In the past, many organizations successfully passed along the cost of specialized technical services in the form of premium tech support to end users. Customers were given the option of a one-time fee for a support “instance,” or a subscription that enables multiple sessions for a multitude of technical needs.

According to research from Parks Associates, more than 50 percent of smart home device owners are willing to pay for technical support for emerging connected technologies. However, when it comes to the early stages of the customer lifecycle, brands are smart to pay for support as it increases activation, initial usage and product adoption. As these brands bring new products and innovations to market, offering services that help end-users adopt them drives greater revenue and reduces the number of returns.

From the article "Tech Support: How to Embrace Inbound Calls and Build Customer Loyalty" by Paul Weichselbaum.