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Helpshift has made it possible for mobile game makers to process millions of customer support requests via mobile phones through automation. And now it hopes to do the same for the metaverse with Metashift.
San Francisco-based Helpshift started using automation years ago to make it easier to handle customer complaints in mobile games and apps. It created nested frequently asked questions (FAQ) answers that players can use instead of talking to a customer service representative. The metaverse is the universe of virtual worlds all interconnected, as in novels like Snow Crash and Ready Player One.
In games like Supercell’s Clash of Clans, that helped reduce the number of complaints to hundreds, or enough for a small team of human support agents. It uses both AI technology and only logical FAQ threads to allow many people to get their questions answered without having to get a human on the phone.
“We are so excited about the opportunity the metaverse presents. It’s a natural extension of some of our decades-long gaming experience and becomes an extension of that,” Helpshift CEO Eric Vermillion said in an interview with GamesBeat. “But like some of the other things we’re excited about, it can really improve the way support is delivered in the physical world of support in a way that relies heavily on physical identities and physical access.”
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With Metashift, Helpshift hopes to leverage technologies such as immersive customer service and user support, feedback systems, and blockchain authentication with in-world support for mobile, AR, and VR experiences. The blockchain portion would use non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Christine Dyer, head of marketing at Helpshift, said in an interview that pulling users out of an app when they need support is not a good experience.
“Helpshift’s story has long been about keeping people in the app and in the experience,” she said. “That’s why Helpshift introduces Metashift, the first core system for the metaverse with in-VR support.”
The metaverse is no longer seen as science fiction. Bloomberg estimated that the metaverse market could reach $800 billion by 2024. Other industries embracing the emerging opportunities of the metaverse include fintech, mobile-first retail, and virtual entertainment.
However, as more brands move their businesses and customer experiences to the metaverse, they face significant challenges and risks of disruption. Brands need new ways of interacting with people in these new virtual experiences; they must be able to verify user identities and assets by navigating new technologies such as NFTs, blockchain tokens and identity tokens, and they must ensure that people are happy with their new metaverse experiences.
“I’m really excited about the potential of this parallel digital experience,” said Vermillion. “I think a lot of people think of the metaverse as kind of this new big VR game. I really believe there will be some really cool games and experiences. But I also think there are some cool social professional domains that change the way where we will really change in society and in the metavers existence.I think of the day when I am in a room with someone who speaks Japanese, Portuguese or French from different countries and works together in real time and understands each other clearly.”
With its new Metashift offering, Helpshift assists metaverse brands by providing in-world support experiences, allowing customers to provide feedback, answer questions, or chat with an agent without ever leaving the metaverse. With a metaverse-specific immersive customer support experience, companies can help reduce customer churn, increase CSAT scores, and increase revenue.
“This is something we’ve been working on within mobile apps for a long time, and we’re really expanding it into VR and other forms of the future metaverse,” Dyer said. “It has to be immersive so that people stay engaged. Because if you don’t have that, you’re kicking people out. You delay support. There’s a lack of personalization, people can’t provide feedback or report on bugs they experience, and issues remain unresolved. It is extremely painful for the user. And that’s where churn happens. There is a lack of loyalty there.”
If you can’t adapt your user experiences to the metaverse, you risk losing millions of customers, Vermillion said. The metaverse has been hyped as an immersive and transformative development in the way people interact and interact with brands online. However, in order to thrive, companies must prioritize the user experience to avoid churn and create engaged fans, he said.
Metashift’s feedback demo.
“Users should have an easy way to leave feedback and get outside support, without having to leave the metaverse experience,” he said.
Keywords Studios, a leading video game developer and longtime partner of Helpshift, sees great potential in the Metaverse and believes that the demand for new ways to interact with customers in AR/VR environments is growing.
