If you’re like most people, your connected technical life is getting more and more complicated by the day. The average person has at least 10 connected devices in their home, from Macs and PCs to smart phones to voice assistants and home automation systems. And because all of your technology is connected, sometimes complex, and often reliant on your network performance or cross-device compatibility, it creates technical challenges for people who may not be especially tech-savvy. Trying to search for the solutions to your problems online can be overwhelming and can often result in misinformation, while standing in line for support in-person can be time-consuming. It would be great to have a full-time IT person to solve all of your tech support needs, but how realistic is that?

Subscription technical support plans are an increasingly popular option for the connected consumer. For a nominal annual or monthly fee, you can subscribe to a tech support plan and enjoy the peace of mind of having a professional “IT team” at your beck and call — anytime you run into trouble with your technology.

For most people, having an ongoing relationship with a tech support provider can be a life saver. You have access to professional tech support for any issue — 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year long. A team of professionally trained tech agents are available to answer your questions and resolve your issue. Are you adding a new device, like a printer or a router, to your home? Did you get an alert that your computer might have been hacked? Did you get a new laptop and are unsure of how to make sure all of your data is transferred to the new computer? Subscribing to a tech support plan gives you answers to all of your technical questions, letting you solve any issue as it’s happening and giving you incredible peace of mind.

But with so many options out there for technical support, how do you choose which is the best for you? Simply searching “technical support” in Google brings up hundreds of different companies that all promise to help solve your various tech problems – but how do you know which ones are trustworthy and reliable, and will actually give you all of the resources you need?

One very important consideration is to ensure that your tech support provider is qualified and trustworthy, as tech support scammers continue to get more sophisticated and difficult to detect. An article interviewing Microsoft’s Digital Safety Officer quoted him as saying that the company “gets about 12,000 scam reports a month and the scammers are typically overseas,” and The Better Business Bureau (BBB) reported in a study that from 2015-2017, that “they had received about 7,000 total reports from people claiming that a company fraudulently posing as a computer repair or security service contacted them to fix a real or alleged malware/virus.”

By choosing a subscription tech support service that has a legacy of providing support and is backed by professionally trained experts, you rest assured that you have a trusted support source to lean on.

Here are some potential questions to ask while you’re evaluating your options before you subscribe to a tech support plan:

• Is there a limit to how many devices are covered?
• Are there any restrictions on types of devices or brands?
• What operating systems are covered?
• What types of problems are covered?
• Is there a limit to how often I can contact a tech agent?
• Are the fees different if I subscribe monthly vs annually? Are there start up fees?
• How long has the provider been in business?
• Where is the tech support team based?
• Do I have access to help 24/7? Do I have access to both phone and chat tech support?
• Is online self-support available?
• How quickly will a tech agent respond to me?
• Are there any guarantees if my issue can’t be resolved?
• What do other customers say about the service?

For the most peace of mind, look for a plan that offers unlimited tech support, available 24/7, for all of your connected devices, regardless of the type of device, brand, or where you bought it, for an affordable monthly or annual fee. And how about those times where you just want to try solving the issue yourself first – does your plan offer self-service resources? For quick fixes like how to connect a Bluetooth device or download an app, you may want to forego a phone call or chat altogether for the option of having a step-by-step guide — but many technical support plans do not include seamless self-service.

At Support.com, our new and improved offering, TechSolutions, provides consumers affordable 24/7 access to expert tech support via phone, chat, virtual house calls, or step-by-step DIY guides. Based in the U.S., we’ve been providing tech support to both businesses and consumers for over 20 years. Our Tech Pros utilize our proprietary software and market-tested tools to help consumers get the most out of their technology. We resolve any issue you have with any device, no matter where or when you bought it.

Consumers can use our self-service tools, called Guided Paths, to get started on their own, but seamlessly access a Tech Pro if they get stuck. Our proprietary software enables our Tech Pros to see what steps a consumer has already taken, avoiding the user frustration that comes with repeating steps. There is no risk to try our premium tech support plans – if we don’t fix it, users don’t pay — we offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Having a relationship with a highly qualified tech support provider through a tech support plan is an efficient and smart way to manage and maintain your technology. Staying on top of device connectivity and interoperability challenges ensures your tech works as it should even as the technology eco-system continues to rapidly evolve. At Support.com, our integrated, secure tech support experience saves consumers time and frustration and provides peace of mind.