The Be My Eyes volunteer community is one of the largest micro-volunteering communities in the world, solving issues for blind and low vision callers thousands of times a day. But did you know that our users also have access to a world-class directory of businesses and professionals who can answer video calls for specialized questions of all kinds? If this is news to you, read on, because we've rounded up some of the coolest ways in which people are using Be My Eyes to get what we call "specialized help" from companies around the world.
Explaining a visual problem, or even just knowing if you've got the right product in your hand, can be challenging and inefficient to do through traditional customer support channels like email or phone - especially if you are blind or have low vision. That’s why we created a customer support platform with live video: to quickly and efficiently be able to show the supporter what you’re looking at in an accessible way. Be My Eyes Specialized Help has truly revolutionized customer support - and here are five examples of how the live video platform has made customer support easier for both the caller and the one answering the call.
Solving tech issues was one of the main reasons we launched Specialized Help back in 2018. We saw countless examples of users utilizing Be My Eyes volunteers to help solve tech issues, like when their screen reader would stop working or they had to set up their email accounts. However great the volunteers are at assisting, they are not always the right people to help with complex tech questions, and that is exactly why we work with Microsoft, Google and others to help solve these issues. So whether your screen reader has stopped working on your Windows device, or you are experiencing problems with your Chromecast, accessible customer support is only a tap away through Be My Eyes. With live video, you can easily show the support agent your issue so they can quickly help you resolve it.
The Clearblue Careline are always ready to support people using their pregnancy and fertility tests to make sure they use them correctly. But for test takers who are blind or have low vision, the support goes beyond questions of general usage and into the sensitive topic of reading the results of these tests. Through Be My Eyes, you can get accessible and anonymous support with taking and reading results of Clearblue tests, so you don’t have to involve your loved ones in one of the most sensitive periods of your life before you are ready. There are countless other "personal care" scenarios like this one where you might not want to ask a friend or a family member – but you don't want to talk to a total stranger either. For these, Specialized Help connects Be My Eyes users to trained customer care agents who can solve problems privately and anonymously.
When you have questions related to your health and medicine, you want to direct them to professionals. That’s why we have partnered with Accessible Pharmacy Services for the Blind to support when reading medicine bottles, answer questions about prescriptions and pharmacy services in general. Our pharmacy partner has also been a huge help during the Covid-19 pandemic in assisting our users with access to tests, vaccines and general information about everything from PPE to government resources.
The job market can be challenging to navigate - especially when you have a disability. That’s why we have partnered with several job portals and professional networks to help our users steps towards their next career opportunity. Our partners such as Jobs for Humanity and Linkedin can help Be My Eyes callers get in touch with inclusive employers and make sure their professional profiles are all set up. Good luck with the job hunt!
Be My Eyes users call on volunteers every day to help with reading food labels, grocery shopping and so much more – but did you know that users can also call world-leading pasta producer, Barilla, through Be My Eyes? That’s right! The Barilla pasta experts are just a tap away to assist you with picking the right type of pasta, cooking instructions or selecting an exciting recipe. Buon appetito! In 2022 we hope to bring on more exciting food and beverage partners to provide all sorts of specialized food experiences for our community.
We hope that our Specialized Help partners help people get the most out of their products and services with accessible support through Be My Eyes. We also work with tons of local blind organizations, so don’t forget that users cancheck out the Specialized Help section of the Be My Eyes app to see what’s available in their area in case they need to connect with a blindness expert.
