Google Testing Hangouts To Provide Customer Assistance

If you want to purchase an Apple product there’s always the option of getting in touch with a Genius who will answer all your questions in order to make the decision easier for you. That’s not quite the case if you’re purchasing one of the new products that Google directly sells to customers. However Google is now testing a new customer assistance program that’s powered by its Hangouts service. Customers will be able to interact with a live human being on the other end of the video chat and ask questions about the products they want to purchase.

The Hangouts platform is already being used to provide help. In 2013 Google launched a service called Helpouts through which users can take classes, learn skills and get technical help from people offering these services, however Google’s latest customer assistance endeavor is unlike Helpouts. It is free, Helpouts is not.

Anyone purchasing any smartphone, tablet or Chromebook sold directly by Google can take advantage of this program, which is still in trial stages right now. Google itself confirmed that its conducting a “limited trial” of this feature and isn’t ready to share full plans about its future just yet.

Currently this feature is only available between 6am and 6pm Pacific time. In order to use it customers must navigate to the Devices category in Google Play Store and then click on the help icon to access the video call option.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Web
Tags: Google, hangouts