We haven’t been featuring Mayday but this special service by Amazon will soon be gone. Not the full service yet but the live video customer support for Kindle Fire tablets. We’re kind of confused about this move because the support has been really helpful. It’s been over five years since the customer support service was introduced and we know customers are happy with Amazon Mayday. The video calling feature for the Fire tablet somehow redefines customer support because of the on-screen experience.
Mayday was introduced back in 2013 as a 24/7 live video tech support for the Kindle Fire HDX tablets. It has since extended to other Kindle series but this June, the top e-commerce company is putting an end to the on-device tech support. Apparently, a related announcement has been out and yet with very few notices. This revolutionary tech support service will be gone soon for unknown reasons.
If you regularly contact the support team, you can see the update. Don’t worry because you can still contact Amazon through chat, email, or phone. A rep will attend to your queries and probably offer the option of sharing screens. This way, the person can freely help you with problems.
Using Mayday should be easy because you can only press the Mayday button to launch video chat. Privacy isn’t a problem because the agent cannot see you. It’s convenient indeed but it seems to be pricey because the customer support people are real, therefore, can be more expensive.
We’re thinking maybe Alexa’s arrival has something to do with the low demand for Mayday. That’s not exactly a negative thing because it means the Alexa voice assistant is powerful enough.
Amazon’s Mayday 24/7 live video tech support was welcomed positively. Almost a year later after its official launch, the video service was reported to have improved average response of 9 seconds. That was very impressive because the goal was only 15 seconds. About 75% of all Fire HDX tablet users were using the button to contact tech support.
Geekwire managed to ask Amazon about the change and here is the company’s response:
Why is the Mayday video calling feature being discontinued? The Mayday video calling service was offered on legacy devices that are no longer sold by Amazon.com. Customers of previous and current Fire tablets can instead reach customer service for free, 24×7 support by tapping on the Phone & Email icon, through the Quick Actions menu on their device, or via the Help App on their device home screen.
When will it be discontinued? June 2018
Will the Mayday button in Fire tablets be removed via a software update? The change occurred through an automatic update to the device Settings. Customers can still access customer support by tapping on the Phone & Email icon, through the Quick Actions menu on their device, or via the Help App on their device home screen.
How will the ongoing Mayday screen sharing be accessed by customers for support? Mayday Screen Sharing will continue to be offered on supported devices via free customer support, 24×7 by tapping on the Phone & Email icon or via the Help App on their device home screen. With your permission, the Amazon customer service expert can share your screen to draw on your screen, talk you through how to do a task, or do the task for you.
VIA: Geekwire
