I would be dishonest to say that this year has been GREAT and AMAZING but it is definitely not one to forget. Despite the worldwide challenges and the impact on our company, we have survived and are doing well. Our remote tech support services became more relevant than ever but never in a way that we imagined. As the pandemic hit full swing we sent all our employees remote and they remain remote for the time being. This has its own challenges and we’ve faced tragedies among our coworkers in its wake. Regardless, we are grateful that we can have everyone work remote and keep the company running. A HUGE thank you to my coworkers that have made this possible and remain stalwart and diligent.
Another tough truth is that our representatives have listened to heartbreak on the phone. Our main customers are seniors and as they isolate to remain safe some of them feel more alone than ever. We are grateful that we can provide a service that makes their life easier, especially as they cannot have neighbors or relatives visit to fix their tech issues. I am grateful for my coworkers that have taken moments and put a lonely person’s feelings and mental health above the parameters of our services. They have been there to listen and speak with many people that are feeling a lot of pain right now. We have compassionate staff. That is one thing I am grateful to take away from 2020.
What was New in 2020 for HelpCloud
This year we still were able to accomplish a lot! We launched a new website that provides a better user experience. Following the new website launch we then launched a new shopping cart experience. With that we launched new products (licenses for Webroot, IDrive, and EZShield). Our Technician by-the-hour service also took off and has become a mainstay for us. It really is the best solution for those who would like remote tech support from the comfort of their own home. HelpCloud’s YouTube channel continues to grow at a rapid pace. We are proud of our work there. Lastly, the HelpCloud Learning Center is new and improved.
In 2021 we have big plans for the HelpCloud Learning Center and expanding the tools available. We also are excited for the relaunch of HelpCloud LiveSupport (our chat tool). It will be a whole new experience that will streamline support for any user.
35,507 support cases in 2020
Our number of support cases increased by nearly 12,000 from 2019 to 2020. We didn’t experience a huge growth in staff and sales. I attribute the large increase to more members being stuck at home without help. We are very happy to be there for our members and happy that our service exists in these times.
In addition to official support cases our support team handled 186,687 phone calls in 2020. These calls are often quick fixes to simple tech issues. They don’t get counted as a case but are support nonetheless!
Big Issues in Our Industry
Fighting the Scams
You can read last year’s 2019 in review here but here is an excerpt that remains relevant:
Our industry for our monetized services (3rd party tech support) is in a tough phase right now. Unfortunately, a lot of bad actors have used the guise of this industry to scam susceptible demographics. Luckily, we keep our customers protected on numerous levels. From partnering with Webroot SecureAnywhere (and installing the antivirus and firewall software on their devices) and EZShield (our membership includes a membership with EZShield), to fielding regular calls from customers inquiring if a call or pop-up they received is legitimate, to removing malware on a regular basis — we do our best to keep our customers protected. Our regular tech tip emails and videos are of further benefit. We work hard to help keep our customers educated.
We remain committed to providing the best in legitimate tech support. We support the FTC’s and Google Ad Network’s commitment to identifying the bad actors. We feel this industry is becoming ever increasingly important for those demographics that are in need of 24/7 tech support. There is peace in mind in having susceptible demographics subscribing to month-to-month tech support services like our own.
HelpCloud’s 2019 in Review
We also prevented our customers from engaging with scam phone calls, emails, and scareware (pop-ups) hundreds, if not thousands, of times this year. We have been compiling all the information possible from these scams in order to 1. educate our members and 2. go through the appropriate methods to help identify and shut down these scammers. I’ve been following this channel on YouTube and have learned a lot. The man is a magician and has done more to shut down scammers than Google and our governments combined.
The Right to Repair
This remains a hot issue and I cover the issue here in a video essay:
HelpCloud’s Top Ten YouTube Videos Released in 2020
In the End…
…a new year will not make 2020 or a pandemic disappear. Nor will it prevent the collateral and consequences of this pandemic. We have more storm to weather and I wouldn’t do it with any other crew. HelpCloud is full of compassionate people who are good at what they do. I hope to see them all again in the office by the end of the coming year, because I miss them!
Here’s to a year survived and, moreso, here are to those that didn’t make it through this year. Here’s to Elias and here’s to all those that have experienced the loss of their loved ones. We know that we’ve lost members to COVID-19 and here is to them as well.
HelpCloud remains here for you and for all your tech issues. And some. Onward to 2021!
