Keeping the Customer Satisfied

Today, HP is entering the virtual house-call business with a service called Instant Care, a remote diagnostic that lets you walk through your computer problems with a tech support person over a broadband connection.

HP is late to the party, but hopefully up to the challenge. A few years ago, Gateway tried to get into the tech service business with a service called House Call. House Call made it possible to pay about $100 to have someone stop by and install your new Gateway PC. Since then the Geek Squad has perfected the business of third-party support with house calls and walk-ins to Best Buy stores where they are housed. Recently Circuit City announced firedog, a similar initiative.

Last summer Dell introduced a similar offering, DellConnect, which lets support technicians remotely diagnose and correct common PC problems. I know people who have complained that the Dell service is a bit of an intrusion, popping up to make you offers and bring you Dell news along with its help offering. DellConnect is free for customers still under warranty.

HP's Instant Care sounds very similar. With your permission, an HP technician can remotely log on to your machine to diagnose problems, upgrade drivers, or teach the basics of PC maintenance. HP already offered an educational service called SmartFriend and a maintenance service called PC Tune-up. Instant Care will be free for HP customers who have valid warranties. The SmartFriend and PC Tune-up services are not. SmartFriend costs $59.99 for 45 minutes of advice and tutorials, while PC Tune-up costs $99.