75% of contacts from users of the Amazon Fire HDX tablet now come through the device’s unique Mayday button, which quickly connects the tablet user with Amazon support agents via onscreen video.

Amazon.com Inc. years ago made the giant leap forward in mobile commerce with its patented 1-Click Checkout. A customer goes through a one-time device registration process, linking her smartphone or tablet with her Amazon account, and from then on all she needs to do to complete a mobile purchase is press the Buy Now button. Truly one touch.

Eight months ago, Amazon.com debuted another one-touch mobile leap forward, the Mayday button on its Fire HDX tablet. When an HDX user needs help, she just presses the appropriately titled Mayday button and within seconds an Amazon support agent appears onscreen, ready to help. The service is available for free 24/7/365.

Amazon.com, No. 2 in the 2014 Internet Retailer Mobile 500, reveals that the Mayday button is now the most popular way for Fire HDX customers to contact customer service, and that the average time it takes for a customer service agent to respond is 9.75 seconds.

“When we set out to invent the Mayday button, we wanted to revolutionize tech support—and we’re happy to report it’s working,” says Scott Brown, director of Amazon customer service. “75% of customer contacts for Fire HDX now come via the Mayday button. Even as the Mayday button has grown to become the most popular way for customers to ask questions, the team’s been able to beat the response time goal of 15 seconds or less—our average is just 9.75 seconds.”

Fire HDX users sometimes make unusual requests of Amazon.com customer service agents. Following are some recent Mayday customer service requests, according to Amazon:

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  • After being stuck on a specific Angry Birds level for a week, a customer sought the aid of a tech advisor, who helped the customer beat the level.
  • A tech advisor sang happy birthday to a consumer as she was receiving a Fire HDX from her boyfriend.
  • Customers have asked tech advisors to take over their screens and draw everything from rainbows and unicorns to fire-breathing dragons and aliens.

To use the Mayday button, a consumer simply taps the Mayday button in Quick Settings, and an Amazon expert appears on the Fire HDX. The expert can co-pilot a consumer through any feature by drawing on her screen, walking her through how to do something herself, or doing it for her.

Click here to read an article from Internet Retailer magazine on mobile customer service.

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