In 2 years time we'll be asking, "What did we do before Google Helpouts?"

Many of you have probably not even heard of Google Helpouts as yet, but believe me this is going to be huge. When I first started shopping online from the U.S. in 1995 I could see the potential and the opportunities and so I quickly immersed myself in readiness to launch one of Australia's first, fully online, retail experiences. In retrospect 1998 was still too early for the Australian market place however things have changed a lot since then and the world is a much smaller place and if you are a freelancer or working in a service industry you need to listen up and take note.

Being me, I was beta testing Google Helpouts prior to their global launch last week and the possibilities are thrilling. I think it best that if this is the first time you are hearing of Helpouts you watch the video before I proceed further:

Imagine the possibilities it opens up to women working from home due to having young families to care for. Imagine the possibilities for people to earn an income whilst not being able to obtain work in the "real" world due to their lack of experience, a disability or their location. Imagine your child being able to access a specialist tutor on any topic at the click of a button.

Last month I registered four free Helpouts to test and assess the system. One of them, "How to create an eye catching resume/C.V." was chosen to be included in their product launch. I decided not to charge a fee but to offer advice to others from my previous experience in recruitment and as an employer. I advertised very limited blocks of available time for appointments around my schedule and most took place on an annual leave day last week when I had time to evaluate the process.

The experience has been fantastic. The system itself has been seamless and I've thoroughly enjoyed the video calls and editing live documents, resumes in this case, alongside their authors who have been from Vancouver, India, New York, Venezuela,Turkey and  the Middle East.  

The technology is amazing and is based on Google Hangouts, so not only does it allow a video call (similar to Skype) but I can also share my desktop, share Google Docs, work live on these documents, share a live doodling pad and either participant can record the session. 

The only downside is the amount of "tyre kickers" (a term used regularly when I worked in the Travel Industry). My offering, being free means that people can cancel or "no-show" without consequence. I'm thinking I may in the future as I receive more ratings ad a small fee so at least then I get some remuneration from these "no-shows".  Perhaps this also is an indication of people just looking at Helpouts for the first time and keen to see how it works. Here is the link so go check it out, browse the categories and remember you heard it here first! 
#momentus #lifechanging

https://helpouts.google.com/home