Ongoing Support Options

Consider the following options for ongoing user support:

• Use the built-in product support - Help files included with Internet Explorer provide users with a comprehensive set of topics, which they can view from within the browser. To view Help topics, on the Help menu, click Contents and Index. Also, users can find updates and technical information in the Readme.txt files that come with Internet Explorer.
• Provide help desk services for ongoing user support - Depending on resources, an organization can staff a help desk or use existing help desk services to support Internet Explorer users. Help desk support of this type, however, needs to be available on an ongoing basis. Users should be encouraged to call the help desk when they have questions. The staff at the help desk should monitor the types of questions that users ask and assess how well the staff provides accurate, timely answers.
• Provide a Web page on the Internet or intranet for ongoing support - Internet Explorer provides an Online Support option on the Help menu. By default, when users click Online Support, the Microsoft Technical Support Web page is displayed in the browser window. From this page, users can gain access to the Microsoft Technical Support problem-solving tools and technical information, including the Knowledge Base, troubleshooting wizards, and download sites.

  An organization can also create its own Web page to provide online technical support tailored to the needs of users. When the organization creates custom packages of Internet Explorer, the URL for this support page can replace the default link used by the Online Support menu option.

• Employ Microsoft support services - In addition to the extensive online help and user support available from the Microsoft Technical Support Web page, Microsoft offers a variety of other support services for Internet Explorer. The following section describes these Microsoft support services in greater detail.