Easily one of the hottest topics in the connected home, voice control is exerting an obvious influence on many facets of our industry.
However, lost in all the conversations about integration and control has been the unmistakable role that this category will play on the way we provide service and support.
Various iterations of voice control have been around for some time. Which begs the question: why has there been such a notable surge of momentum for this technology lately? The answer lies in the technology’s ability to provide a nearly frictionless user experience.
As apps have grown ubiquitous in nearly every aspect of our lives, consumers are ready for means of interacting with technology that don’t require them to fumble for the nearest smartphone or tablet, remember which app to open, or recall which combination of buttons to press.
The form factor of devices such as Amazon Echo and Google Home directly address this growing level of app-fatigue in the connected home by allowing you to speak to them from across the room using nearly any variation of words (well, that’s the goal anyway).
The consumer’s demand for this added convenience and ease-of-use will only grow as these voice control products continue to evolve. The maturation of this category will not just affect our interaction with media and technology, but will also extend into services as tech support.
Control + Tech Support
Given the artificial intelligence (AI) that drives Alexa, Google and Siri, it’s not far-fetched to imagine these devices turning into interactive self-help tools.
“Alexa, Netflix just stopped working on my Apple TV.”
She might respond with instructions for power cycling the Apple TV. With the right integrations, she might even be able to send a soft reset command directly to the Apple TV or perhaps inform you that “Amazon Web Services experienced an outage earlier today that will prevent you from watching Netflix for the time being.”
If this tech-enabled help doesn’t suffice, you might simply request live tech support directly from Alexa, and a friendly, knowledgeable specialist will call you armed with the information you’ve provided and an understanding of the steps you’ve taken so far.
In fact, given the recent rumors of Amazon and Google considering the inclusion of communication protocols (think intercom, VoIP, etc) on their platforms, you may even end up speaking with this technology specialist directly through your Echo or Google Home.
That would leave us one short step away from having Amazon provide tech support directly to the homeowner through its Alexa platform. And with its growing team of “Amazon Experts” to provide in-home support when needed, who’s to say they won’t become the mass market’s technology manager before the CEDIA industry has a chance to compete?
Focus on Service
When it comes to tech support and service, customer loyalty will always follow the path of least resistance. If Amazon or Google make it effortless to get help when our clients need it most, then we risk seeing their loyalty to us wane.
If we want to keep our clients and maintain relevance, we need to sharpen our focus on providing our clients with quick response times and excellent service.
By designing reliable, remotely manageable systems, and most importantly providing a seamless and high-quality support experience for our clients, we can ensure that our services are not replaced by the likes of Amazon or Google.
For more information about OneVision and how you can start providing instant, 24/7 support, visit www.onevisionresources.com/blog.
