According to Parks Associates’ latest consumer research report, over one-third of smart home device owners have experienced technical difficulties this year. Developed in partnership with RouteThis, the new whitepaper, Self-Service Support: Improving Home Automation, addresses support needs across the connected home as well as strategies to address consumers technical issues.
“Growing technical difficulties with smart home devices are felt the most by those using smart home devices at a high rate,” said Jennifer Kent, VP, Research, Parks Associates. “Parks Associates’ data demonstrate that households with heads of household ages 35-44 are the most likely to experience technical issues with their devices. This age group also strongly correlates to above-average rates of smart home device ownership.”
The whitepaper also reports 21% of those experiencing a technical issue with a smart home device used a self-help application with the device to resolve the problem; this is nearly double the rate of self-help app usage in 2018. Smart home and connected device owners use several options to address technical issues with their devices. In fact, 91% of smart home device owners who experience technical problems with their devices will try at least one self-help approach.
“The reality is, smart home brands today need to become experts in Wi-Fi diagnostics,” said Jason Moore, CEO, RouteThis. “Given that Wi-Fi troubleshooting can be a complex and time-consuming process, you can end up with this broken cycle where neither the consumer nor the smart home brand finds the resolution they’re looking for. That can lead to repeat calls from frustrated customers negative reviews and product returns.”
Users need tools to discern what specific issues are impacting their networks and devices, with special attention to testing for and diagnosing Wi-Fi issues, followed by clear guidance about how to fix the specific problem. To that end, self-help apps and solutions with advanced diagnostic features have experienced strong growth in the last four years.
“Consumers clearly desire a self-help approach first but need more effective tools to solve the problems on their own,” Kent said.
Self-Service Support: Improving Home Automation is available for download. To request data or an interview, please contact Rosey Sera at rosey@parksassociates.com, 972.996.0233.
See also: Parks Associates Research Sheds Light On Smart Garage Opener Usage
