Helpshift gets a patent for bridging customer support for multiple platforms

Helpshift, which provides in-app customer service for mobile-first brands, said it has been awarded a patent for innovation in cross-platform mobile app support.

Helpshift’s patented technology allows consumers to use their mobile phone as a bridge to secure customer service for console gaming, TV set-tops and real-world environments.

This patent is based on Help shiftAPIs that brands can use with their console game, TV set-top, or real-world object (such as a hotel kiosk, an item in a store, or a shipment received in the mail). The Helpshift APIs capture all contextual information for the customer and generate a secure QR code and a secure URL link for customer service. Keywords Studios took over Helpshift last year.

This link is then used by the consumer with a mobile device to launch a personalized support experience that preserves the initial context, saving time and improving efficiency at every step of the customer support journey.

Customer support is shifting to conversational AI and automation to streamline processes, reduce wait times, and improve the effectiveness of customer support agents. Customer expectations for support are also changing rapidly, with customer experience becoming a key driver of brand loyalty: 72% of shoppers expect virtual assistance to become more common, 65% of US shoppers say a positive experience with a brand has more influence has good advertising – and 32% of all customers would stop doing business with a brand they love after one bad experience.

While conversational AI and automation have become more prominent in web chat tools and within mobile applications, the market has been missing these improvements on gaming consoles and physical environments. Helpshift’s patented QR Code support capability now provides self-service for these experiences. Users can scan the QR code and be taken to one of three experiences (based on how the brand wants to set it up): instant self-help, an automated chatbot, or even messaging with an agent.

The company said this patent is recognition that Helpshift’s technology opens up new possibilities for customers to receive new, instant, personalized customer support experiences. By bridging the gap between the brand’s mobile app and the customer’s physical environment, game developers, retail and hospitality brands can unlock creative ways to support and engage with customers.

Gameloft, an international developer and publisher of games for all digital platforms, is one of Helpshift’s first clients to implement this patented technology.

“This solution came at a perfect time for us as we were planning several console-focused releases. So far we have tested it on some of our ongoing projects and we are very pleased with the results,” Anna Yangolenko, R&D Coordinator for Customer Service at Gameloft, said in a statement. “We saw significant improvement in all of our key KPIs, with CSAT being one of the most important and largest areas of improvement. We plan to implement this solution in all our main games.”

“Helpshift already powers mobile support on more than 4 billion devices today, and this patent helps increase our momentum to bring the same tools to console gaming, TVs, and in the real world,” said Erik Ashby, lead product at Helpshift, in a statement .

Helpshift said it can provide context-aware support without burdening the customer: If someone is playing a game and has a problem, Helpshift allows the user to use their mobile device to scan a QR code and instantly get access to that part from the game to a supportive experience. By just going to that QR code, the support team instantly knows the exact context of who the customer is, where they were in the game, and how the support team can help.

The company also said it can get direct support via QR code: Helpshift offers the first secure QR code generator for customer support. Brands can provide their customers with instant, relevant support through a dedicated QR code without the customer having to find, type, or re-enter their verification information. This QR code isn’t just a website URL: it’s context-aware, keeping customers’ information secure and personal data visible to the support team, ensuring a seamless support experience.

And Helpshift said it can get answers to questions in-store or in the mailbox: What happens when customers want to get more information about a product while shopping in the aisle? What if you buy a new product and have a question as soon as the package arrives? Helpshift’s proprietary APIs can help brands deliver a more valuable customer support experience that provides customers with relevant answers wherever they are in the real world, while connecting with the customer through their mobile device.

The company can also relieve long lines with self-service: Retail brands can eliminate long wait times for customer service and shorten long lines at checkouts and concierge desks by providing convenient self-service for customers who access via a mobile device.

And in a retail environment, if a customer receives a package with a broken or incorrectly sized item, they can use their phone and scan the packing slip to launch a secure support experience where the support team knows who they are, where they’ve been sent and all other information automatically and completely securely.

Customer support becomes a defining moment for building customer loyalty (or suffering customer loss). Helpshift’s patented technology enables brands to provide customers with context-aware, secure support that bridges the gap between mobile apps and the real world.

“People are using mobile apps for more of their everyday shopping and as an extension of their real-world experiences, and they are demanding a higher level of customer support that bridges the gap between mobile and real life,” said Eric Vermillion, CEO of Helpshift , in a statement. “Brands need to seize this opportunity and deliver a seamless, player-centric, blended world experience that engages people wherever they are, with the right support, in a way that shows consumers you care.”

I asked them how long ago they did this work. In an email to GamesBeat, Helpshift said development will begin in 2020 with early testing and patent filing in 2021.

At the beginning of 2022, the workforce was 145 and today the company employs 152 people. Helpshift said it plans to expand the workforce in 2023.