New consumer research examines tech support strategies for connected device landscape

A new industry research report from Parks Associates shows that problems with computing and entertainment devices are declining steadily year-over-year, dropping by more than 50% since 2014. Tech Support Landscape: U.S. Trends and Outlook notes that instead, smart home devices are creating more problems in households. Thirty-four percent of smart home device owners experienced problems with their devices in 2017, up from 28% in 2016. Purchase intentions for most smart home devices in the next 12 months are 20-25% among U.S. broadband households, so tech support companies and service providers are starting to invest more support resources focusing on solutions for the broad array of these products, such as in-home consultation services.

“Problems with computing and entertainment devices have declined due to mature technologies that improve device reliability and performance, including self-healing technologies, product updates, and intuitive user interfaces,” said Patrice Samuels, Senior Analyst, Parks Associates. “For smart home products, this market is moving toward the early majority, who are typically less tech savvy than the early adopters, resulting in a higher demand for support.”

According to Tech Support Landscape: U.S. Trends and Outlook, 44% of technical problems with computing and entertainment devices are ultimately resolved by a professional technician, while 35% of smart home problems are resolved by professional support. The latter finding represents a decline in the number of smart home product owners who resolve their tech problems on their own, which is driving the emergence of support services from companies such as Amazon and HelloTech that charge a one-time fee per incident.

“Several forces help shape whether consumers pay for technical support services,” Samuels said. “On one hand, high competition is driving brands to use support as a competitive differentiator and many are willing to provide a defined level of support, at no cost, to attain customer loyalty. At the same time, as consumers become more familiar with their devices, they seek support for more complex tasks.”

Tech Support Landscape: U.S. Trends and Outlook examines the ways in which support strategies are evolving to proactively and efficiently address the issues created by consumer adoption of new and emerging connected devices. It focuses on measures that ensure consumers experience the promise of their devices and avert the challenges that come with increasing technical complexity. The report also includes a five-year forecast of the support needs generated by emerging connected devices in the U.S.

Additional research from the report shows:

• The average number of connected computing and entertainment devices in broadband households increased from 4.1 in 2010 to 8.3 in 2017.
• Thirty-nine percent of consumers who intend to purchase a smart home device found a service that helps them set up and configure new devices highly appealing in 2017, compared to 28% in 2016.

For more information about Parks Associates’ research, contact [email protected]. To schedule an interview with an analyst or to request specific data, contact Julia Homier at [email protected], 972-996-0214.

About Parks Associates: Parks Associates, a woman-founded and certified business, is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates provides business intelligence and research services through its proprietary methodologies developed over decades, including quarterly surveys of 10,000 internet households.

The company's expertise crosses many industries: home security and smart home, streaming video, broadband and pay-TV services, digital media and platforms, gaming, Wi-Fi and home networks, connected health, support, consumer electronics, home control systems, energy management, and tech solutions for the multi-dwelling (MDU), small-to-medium business (SMB), and commercial building markets.

Each year, Parks Associates brings thousands of leaders together for its webinars and annual events. The firm hosts the annual executive research and strategy conferences CONNECTIONS™, Connected Health Summit, Smart Energy Summit, Smart Spaces, and Future of Video. https://www.parksassociates.com
 

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