Tech support provider Ask Wiz launched a Facebook Messenger bot and Android app that connects you with thousands of human tech experts. Ask Wiz wants its free, crowdsourced solution to compete with Geek Squad and other tech support services.
“We use AI powered by a human system, which basically kicks in and guides people to get help with any tech support issue they have for their mobile phone, computer, or smart home devices,” Ask Wiz director of growth Chaim Schuman told VentureBeat in a phone interview.
The Ask Wiz bot is not made to send automated messages but rather to connect human tech experts with people in need of technical help.
Tech experts earn tips ranging from $2 to $10 for each customer served. In the future, Ask Wiz plans to launch a subscription payment service for regular chat tech support.
Above: Ask Wiz Facebook Messenger bot
Ask Wiz was first named Drippler after the app and website created in 2011 to provide daily how-tos and tips for smartphones and other tech gadgets. Drippler brought together a community of enthusiasts and experts, Schuman said. Today, Ask Wiz has 2,000 experts regularly offering advice and it says Ask Wiz experts have answered more than 100,000 queries, thus far.
“The community grew through our Drippler user base,” Schuman said. “Over there, we had a community that formed with a lot of very tech savvy people, and what we realized is we could use this kind of like in the real world, where tech savvy people help everyone else with any tech support problem they have to kind of expand and provide a more sustainable solution here.”
In August 2015, Ask Wiz raised $5 million in a funding round led by Titanium Investments, with participation from TMT Investments, iAngels, and UpWest Labs.
Ask Wiz is based in Tel Aviv and has 10 employees.
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