Verizon offers remote tech supports for home users

Today, Verizon announced it's trying out a new solution to deal with the flood of customer requests for tech support. The company is launching a new "virtual assistant tech tool" from start-up TechSee, which will allow technicians to directly advise customers how to fix glitches at home, without the techs having to enter the home.

This comes shortly after the company announced it was dramatically scaling back home internet installations and repairs in an effort to limit in-person contact during the coronavirus pandemic.

The technology being used by Verizon has already been in place around the world, with Vodafone NZ sharing a video in 2018 of how it uses the TechSee service to help fix a router issue, circling and highlighting where things should be plugged in while also providing guidance over the phone to assist you in fixing the problem.

"We have moved very quickly to adjust to these new temporary realities," Kevin Service, Verizon's senior vice president of operations said in a press release. "Customers have been very pleased with the virtual technician tool. Born of necessity, like many things, this virtual assistant is another tool in our toolbox to better serve our customers."

Here's how it works: Verizon technicians dispatched in response to customer repair requests will continue to do outside repairs that may be needed. For inside repairs, customers can use the virtual assistant tool, which serves as a stand-in for the technician's physical presence and is easy to use. A Verizon technician outside the residence or premise sends the customer a text with a link which starts a video chat. The customer can share images of his or her indoor equipment so the technician can help diagnose the problem from outside of the customer's location. The customer can video chat with the technician who, in real time, can draw on the picture of the customer's equipment so that the customer can follow the technician's instructions on how to perform the repair.

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