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INDUSTRY NEWS


19 May 2008

Consumer support services segment emerging


With technology becoming more prevalent among consumers, installation and troubleshooting problems have become more complex, something that is likely to lead to a new generation of tech support services leveraging the internet to provide remote assistance.

That is the prediction of research company IDC, which reported that PC software and operating systems are the most common problems for non-enterprise IT customers, making up 41 per cent of all support sessions.

Security problems, including viruses, spyware and malware, were the second largest problem representing 23 per cent, despite the fact that most customers admitted to having security software installed.

"Technology has become more deeply entwined in consumers' lives while consumer support options have remained limited and often unsatisfying," explained Matt Healey, research manager for software and hardware support services at IDC.

"However, we are quickly reaching the point where certain devices and applications are considered 'mission critical' in the home. This means more consumers will require, and be willing to pay for, a higher level of support."

A recent survey by IT Business Management solutions provider Touchpaper revealed that IT is still considered as a support service by most UK enterprises, rather than a strategic business unit. It found that 32 per cent of end-users contacted their IT department every day with support requests.

© 2006 Adfero Ltd.

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