Several of us, the tech savvy populace often receive queries from older friends and elders about carrying out operations on their smartphones and computers. This is a global phenomenon and many are happy to help. Vodafone Germany recently innovated surrounding this trend and introduced Vodafone Service Friends. The service experiment leverages the expertise of tech savvy teenagers to help Vodafone customers in need. All a user needs to do is to key in the ZIP code and request for support through a local online marketplace Mila. Hourly rates are fixed online and the person would visit the customer in need of tech support.
How is this different from normal operator support?
As Michael puts in his article, when you visit an operator's store you hand over the device to the folks over there and wait for the result. Often you end up waiting for sometime and also worry about private / confidential content on your devices. With Service Friends concept, the friendly teenager will sit beside you and if you are interested will also explain what is being done. This is the key differentiation - service with a human touch. At the same time there is no waiting line or docket system.
We believe such a support system can be established in India too. India is home to large tech savvy youth population who are interested in helping others with their skills. If this attitude can help them earn some pocket money in a formal way it would certainly be welcome. Youngsters can even build up their soft skills with some support from large telcos like Vodafone and incentives like visit to Vodafone facilities can only make things attractive.
Lastly, support through human hands is anytime better than initiatives like Airtel One Touch Internet. What do you think about Vodafone Germany's Initiative? Would you like to be a part of such an initiative if launched in India?
