I ran into a situation where a user is facing a work stoppage issue, but I'm unable to provide remote support. The site's policies say no to Remote Access and Quick Assist, and since the site manager doesn't want staff using Edge, I've had to block it too. Meanwhile, Chrome's admin settings are preventing any downloads of EXE files, which is what my backup remote support tool requires. What options do I have to assist this user?
5 Answers
You might want to call the site admin and have them describe their screen to you. It’s not the most efficient, but if you guide them carefully, it could work. Just be prepared for it to take a while! They may reconsider policies after experiencing how tough this is for everyone involved.
You could also suggest they change the file extension of the support tool to something like .abc before they download it, then they can switch it back to .exe afterward. I’ve done this trick before, and it can bypass some restrictions.
That’s a clever workaround! I hadn’t thought of that.
If there's a way to publish your remote access tool under a different file type or archive it with a password, that could allow the user to download it without hitting any blocks. It's a bit of a gamble, though.
Just be careful about company policy! Good luck with that!
If they can access Teams, that might be a straightforward way. You could use the screen sharing feature and guide them through everything. Just keep in mind that if elevated prompts come up, they won't be able to see those on their end.
Good point! Make sure they know to enable the 'request control' function if possible.
Consider the KVM approach if it's feasible. Shipping one of those USB devices might be the simplest solution. If all else fails, a direct visit might be necessary!
If you're close enough, sometimes just going in person saves a lot of headaches!
Totally, this is a good approach! They might change things after seeing the hassle.