A virtual cave of wonders
Carsten Gerding, Director Support Services, EMEA at Zyxel, explains why it is well worth making the effort to check out Zyxel’s excellent Support Service Portal – and the wealth of information that you will find there.
At Zyxel, we are very proud of our Support Service Portal. It’s an open resource and the reason we are pleased with it is that it’s a really excellent, informative and valuable site for our customers and partners. We know that because they ones who make regular use of it tell us just how good they think it is – and it is their views that really matter. One even described it recently as “a virtual Cave of Wonders”.
We have to admit though, that you will not find any magic lamps – virtual or otherwise – on the site. What you will find is a wealth of resources that will help you to address any problem or issue that might have arisen with a Zyxel product, service or solution.
The best way to find out just how useful the Support Service Portal can be is to try it for yourself, but just to whet your appetite, here’s a brief explanation of some of the resources you will find there.
Seeing is believing
One of the most exciting and enticing features of the portal is the Virtual Lab – or the ZyLab, as we call it. Here you can access virtual product demonstrations as well as a set of guides to all our product ranges. There is also a section on Warranty and Services.
Within the Virtual Lab there are links to pre-set configurations for Zyxel devices and to configuration tools that allow custom settings to be applied. These are really useful for partners who are looking for the best way to set-up a PoE switch, a security gateway or a WiFi access point, for example. They give you a starting point and a framework for different scenarios.
By the way, you can use the powerful search function on the site to look up just about any subject you want. And the material on the portal is available in 17 languages.
Time well spent
It’s well worth having a look through what’s available within the ZyLab resources. Using them could save you a lot of time and effort searching for a way to address a particular requirement or challenge, and help you perform installations and set-ups faster. It’s also a good way to learn about the capabilities of our products, so time spent in the Virtual Lab, is time well spent.
You can also experiment with different settings. Once you have decided on the best configuration, you can download the file and apply it to the relevant device. This allows products to be set-up in advance of shipment to the customer and installed by non-trained personnel. Once the device is connected to the network, the configuration will be applied automatically.
This reduces configuration time significantly, particularly for more complex set-ups, and reduces the potential for errors. This results in higher levels of customer satisfaction and optimal use of resources for both the partner and customer.
The Virtual Lab capability also gives MSPs and resellers the opportunity to try out new firmware and test new functions and improvements in advance. Different topology options can be replicated, eliminating the need to conduct trial-and-error testing on-site using physical devices, and enabling any potential issues to be identified in advance.
Expert advice
Zyxel’s own expert service team is available via the portal to assist with any issues that might arise during configuration or testing. You can easily set-up an account and sign in using an integrated single sign-on function, so once you are registered, getting back in is very easy.
As I mentioned at the start, we are very proud of the Support Service Portal and it’s a resource we want to encourage all our customers and partners to use whenever they need to know something about a Zyxel product. Most of the time, using the portal will be the quickest and easiest way of getting an answer. And you may learn a good deal more about other products while you are on the site as well.
Of course, if you need us, Zyxel’s teams across the EMEA region will still be there and ready to provide you with help and assistance. But if you have not experienced it already, do check out the Zyxel Support Service Portal. We think you will like what you see and what you get out of it.
