuteFix Certified Technician Jessee Petersen. This is only a demo.

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Meet Us At The Expo

by Diego on April 24th, 2008 in Updates, MinuteFix Team

MinuteFix will be attending the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco on April 23rd and 24th. If you are too, drop us a line, we’d love to meet up and talk. Web 2.0 is at the heart of a community like ours, and being based in Silicon Valley, there is no better place to be this week. We are excited about the industry and in meeting other industry leaders, sharing ideas, leveraging our talents and improving our world through technology.

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Good To Great

by Diego on April 20th, 2008 in Customer Service

A few months ago I published the MinuteFix Manifesto. By writing a manifesto we have declared our principles and intentions. We take a revolutionary stance and define who we are, and where we are going. We do what we do because we are fueled by passion. Never before has there been a better time to change the world through technology: costs of operation are astonishingly low — a dollar goes much further than it ever did before, communities are thriving and participation is high, and consumers are more sophisticated than ever. We are changing the tech support market, not only because there is a need but because through MinuteFix we can make people’s lives easier. We believe in the power of technology, and have found a way to increase adoption and reduce the friction in its use. Since our launch, we have built a fervent community of Technicians who share our vision, and have gone great lengths to solve our customer’s technology problems. Revisiting our Manifesto after opening our doors to the public, our vision remains intact.

In addition to our Manifesto, we also drive our dream behind three key definitions:

Our Vision (the long term goal)
To be the leading tech support offering by customer service standards.

Our Mission (what we do on a daily basis)
To build the friendliest, most passionate community of support technicians. Deliver top-notch, friendly technology solutions to our users.

Our Business Promise (what we deliver and how we deliver it to our customers)
We promise to hire the best customer service talent, attract the most dedicated support technicians and deliver great technology solutions, with a dedicated passion for talking to our users, like friends.

If we continue on this course, we will be a great company.

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Tech Support and MinuteFix

by Jennifer on April 4th, 2008 in Customer Service, Computer Help

MinuteFix is well on its way to providing the very best in computer help and support. In the past few months, through our free beta, our dedicated and top-notch Community of Technicians has helped many users with everything from computer virus problems to PC repair, and more. A vast majority of our time has been spent helping customers with Windows problems, although a lot are using the service for assistance with iTunes, as well as advice on purchasing hardware or peripherals. We’re also finding that a lot of people have issues with Windows Vista. We have also added phone support, for those times when it’s not possible to remote into a system, or the customer is having trouble booting their system, or having other hardware or connection problems.

With the vast knowledge our Technicians bring with them, it has been difficult to find a Windows problem that hasn’t been solved yet. We’re always expanding our knowledge, and new Techs are joining our Community every day. With a group like this, there is no doubt we’re going to revolutionize the tech support industry with our expertise, terrific management, and fantastic Technicians! 

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Great Expectations

by Drew on April 4th, 2008 in Customer Service

Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There’s no better rule.

Perhaps there is no better way to express what the MinuteFix team is committed to bringing to the vast and well-stocked table of customer service and tech support than the above quote by Charles Dickens in Great Expectations. When you visit www.minutefix.com you will find an aesthetically pleasing, vibrant toned, easily navigable and polished site that looks secure in its position as a new Web 2.0 company. But it is what lies beneath the surface that truly defines MinuteFix. You see, this team of technicians is poised to revolutionize customer service as well as tech support by offering more than muzak on telephone holding systems, empty apologies and money-back guarantees. When you contact MinuteFix for tech support you will be met with:

• A prompt response time. The answer will not be a holding tone either. It will be a response with a live technician that will help you fix your computer issue either through a chat session, a remote desktop session or phone support.
• A courteous and very real human being. We encourage you to talk to our techs as you would anyone. Do you want to know where they are from? Feel free to ask. You will find we have technicians from almost all fifty continental states as well as a host of countries abroad. Do you want to know how long they have been in tech support? Fire away and find out that many of our technicians have built a career around tech support. Some even remember large, data entry systems where troubleshooting meant taking the whole computer apart.
• No hidden fees. We charge .99 cents/minute for live support. You will never be charged more and if the session is not successful then it is free.
• Honesty. We believe in honesty and if we can’t solve the issue or we can’t provide a recommended fix, we will say so. But we will also work overtime to try and find an answer and even contact you back with that answer.

So welcome to MinuteFix. We roll our carpets out to you. We invite you to link up with a technician and find out just how dedicated we are to you and your computer.

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Real Techs Have a Real Sense of Humor

by Jennifer on March 25th, 2008 in Customer Service

A few days ago I was talking with my dear friend Thomas, who tried out the service for the first time. Thomas is an extremely intelligent man, and has terrific computer knowledge. I asked him what he thought of MinuteFix. His Tech was Joda, and he was extremely pleased with the service, technical know-how, and the professionalism Joda exhibited. I asked Thomas what he liked the best about it. His answer surprised me. It turns out that the best thing that he liked was that Joda had a sense of humor! He felt that that was very important. It got me to thinking what a terrific Community of Techs we have, from all walks of life, different areas of world, and each having different areas of knowledge. We’re human, and can give that personal human touch not found too often in tech support. The best part of it is…even though most of us haven’t met face to face…is that we’re an extremely tight group. We are always there to help each other, even with personal problems with our computers, or just to lend a sympathetic ear. To me that is what a “community” does…we’re “friends”, as well as “family”, and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have these terrific people be an important part of my life!

By the way… did you hear the one about the customer who called Tech Support and……… ?

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Five Things You Don’t Know About Oscar

by Diego on March 21st, 2008 in Five For Friday, MinuteFix Team

Oscar Diaz is our Marketing Manager. He’s the guy that will be turning our few marketing dollars into millions in revenue. He brings extensive background in successful online marketing strategies, and is an all-around fun guy to have on the team. Since childhood, we have been closest of friends. For this Friday, this is a short list of five things you might not know about Oscar.

 

1. He’s an afficionado of Vallenato, a colombian music genre made famous by Carlos Vives.
2. He makes the best filet mignon in New York City.
3. Oscar started his first business at the age of 13. His business partner? Me.
4. He got kicked out of his hotel room in Mexico for setting the curtains on fire. Small misunderstanding with a cigarette.
5. He walked away with life after being caught in Colombian guerrilla warfare. His companion on that trip? Me.

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T-Minus 1 and Counting!

by Jennifer on March 16th, 2008 in Customer Service

I’m excited. For me, that is saying a lot. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I was this excited. In two days we are launching the full service, payment and all . The birth of something new and different is always thrilling. I’ve been working with these wonderful guys from MinuteFix for about six weeks. It has been a very interesting and exciting road to travel to get to this place. I can’t wait to see where it goes from here. Please share what you think of the service, good and bad?

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