Parks Associates: Consumers Report Increase in Technical Challenges With Smart Home Devices in 2017, Bucking Trend of Declining Problems From 2016

DALLAS, May 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- New research from Parks Associates shows that consumers report an increasing number of technical problems with emerging systems and smart home devices over the past year, after reporting decreases in support issues over previous years. In Q1 2017, 34% of smart door lock owners experienced issues when attempting to fix a problem with their device, up from 22% a year prior. The trend of increased technical problems in the past 6-12 months applies to emerging product categories including networked cameras, smart water leak detectors, and smart thermostats. Among owners of smart doorbells with video, 35% reported problems with this new product.  

Parks Associates will address the importance of support in the smart home and the new business opportunities emerging to protect and enhance a brand's reputation in the IoT during the CONNECTIONS™ pre-show research workshop, "Smart Home and IoT: Growth, Consumer Trends," on May 23. The 21st-annual CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference takes place May 23-25 at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport and features two pre-conference research workshops on smart home and connected health.

The session "Winning Support Strategies for IoT," 10:15 a.m. in the "Smart Home and IoT: Growth, Consumer Trends" workshop, features the following industry-leading speakers:

• Alton Martin, Chief Evangelist, Trusource Labs
• Noelani McGadden, Vice President of IoT, PlumChoice
• Richard Wolpert, Co-Founder & CEO, HelloTech
• Patrice Samuels, Senior Analyst, Parks Associates

"Success in the IoT requires a seamless user experience and the ability to integrate multiple devices while meeting consumer expectations and privacy preferences," Samuels said. "Brands like HelloTech can help meet those expectations by providing immediate, on-demand, responsive installation, training, and tech support, which will limit the number of technical problems experienced by smart home device owners."

HelloTech is a leading on-demand, in-home technology support service. The company has a nationwide footprint of more than 7,000 tech agents that offer tech support and training at the consumer's home seven days a week with house calls available from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

"No matter how well designed a smart home product is, people need and want skilled installation, training, and tech support at home to help them to take advantage of every aspect of these leading smart devices," said Richard Wolpert, co-founder and CEO of HelloTech.

To register for the 21st-annual CONNECTIONS™ Conference or one of the pre-show research workshops, visit http://bit.ly/CONNUSregistration. Press passes are available at http://www.parksassociates.com/cus-press. To schedule an interview or request research, contact Holly Sprague at [email protected], 720.987.6614.

About CONNECTIONS™

Parks Associates' CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference is the premier connected home event hosting more than 700 executives from the connected entertainment, IoT, and smart home industries. For information, contact [email protected], call 972-490-1113, of visit www.connectionsconference.com.

Contact:

Holly Sprague
Parks Associates
720-987-6614
[email protected]

SOURCE Parks Associates

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