The smart home industry is keen on driving market growth. Positive setup experiences are critical to that goal while poor setup experiences drive product returns, negative social network commentary, and an unwillingness to purchase other devices of the same brand. Even the perception that a product is difficult to set up serves as a barrier to device adoption. Among consumers who do not intend to purchase smart home devices, 13% will not purchase a device because they are confused about how to set up and use them. On the other hand onboarding support can drive smart home device purchases.  Thirteen percent of consumers who do not intend to purchase a device report that six months of call center support would increase their likelihood of purchasing smart home devices.

Among smart home device owners who set up devices themselves, the overall percentage reporting that the process was difficult increased over the past year. Twenty-eight percent of device owners reported that the setup process was difficult in 2017, compared to 32% in 2018. Brands must leverage technologies that improve the seamlessness of device setup. They must also emphasize ease of installation in product marketing messages to minimize consumer apprehensions about purchasing these products.

Moderated by Patrice Samuels the CONNECTIONS™ session, “Support and Installation: Making the Smart Home Work,” examines approaches to simplifying the “out of the box” smart home experience for consumers. Speakers will address strategies to deliver support to connected consumers and monetize product and service reliability.

This session takes place on Wednesday, May 22 from 11:15 a.m to 12:15 a.m. Speakers include:

• Yuval Boger, CMO, Wi-Charge
• Rob Conant, CEO, Cirrent
• Tony Frangiosa, CEO, InstallerNet, Inc
• Christine King, VP, Business Strategy & Partnerships, Puls Technologies Inc
• Alton Martin, SVP Growth & Co-Founder, Trusource Labs LLC, An Everise Company
• Renee Soulliard, CMO, Support.com

For more information visit  www.connectionsus.com