“We believe happy players are essential to a game’s growth because they get the message out,” Peter Gerson, senior manager of player support services at Keywords Studios, said in a statement. “We enjoy working with Helpshift because we know they understand the importance of a seamless user experience and empowering users to stay in the app. They are poised to drive innovations in the Metaverse forward and we look forward to working with them on this journey.”
Mobile and AR support
Helpshift will implement its new Metashift support solution in three phases. first, it offers free out-of-the-box feedback, bug and crash reporting (available for mobile and AR experiences starting May 3). Publishers can make sure their experiences work as they should and measure product market suitability by enabling users to easily provide feedback and report bugs or crashes.
Whether a customer already offers an experience in the metaverse or if people are currently only working from a mobile app, leveraging Helpshift’s out-of-the-box feedback will help them achieve success and unlock the app’s potential for churn to a bad user experience.
“Our goal is really to provide tools that help the companies understand when players or users are having problems. And if they see recurring problems, they see a warning and something that needs to change,” Vermillion says.
In terms of dealing with the sheer size of the metaverse, Vermillion is optimistic that technology and automation can keep up with customer support demand.
“There’s some complexity involved when you’re trying to deal with multi-entity support issues,” Vermillion said. “But there is also the concept of more peer-to-peer engagement. When you are at a sporting event or amusement park, you often ask someone next to you for support and that is possible in a VR world.”
Blockchain Support
Second, Metashift will enable verification of identity or ownership of assets (such as NFTs) by blockchain support teams or legacy identity providers (availability target in Q3 2022).
Support teams can take advantage of new blockchain technologies to provide users with better and more secure support. This is important because brands will have to deal with virtual assets such as NFTs that can have significant value or the new self-sovereign identities that will be part of the metaverse. Phase two of Metashift will allow users’ virtual identities and assets to be supported across the metaverse through blockchain authentication. This feature will be available for brands from Q3 2022.
“The next part of this is that we can support newer technologies that come into play with what we’re seeing with NFT assets,” Dyer said. “We see a self-sovereign identity so that people can actually protect their identity, use it in different worlds in the metaverse, and then actually have that verified within the support experience.”
If people don’t want to deal with NFTs or blockchain, they should be using options that don’t use these technologies. But Dyer believes adoption will come and make the support process easier.
Native VR support
You shouldn’t have to leave the metaverse to get support.
The third phase is native VR support, where customers can get support from the VR experience. It will be available in Q4 in 2022.
As user experiences evolve to become more engaging and immersive, so must the support journey for brands. That’s why Helpshift is in the process of delivering the first support solution for the VR metaverse experience. Users shouldn’t have to leave virtual reality to get support.
Helpshift has a conceptual demo where you would approach a nice customer service representative and start a conversation. The agent would respond in the VR world and engage in a FAQ based conversation with you.
“You can talk to the agent so you don’t have to type anything in VR,” Dyer said.
In phase three, users will be able to access FAQs, self-service with AI-driven intent, leave feedback, report bugs and crashes, and chat with an agent directly from the VR experience. VR support will be available from Q4 2022.
Existing Helpshift users will be able to access Metashift once the features are rolled out. Those who are not yet Helpshift customers can start using Metashift for free when it becomes available in early May and can join the waiting list now.
Helpshift has 145 employees and approximately 400 customers. It processes millions of tickets and its software development kit (SDK) is now on three billion mobile devices. It has consumers in 160 languages around the world.
“Essentially it’s the same principle we’ve seen in mobile gaming,” Vermillion said. “If you force people out of the game, in their moment of vulnerability when they need help, there’s a pretty good chance they won’t come back. And I think in the metaverse, that will be even more relevant, because successes in support will be even more complex. Because you are not dealing with just one brand. You’re not just dealing with one group, one game, you’re dealing with multiple different worlds, multiple different entities.”
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This post Helpshift considers customer support for the metaverse with Metashift
was original published at “https://venturebeat.com/2022/03/31/helpshift-contemplates-customer-support-for-the-metaverse-with-metashift/”