
#Microsoft office 2011 tech support software
Microsoft's venture into paid support competes with its own free support, which covers calls about Windows upgrades and its software bought at retail or from the company.īut there are hints at a possible consolidation: The online chat option for Microsoft's Consumer Security Support Center, a resource for users who suspect that their PCs are infected, now redirects to Answer Desk.
#Microsoft office 2011 tech support Pc
In most cases, said Microsoft, the technicians will use remote control tools to commandeer the user's PC in order to walk them through instructions or service the system. PST Monday, the site said all support specialists were busy. "If the Answer Tech cannot resolve your problem during that, and one of our service offers is appropriate for you, the Answer Tech will detail an offer and provide explanation of the service," stated the website.Īlthough Answer Desk touts its 24/7 availability, from about 6 p.m. The first chat with an Answer Tech is free, according to the site's FAQ, but additional sessions must be billed to a credit card.Įven that complimentary chat may cost users money in the end, said Microsoft in the FAQ. Microsoft launched Answer Desk, a new paid support service, in stealth mode last week. Rates range from $49 for an hour of personalized training to $99 for one- or two-hour tech sessions that focus on cleaning a PC of malware, tuning up a system for maximum performance, or answering questions about Office, connecting to the Internet, and managing files and photos.

The name of the site is clearly a reference to the Answer Desks at Microsoft's 14 brick-and-mortar stores that the company has modeled after rival Apple's "Genius Bar" in-store tech support. Previously, the same site had reported that Microsoft had acquired the domain last September from a firm called NameRally, a Los Angeles, Calif. The blog, penned by Blake Morrison - listed on LinkedIn as a Microsoft senior support escalation engineer - no longer exists on Microsoft's TechNet blog network, although a cached edition was still available Tuesday morning.Īccording to, Answer Desk launched last Wednesday. The new support option is so low-key that Microsoft apparently scrubbed a Dec.
