Valley Village, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 08/06/2013 --WebWizards® Network, Inc., a full-service Internet education and support company, today announced the launch of the company’s innovative in-person Internet and mobile app support service. The company’s Ground Support service is borne out of the WebWizards philosophy that Internet users are better supported when they are shown how online applications work, face-to-face, be it Facebook, iTunes, Google Hangouts, Amazon, eBay or hundreds of others.

The WebWizards service provides a network of young Internet professionals across the United States who will provide on-site assistance for users, particularly in the 35-64 age demographic. The WebWizards business model is meeting a growing national demand for in-person Internet education and service. According Harris Interactive, 86% of respondents expect brands to offer multiple options to interact with customer service, along with flexible timing to enable engagement when it's convenient for them. In further studies, over 60% of Internet users typically will not take the time to read help menus, wade through tutorial videos, wait on hold for Internet support or deal with 3rd-world outsourced servicing.

Currently available in California, with plans underway for a national footprint, the WebWizards Network will offer in-person support to Internet and mobile web customers at their home, office, or at one of the individually licensed WebWizards Retail Centers.

One example of an area in which the WebWizards on-site personalized Internet support is extremely relevant is in the increasingly complex mobile technology arena, where many users do not understand how some app usage may affect security and privacy concerns, including how apps collect and use information.

WebWizards has launched a crowd-funding campaign on Indiegogo.com (at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/webwizards) to raise capital to test market its new Ground Support program. The WebWizards Ground Support service will be offered free to local Los Angeles seniors during the test period and crowd-funding contributors are rewarded with everything from Internet class and support gift certificates, and web services to an early discounted stake in licensing opportunities.

WebWizards maintains and deploys its professional support system through an online portal, at www.webwizardsnetwork.com, and through geo-targeted mobile applications. Consumers request services from its public website www.webwizards.pro.

The company recruits qualified Internet professionals from across the U.S. who become certified WebWizards Ground Support Pros. College students, for example, who want to earn income while leveraging flexible work schedules, are particularly attractive for the growing WebWizards Network.

WebWizards offers its service to individuals and businesses with items such as setting up email, connectivity performance, online and mobile application assistance, web presence needs, private instruction, online input and any other Internet-related issues. Certified WebWizards Ground Support Pros receive text messaged work orders with instructions regarding the customer's Internet issue and coordinates to the customer location (within a 10-mile radius of the support pro). The support pros choose to accept or pass on the project and if rejected, the project is passed to the next closest support pro with the greatest related knowledge matched to the issue. Customers are then invited by email to grade the support pro and the experience overall.

“Internet users, and especially families, need a place to visit locally when it comes to Internet questions,” states WebWizards Founder, Chick Ciccarelli. “We aim to become America’s most trusted retail brand when it comes to Internet education and support. People may be engaged online, but they live on the ground, and that’s where they will receive the support of dependable, qualified professionals who can answer their questions in-person, rather than sifting through help menus or surrendering their computer screens to some remote, disembodied voice.”

WebWizards is also launching an ambitious licensing model for brick n’ mortar retail locations across America, where locals can gain access to Internet support, education, services and products. These family-friendly locations will feature public classes several times a week about current issues related to the Internet, such as cutting-edge trends, application usage, cyber-security, and cyber-bullying, for example. The WebWizards locations will also serve as venues for Internet companies to present their latest online products and services on a regular basis.

“According to American Express, in the last year 67% of online customers have hung up the phone because they couldn’t talk to a real person and 91% of Internet users have been frustrated with online help options at least half of the time,” states WebWizards CEO, Tom Evans. “This lack of human contact is not only painful for users, but poses a serious problem for online developers and e-commerce portals. With the WebWizards Network system, we get closer to the end-user than anyone can because we’re sitting with them at their computer.”

The Indiegogo campaign closes in less than 20 days and can be found here:
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/webwizards/x/4095200

About WebWizards Network, Inc.
WebWizards® Network is a unified system of Internet service associates across America that offers personalized ground support, private/public classes and web presence services from WebWizards® branded brick n’ mortar retail locations, mobile support vehicles and authorized resellers. The business model is the first of its kind in the Internet industry. For more information, visit the company web site at http://www.webwizardsnetwork.com

Basic Explainer Slideshow:
http://www.webwizardsnetwork.com/explainer.html