Google introduces expert gadget advice through live video chat
Apple has the Genius Bar. Amazon has Mayday. And now Google has, well, maybe you could call it a virtual genius bar.
Google Play store customers who need help can now fire up a video or voice chat and connect with a customer service rep, who will walk them through the details of different products.
It鈥檚 not hard to imagine this feature expanding into a useful tech support service, but it鈥檚 not quite there yet. For now, Google service reps can only discuss the smart phones, tablets, and Chromebook laptops sold in the Google Play Store. The reps are there to explain features and help the indecisive choose between different devices, not offer troubleshooting advice or power-user tips.
The service may expand, however. A Google spokesperson told , 鈥淲e鈥檙e in a limited trial of an experimental support feature and gathering feedback, so we aren鈥檛 ready to share full plans yet.鈥� Ms. Lunden quotes an anonymous source who says Google wants to bring the virtual genius bar concept to retail stores, where remote Google reps will be able to offer technical support and advice on products.
The live support feature is available through the in the Google Play store. Select the 鈥淗elp鈥� icon in the upper-right corner, and you鈥檒l see 鈥淰ideo call鈥� nestled below the 鈥淧hone鈥� and 鈥淟ive chat鈥� support options. The service is available from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific time. It鈥檚 worth noting that Google鈥檚 customer service reps can only cover certain Google products via chat 鈥� they won鈥檛 be able to discuss the Nest thermostat, or third-party devices that are sold through the Google Play store.
Google鈥檚 live support runs on Hangouts, the tried-and-true video- and text-chatting platform found in Android and in Gmail. In theory, users needing advice on smart phones, tablets, or Chromebooks are connected to a customer service rep just as if they were video chatting with a friend, although the service isn鈥檛 guaranteed to be available since it鈥檚 still in a test phase.
Back in 2013 Google used the Hangouts platform to build , a kind of live video marketplace where users could buy and sell music lessons, technical support, fashion advice, and more over Hangouts video streaming. Google bills the service as 鈥渁 new way to get expert help and advice when you need it most,鈥� and it鈥檚 pretty similar to Google鈥檚 new live video support 鈥� except that Google鈥檚 support, limited though it is for now, is a free service.
