Zoho Assist Review – Does It offer The Support You Need?

After the past year, even those not specifically in IT or tech support can understand just how important remote access is. Whether it’s checking a key file on your office computer, sharing your screen, or providing assistance to a coworker, we’ve all seen just how important this can be. 

Zoho Assist is specifically designed to excel in all of these areas to make resolving issues and collaboration easy and affordable. The cloud-based tool is very streamlined and makes it easy to remotely access PCs, mobile devices, and servers so you can troubleshoot problems or use a device as if you were there in person. 

And like anything else that Zoho offers, it is cost-effective and even includes a free plan that many SMEs can take advantage of. 

Here’s everything you need to know about Zoho Assist to see if it’s the right addition to your daily working life. So, sit back and dive into this ultimate Zoho Assist Review. 

What Is Zoho Assist? 

Zoho Assist is yet another awesome SaaS tool from Zoho. We’ve explored a few of their other products in the past, including Zoho Social and Zoho Projects.

The name might be a little confusing because it sounds kind of like a CRM (another thing Zoho offers, of course!) But Zoho Assist is focused on helping businesses provide remote support and access, especially for those companies that deploy tech solutions for their customers. 

For example, let’s say you market an accounting software tool. If a customer contacts you with an issue, you can securely connect to their device and resolve it. 

There are so many advantages here. First, you can offer live and quick tech support. But there’s more to it than that. 

One of its biggest advantages is if you can manage unattended computers remotely. So, if you happen to need a vital file back at work or want to harness the power of your brand-new server rather than your 6-old laptop, then this is how you do it. 

What we love most about Zoho Assist is like their other offerings, it’s very straightforward to use. There is no complex installation, and you can figure out how to use it in about 10 minutes. 

Zoho Assist Main Features

• Clipboard sharing
• Customer widgets
• File-transfer
• Instant chat
• Mac support
• Multi-monitor navigation
• Reboot and Reconnect
• Reports
• SSL and 128-bit AES encryption
• Send Ctrl+Alt+Del
• Support and operating system
• Two-way screen sharing
• UAC compatibility
• Unattended access
• Web-based technical console

How Does Zoho Assist Work?

Regardless of how you plan to use Zoho Assist, using it is pretty much the same. After setting up an account, you can send an email to the user whose computer you want to connect to. Alternatively, you can also schedule it for a later time. 

Once they receive the email, they just click on the link and the connection is set up. It’s that easy! 

Unattended Access works similarly. You can send a link by email, set up a bulk deployment, or download an installer directly.

One thing that holds back other remote access solutions is that they don’t work unless a computer is online. Zoho includes a “Wake on Lan” feature that will get the computer back online anytime you want to connect. 

Overall, it’s incredibly easy, and though your tech support will most likely be using this software, it’s simple enough for anybody to pick up in no time. 

Zoho Assist Pricing

Like other Zoho tools, Zoho Assist comes with a 15-day free trial that we highly recommend checking out. They even offer a free plan with support for up to 5 unattended computers making it a great tool for small businesses troubleshooting simple issues. 

From here, they have two different plan sets starting from $8/month for either Remote Support or Unattended Access. 

The key term to pay attention to is “Technician.” Zoho defines a technician as one account that can manage and access other computers. So that means if you have three support team members, then you’ll need three of these plans. 

While this might seem like a lot, don’t forget that TeamViewer’s business plans start from $50/month. But we’ll go into more detail about that below. 

Should You Use Zoho Assist? 

In our remote-driven economy, a case can easily be made for most businesses to have some form of remote connection software. 

While there are some free options out there, they are not particularly secure, and they don’t offer as many features. For many firms, these free plans will suffice. However, if you provide any form of remote support or case management, then you’ll definitely need something like Zoho Assist. 

The best feature is the “User Access Control ” which allows the technician to remotely connect to a user’s desktop screen and detach bugs without going too deeply into any personal data. 

Users can also easily request sessions through the technical console 24/7 to ensure issues get resolved quickly. 

Finally, Zoho Assist features bidirectional file sharing, which is an absolute must for effective support. There’s no need for emails, and instant data can get instantly exchanged to ensure the quickest response and resolution. 

Are There Any Marketing Advantages To Zoho Assist?

We’re not going to sit here and say, “Oh yes, this has the same impact as using Buffer or Later.” But there are actually some marketing advantages to Zoho Assist. 

First and foremost, if you need access to assets on a client’s device, this is an easy way to get them, especially if embedded inside other software tools. 

It’s also a good way of sharing access without sharing login credentials, which creates its own vulnerabilities. 

But then there’s also the reputational advantage of Zoho Assist. If you provide any form of service, this is a quick and easy way of going about delivering it. 

Finally, you can use it to sync all of your machines so you can access your networks and devices from anywhere. 

Is Zoho Assist Worth It? 

We’re always inclined to love a great software tool that isn’t just affordable but intuitive. They offer a feature-rich free plan, so it really doesn’t get better than that. 

The other plans are also way cheaper than some of the alternatives making Zoho Assist an ideal for some of the use cases described above. 

Pros

• Easy to use 
• Doesn’t require desktop software
• Effective for both remote support and using unattended devices
• Bidirectional file exchange 
• Affordable 
• Includes reporting tools 
• Free plan 
• Includes all the features most users will need

Cons

• Standard plan doesn’t offer mobile device support, but you can upgrade for just $5/month more
• Max unattended plan only covers up to 25 devices

Is Zoho Assist Safe? 

Yes. It’s much more secure than a standard remote connection via a tool like Google Remote Desktop. Cyber Crime has risen dramatically in recent years, so whichever remote solution you opt for, make sure security is a priority. And in terms of safety, it doesn’t get much better than Zoho Assist. 

Zoho Assist Alternatives

TeamViewer has long been one of the biggest names in the remote access space. There’s really not a huge difference in features. In fact, Zoho Assist offers diagnostic tools that TeamViewer doesn’t. The biggest difference is the price. TeamViewer is a premium tool, and you’ll pay for it. It’s plan range from $50-199/month, which is definitely not worth it for many smaller businesses. 

Zoho Assist vs. AnyDesk

AnyDesk is another good alternative, but it’s also quite expensive compared to Zoho Assist. It does offer a couple specific support needs that Zoho Assist doesn’t have, but most people can find a workaround within Zoho and pocket the difference for themselves.  

Zoho Assist Review: The Verdict

If you need an easy-to-use, affordable, and effective remote solution for both service requests and accessing unattended devices, it’s hard to beat Zoho Assist. Give the free trial a shot now.