The “In-home Agent” was introduced last July and is now used by hundreds of thousands of subscribers. It’s a self-help tool available to those who subscribed to FiOS Internet service. It will now be getting its first upgrade to allow subscribers to do things easily like setting-up a new pc or manage computer security.

A huge number of Verizon customers already have the application installed on their computers. And more than 20% of the 700,000 who had it installed find the on-line tool very useful and easy to use. They could easily get answers to their questions with ease.

Bill Foshay, senior vice president of regional operations said that "These numbers indicate that we're onto something, customers want efficient and effective help, but getting it over the phone from a live agent can take time.  Because the In-Home Agent works with Verizon's network and service support systems, customers can quickly get help with setup and other issues." 

Industry expert Bruce McGregor, senior analyst of digital home services for the research firm Current Analysis, noted that "a majority of FiOS customers would much rather quickly fix a problem themselves than wait to speak to a customer service representative."  By offering customers the option to find and solve a problem quickly, McGregor said, Verizon is able "to ward off customer complaints before they happen."

The latest enhancement of the In-Home Agent allows customers to use standard USB thumb drive or a memory stick to quickly add new PCs  to their home Wi-Fi network.  The tool for managing home network security was also simplified to allow users to manage its network security with ease.

The In-Home agent is available to FiOS customers at www.verizon.com/inhomeagent and for new subscribers; the In-Home Agent is already installed.