Have you ever been on the phone with someone, you're trying to describe what you see on your computer monitor, and the person on the other line just doesn't see what you see? And do you wish that the person could climb through the phone line?

The Remote Perspective

Welcome to the next best thing: Gotomypc (http://www.gotomypc.com/). To quote their website, "Gotomypc is the fast, easy and secure way to access your PC from your Web browser or wireless device in real time." It's one way for VAs (virtual assistants) to access their client's computer remotely as if they were sitting right there. The first time I used Gotomypc, I couldn't believe how fast the connection was (there's just a minor delay) and how well I could see my client's desktop. It was amazing!

What's Entailed

My client took the initiative and setup Gotomypc for herself. She doesn't consider herself technically minded and said that it was a breeze to set up. Because she works offsite, my client needed this application to access her own PC, and it was just a bonus that her VA could use it too.

From my perspective, all I had to do to access my client's PC was browse to the Gotomypc website, provide the access information, and then seconds later I was looking at my client's desktop. It was like having another window open, and I could click in and out of it as I needed to do things on my own PC.

There's a free trial for 30 days or 60 minutes, whichever comes first. After that, it's about $20 per month or about $180 for a year paid in advance, which is just $15 a month.

What are the Advantages?

Think of the things that are not easy for a VA to do for a client, the kinds of things that are only on a client's PC, such as a unique or older version of software. For example, my client needed me to configure her email client for a pop account. Then she needed me to set up Quickbooks to include her logo on her invoices. Later she wanted me to configure her version of Act to merge with her version of MS Word to do a mail merge. These were one time things that my client didn't want to spend the time to figure out.

Disadvantages?

Before giving access to your entire computer system, you'll want to have an excellent, trusting relationship with a VA. Since it does cost between $15-20 a month, consider how many different and consistent uses you will have for this tool.

Configuring Gotomypc to print locally while accessing remotely was a little tricky, but I was able to figure it out. As I recall, downloading printer drivers was involved.

Both parties are not able to work on the computer at the same time. Once I accessed my client's PC while she was using it. She observed my remote access and instantly stopped and moved on to other activities. Scheduling remote access activities is required.

Summary

There are lots of ways that VAs and clients work together. Gotomypc is one way for a client to give the VA remote access to a computer. Depending on how much a VA is needed to access unique applications, it may be a cost effective and safe approach.