Helpshift Awarded Patent for Technology That Bridges Mobile Phones, Console Gaming, TV Set Tops, and More

Helpshift, a provider of in-app customer service and user support solutions, has been awarded a patent for its innovation in mobile app support. With Helpshift's patented technology, consumers can use their mobile phones to secure customer service for console gaming, TV set tops, and real-world environments.

This patent is based on Helpshift's APIs that companies can use with their console games, TV set top boxes, or a real-world objects (such as hotel kiosks, items in a store, or shipments received in the mail). The Helpshift APIs will capture contextual information for the customer and generate a secure QR code and URL link for customer service. This link is then used by the consumer to start a personalized support experience that preserves the initial context. Users can scan the QR code and be directed to instant self-help, an automated chatbot, or even messaging with an agent.

"Helpshift is already powering mobile support on over 4 billion devices today, and this patent helps further our momentum to provide these same tools to console gaming, TVs, and into the real world," said Erik Ashby, head of product at Helpshift, in a statement.

"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 provide a seamless, player-focused, mixed-world experience that engages people wherever they are, with the right support, in a way that shows consumers that you are looking out for them."

Gameloft is one of the first Helpshift clients to implement this patented technology.

"This solution came at a perfect time for us, because we were planning several console-focused releases. So far, we've tested it on a couple of our ongoing projects and we are very pleased with the results," said Anna Yangolenko, customer care R&D coordinator at Gameloft, in a statement. "We saw significant improvement across all of our main [key performance indicators, with customer satisfaction] being one of the most important and biggest improvement areas. We are planning to implement this solution in all of our main games."