Over the past week, Google has recommended that its employees in North America, Europe, Middle East, and Africa work from home. The coronavirus is now having an impact on customer support, with the Google Store and a handful of other related teams warning about longer support times.
Visiting the U.S. Google Store Help page today features a large yellow banner about the company instituting a “precautionary health measure” that sees them “operating with a limited team” due to the coronavirus.
As a precautionary health measure for our support specialists in light of COVID-19, we’re operating with a limited team. Thanks for your patience, as it may take longer than usual to connect with us. For additional support, consult the Help Center.
This could lead to “longer than usual” wait times to reach support. That said, as of Friday morning, estimates are on the normal end for Google Support:
- Request chat: 3-5 minutes
- Request callback: 2 minutes
- Email support: 18-24 hours
Not all Google products are affected, but those that feature the banner today are related to hardware and productivity software. This includes Pixel and Chromebook, as well as Google Drive. However, Google Nest and other software like Gmail, Maps, and Ads are currently banner-free. YouTube has its own status page that lists “Creator support” as a dedicated section, but there are currently no updates.
In light of remote work, large parts of the public are interacting with online tools — something Google is actively encouraging — on an increased basis. They’d normally seek help from their employers or schools.
More about the coronavirus:
- Report: Second Google employee tests positive for coronavirus
- Samsung ‘Galaxy Sanitizing Service’ will disinfect your smartphone to fight coronavirus
- Shoelace, Google’s Area 120 social app, pauses meetups in light of coronavirus
- YouTube will ease restrictions on videos talking about coronavirus
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments