Exploring Co-presence for Next Generation Technical Support

In many technical support systems, live support agents help end-users resolve issues with computer software/hardware and appliances/gadgets in the real world. The dominant mode of communication in such systems is still the telephone, while instant messaging, video communication, and remote take-over have emerged as additional modalities in recent years. In contrast to these, 3D avatar based visual co-presence offers a unique combination of gestural interaction, shared reality, agent multitasking, and anonymity. Our paper argues that such 3D co-presence is viable in computer chat/remote help sessions, as well as real world support over camera equipped devices, offering an attractive alternative and enhancement to today's support modalities.