I just got off the phone and an iChat session with Scott’s Mom. She reacted the same way my mother did when we had our first iChat screen-sharing support experience. They both were speechless about how easy it was to respond to a screen sharing request sent over iChat and were both shocked that I could not only hear them and talk to them over the link but also share their screen and see what they see and help them solve the problem. The only difference with Scott’s mom is that she has a Mac Mini without a microphone, so we bridge the communications gap with a phone. It’s still good however.

And then we get to the core of what I love so much about iChat screen sharing. I can really help if I can see and help control, leagues better than if I’m just relying on what the client sees and then tries to describe to me over the phone in classical telephone support. The biggest issue I have with classical telephone support is it has a catch-22 wedged right in the beginning of it. The catch-22 is that people have to have a good understanding of computer jargon and terminology so that they can describe their problem and get a solution over the phone. If they had those skills then they would most likely not need me to give them technical support in the first place! It’s almost the worlds worst practical joke on people who have made it their career to help others with technology. Because iChat is so friendly and so convenient, it makes this entire support experience just fly by in heartbeats. Everyone is happy, they get what they want and they don’t have to spend an arm and a leg on airfare, or wait for us to drive in, or pay some shyster an unholy amount of money to make a house call and then end up doing more cash-generating damage just to pad their bottom line. I can see what they see, do what needs to be done and actually *teach* how to solve the problem with an inherent simplicity and elegance that plain telephone support can never ever match.

I have often times mused about starting my own company. A Web 2.0 Internet company. It’s driven by iChat, with Google Chat performing the long-haul services (just like it was for my loved ones in this example) and social networking to link it all together. I envision a twitter account, say @MacNeedHelp and it’s staffed 24x7x365 by various people all around the world. When someone needs help, they contact that twitter name, tell them whats wrong, and in seconds they have a trained computer professional inviting them to an iChat screen sharing session ready, willing, and able to help them solve their computer problems. The clients pay a tiny monthly fee, like insurance, so that they can call whenever they like and use the service as much as they want to make their computers work best for them. What’s better, they start to actively learn how to start solving their own most common problems and stop using the service over a time. Most people I suspect would pay $5 a month just to have the peace of mind. Even if they never use it, it’s something wonderful to be able to ask for help, and get a friendly voice who can solve whatever it is that is troubling you and help you get on with your day. Perhaps someday I’ll pursue this cute little idea further. This iChat system is worth it’s weight in absolute gold!