How Second Life Changes Customer Service

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We can't know how every single device works with the PS3 but users could have some experience of it. If someone suggested they put the PS3 in a slow cooker, we'd step in and moderate that. There will also be classic moderating if someone posts an offensive comment or a dodgy link."

Sony recently opened its own virtual world, Sony@home, and is looking into the possibility of exploiting it for customer service purposes, perhaps using it to one day give users graphical walkthroughs if they need customer support. Barker said: "It's a question of seeing if people like it and if it's something they use but that's looking a bit further in the future."

Meanwhile, others are exploring how user-generated content from mobile phones can be used for customer service purposes.

In Accenture's US labs, some researchers are already working on how customers and companies can make each other's lives easier by means of the humble cameraphone. The consultants have already explored how snap-happy citizens can use their phones to take photos of minor crimes such as fly-tipping or graffiti and MMS them to the police.

Andy Fano, global director of research, Accenture Technology Labs, told silicon.com the system has to-date just been piloted in the US. He added: "We came from the position that it would only be a matter of time until people captured an event on their phones, and wanted to send it to the police, who wouldn't be able to receive it."

Insurance companies could also make use of the feature-stuffed mobile - after a disaster, homeowners could take pictures of their homes as primary assessment of damage and help insurance agents and emergency services determine who needs help first.

With the addition of image recognition tech, the capacities of mobiles could be extended. Consumers could take pictures of a broken car part, for instance, and text it to the manufacturer to request a replacement.

However, with a brave new world of new media customer services, call centres will need an overhaul. Fano said: "By necessity, it will take more people to interpret all of this but given the potential mass of media coming in, we have to find a scaleable way to approach this."

Provided by silicon.com—Driving Business Through Technology