Lockdown not only means you can't see friends and family, it also stops a technician visiting to fix your internet connection. Verizon has a solution though, and is replacing home visits with a virtual technician.
As The Verge reports, Verizon teamed up with TechSee, which already provides a similar service to Vodafone. If you contact Verizon in need of assistance, you'll be sent a link to visit via text message. On clicking the link, a Verizon technician will be able to remotely see what you see using a live stream of your smartphone or tablet camera. The technician can highlight objects within your home by drawing on the screen, for example, to highlight which port to plug an Ethernet cable into with a box around the port and an arrow pointing to it.
Techsee created a promo video for Vodafone New Zealand which shows off exactly how it works:
It's much easier to show a customer how to fix a problem than just trying to tell them, and it's also much easier to see what the problem is rather than having a customer attempt to explain it.
As CNN reported last week, Verizon decided to cut back on home visits in a bid to reduce the chances of spreading coronavirus. Installations are still being carried out by the company, but only if they count as medical or critical emergencies. Anyone ordering a new internet service will be asked to wait, however, I suspect if the Techsee virtual technician system works well, Verizon may ship out routers and have customers set them up remotely with virtual help in future.
Further Reading
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