manufacturing. The market is certainly ripe for the future, with a Frost & Sullivan U.S. consumer survey finding that:
- Nearly 50 percent of respondents would be willing to purchase a home automation system, depending on the price.
- Global smartphone shipments are forecasted to grow from 1.1 billion in 2014 to 2 billion in 2018.
- The number of Internet-connected devices is about 10 billion today, and is projected to grow to over 50 billion by 2020.
- Revenue from home media and entertainment is expected to reach $76 billion in 2020.
Support.com, a cloud-based software and services provider in the tech support market, partnered with Frost & Sullivan to define SIO capabilities, which are now incorporated into its recently upgraded live support solution, Nexus for contact centers. Nexus now includes guided paths technology and functionality, and, according to the company, is the "first SIO solution to combine agent interaction data with device data and process detail."
The company examined the customer life cycle and support—that might include self-service, Web searches, and eventually calling into the contact center to speak with an agent. A great deal of optimization happens at the front end in terms of the ticketing systems and pulling in customer information from different CRM systems, etc., explains Sampath Gomatam, senior vice president of product at Support.com.
"But once the information gets to the agent, that part isn't really addressed—how do you make the agent as effective as possible in terms of handling that customer's problem?" Gomatam says. "How do you make every agent the best agent possible for that customer in terms of trouble shooting, especially someone with a complex issue? That's where Nexus comes in."
Some Nexus use cases include:
- Connected Home/Internet of Things: Service provider customers using Nexus to assist their connected home users with setting up their home automation network. Nexus is the first contact center solution provider to join the Icontrol Networks OpenHome Developers Program.
- Mobile Device Support: Nexus customers using the technology to support and troubleshoot issues that users face with their smartphones and tablets, as well as applications and cloud services that they access from their devices.
- Warranty Services: Warranty service providers using Nexus as a consistent, efficient, and cost-effective way to triage device issues and file warranty claims.
- Onboarding and Enablement: Customers driving consistency and efficiency for onboarding and enablement via Nexus. Agents are able to walk users through preactivation, onboarding, and ongoing education, ensuring a positive first experience for the end user.
"Contact centers struggle with live support today as they deal with increased margin pressure, higher product complexity, and an increase in third-party products," said John Ragsdale,vice president of research, technology, and social at Technology Services Industry Association, in a statement. "The Nexus solution from Support.com provides a unique approach for live support with guided paths for agents and actionable insights for managers from multiple data sources instead of just call recordings."