Next Big Thing: Appliance repairs via smartphone

Sears Home Services is rolling out a new program that will enlist smartphones in the battle against faulty appliances.

Sears Home Services is teaming up with the GoToAssist team to allow technicians to share live video and photos of the situation with a master technician at the company's service center in Round Rock, Texas.

This ultimately helps appliances to get fixed faster and more conveniently for customers.

Sears Home Services technicians repair more than 180 appliance brands – not just those sold by Sears. In the event these technicians face an unfamiliar appliance issue, they can now show remote master technicians exactly what they see and receive step-by-step instructions to complete the repair – all without leaving the customer's home.

"No one likes taking time out of their busy schedules for their appliances to be repaired, especially if it takes longer than anticipated or requires multiple service appointments," said Sean Skelley, president of Sears Home Services. "Now our technicians can use their smartphones to livestream video and photos of appliance problems to our most experienced experts who can coach them toward a solution and get your appliance up and running again quickly. It's like they have master technicians in their pockets."