Google wants you,
Frustrated by his toddler’s refusal to eat vegetables, a young father from Copenhagen schedules a video consultation with Ken Rubin, a culinary trainer and food anthropologist whose expertise typically costs more than $100 US an hour.
This dad is neither rich nor a celebrity, nor is he paying a cent to speak with Rubin. He’s simply using Google Helpouts, a service that launched quietly this month as a way of indexing live human assistance the same way the search engine indexes written information.
“People are surprised when there’s actually a chef at the other end,” said Rubin, a vice-president at Rouxbe Cooking School in Vancouver. “I think there’s still a little bit of wariness around technology.”
Rouxbe is among the 1,000-some organizations and professionals who have been approved to provide live worldwide assistance, via webcam, on such subjects as cooking, home repairs, garden, computers, electronics, fashion, beauty, nutrition, fitness, art, music, education, health and counselling. The cost of each session is set by the vendors, many that offer services for free.
“We’re taking a calculated risk. We’re hoping to, obviously, drive new subscriptions to the (school’s) site, which generates revenue,” said Rubin, whose online culinary community carries an initiation fee of $299.95 and a monthly charge of $4.95.
Osi Imeokparia, Helpouts’ product manager, said improving brand recognition and reaching
‘People are surprised when there’s actually a chef at the other end. I think there’s still a little bit of wariness around technology.’
KEN RUBIN Vice-president, Rouxbe Cooking School, Vancouver
new customers are among the top reasons that companies are offering complimentary assistance.
Cosmetics giant Sephora, for instance, advertises free live help on everything from facial contouring to false lash application. Weight Watchers, similarly, offers free consults on navigating restaurant menus, eating healthy on a budget, and avoiding indulgence at holiday parties. But Imeokparia also noted that many others are going the free route “out of the goodness of their hearts.”
“We have a lot of people, for instance, that want to give language services as a way of introducing people to their culture,” she said.
Unlike YouTube tutorials, which lack interaction and personal context, Helpouts cater specifically to the user’s problem. Take Rubin, who recently helped a man in Egypt adapt his pita recipe to make pizza dough, and guided a mother in Mexico through simple meal ideas using only the items in her kitchen.
The vendor takes 80 per cent of the session fee, Google the other 20 per cent. The catch is that the service requires a Google+ account, the latest Hangouts plugin, and Google Wallet for payment.
“There’s a lot of written information (online) … But a lot of great expertise and information still resides in people’s heads,” said Imeokparia. “The question was, ‘How do we unlock that knowledge and make it available in the same efficient and convenient way that we’ve done with Google search?’ Helpouts is one idea.”
Adam Burrows, an executive with HomeAdvisor, said his company — which connects consumers with local contractors for home improvement projects — finds Helpouts makes particular sense in his field, where a problem can often be solved with a short consultation. That’s part of the reason his Colorado-based company, which also offers services in Canada, got on board with helpouts.google.com.
“It wouldn’t make sense for a contractor to drive out to your house for 10 minutes of work,” said Burrows.