Broadband services will be behind a near tripling in revenue for consumer and SMB technology services in the U.S. over the next five years, with U.S. households making up more than 40% of a $30 billion market by 2015, according to research from Parks Associates.
“The market opportunity for consumer- and SMB-oriented technical support services is significant because it is currently underutilized,” said Parks’ VP, principal analyst, Kurt Scherf. “One-third of consumers and 44% of SMBs experienced computer-related problems, but only 13% of those people and 28% of those businesses used professional support services.”
The new services “have increased awareness and use among both consumers and SMBs in the past year,” according to Parks’ analysis. New services from telecompetitors mentioned include AT&T’s ConnectTech and TechSupport 360, Verizon’s ExpertCare, and Comcast’s Xfinity Signature Support. Taken together, they “important in promoting technical support services to a wider audience,” Parks says. “The foundation of technology support services is in time-of-needed repair and troubleshooting elements,” Scherf added.
From the article, "Consumer SMB Tech Support to Triple in 5 Years" by Andrew Burger
