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Founder's Story
Andrew Bolton: How a Grandmother’s Love Sparked a Revolution in Senior Tech Support (And Why It Matters) | S2 Ep. 166
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- [00:00]
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- [01:36]
Vanessa Antonio
Hi everybody. Welcome to Founder story. I'm Vanessa Antonio, your host for today and we welcome Andrew Bolton, who is the CEO of Tech Rescue, a visionary company specializing in 24. 7 tech service support that simplifies technology for seniors and enhances their quality of life. Andrew, welcome to the Founder story.
- [02:01]
Andrew Bolton
Thank you so much for having me.
- [02:03]
Vanessa Antonio
Andrew, tell us a little bit about why you started your company.
- [02:09]
Andrew Bolton
Why I started my company was I kind of just got tired of being tech support. My grandmother was only about 12 minutes away and to get over there, say hello, help her with her issues, come back. It's about an hour and a half and I said there's got to be an easier way to do this. And I looked and there wasn't, which was hard to believe. But there was no service that really provided what she needed, which was a 24 hour service that didn't have a maze, that didn't have chatbots because she doesn't do well with the robots and solves your problem. No library to go through, no prompts to go through, just somebody there just to solve your problem. There was nothing. So here we are.
- [02:59]
Vanessa Antonio
All right, so we would like to know, besides your love for your grandmother, obviously, is there any other Inspiration that prompted you to start Tech Rescue? And how does this specific company make a difference in the lives of seniors?
- [03:16]
Andrew Bolton
I guess when I was working on one of her posts that she had on Facebook, one of the nurses came by and asked if I could help with another resident. And that's when it kind of solidified the idea that, you know, maybe there was something here to that. What we had done was, and I highly recommend this to any entrepreneur, was we actually had an analysis report done prior to our hypothesis asking was our hypothesis correct? Was there a market for this? And there was. And what we found was that over 73% of 73% of seniors over the ages of 65 have trouble setting up their devices. More time is spent in Apple Stores and Verizon and Samsung stores with people just having difficulties setting up their devices because a new device is coming out every year. So they're not having issue with that. And only 26, believe it or not, 26% of seniors, according to New England Medicine, Journal of Medicine, reported that they actually feel comfortable with technology. Only 26%. So what we're finding as we're going along is that we have an entire population base that is not moving in sync with the rest of us. They're falling very far behind and they don't want to.
- [04:36]
Vanessa Antonio
Right. And Andrew, what are some of the biggest, since we're talking about technology, what are some of the biggest challenges that you see seniors face when it comes to technology? And how does Tech Rescue specifically address those issues?
- [04:53]
Andrew Bolton
That's a great question. So I know it's sounds counter intuitive in its own way, but as the smarter we get, the more we're losing. So we, there's the Saturday Night Live joke with Alexa Silver where, you know, Alexa responds to any name you want. We've literally had that joke in our family that my grandmother calls Alexa Alessandra, she calls it Alana, she calls it Amanda. You know, it's Grandma, it's Alexa. And you know, there you go. So the smarter we make things, we're actually making it more complicated because everything is now becoming connected to central devices in the home. So what we're finding now is that. And it's nothing against them, but as grandkids and you know, younger, our parents are buying, you know, upgrading them with new appliances and things like that. Smart TVs, smart kitchen, smart microwave, smart dishwashers and ovens. All of these are connecting to a Bluetooth. All these are connecting to your phone and your home Internet and your home, you know, connected device. You've now just made a senior's worst nightmare because now they have no idea how to program anything. And I know it sounds as simple as we all think it is, but you have to understand these people are not working on the same level that we are because we grew up with the blow, with, with the explosive run of technology this generation and the one just after it grew up with dot code systems, you know, single sheet mechanisms that read one or zeros, you know, computers were the size of buildings. Now the most advanced computer ever made is in the palm of our hand.
- [06:36]
Vanessa Antonio
That's really wonderful, Andrew, and it's good that you were able to, you know, talk briefly about the generational difference that maybe for us it's so easy to understand technology, but for our grandparents, parents, parents who are coming from the older generation, this is not like second nature to them. So your whatever you're doing is actually a big support for these people coming from this generation. So can you tell us a specific success story that highlights the impact of your company and not only in the life of the seniors that you're helping, but to their families that I believe you're helping more.
- [07:20]
Andrew Bolton
So one of the things that we've noticed is the population base of our market that we serve is about 175 million. In that market space, only less than 10% of them are able to afford full service care facilities. These are the ones that you see in Florida, California, you know, Texas. These facilities can run anywhere between 7,000 to $10,000 in active living or independent living. Assisted living comes in at somewhere around maybe between 10 and 13,000, depending on the area and the type of facility that you're in. And then there's what's known as advanced care or mental care. And this can go anywhere between 15,000 and 30,000amonth. 87% of our demographic live at home. And sometimes it's not easy for them to get from one place to another. What has happened over the past five years in America, thankfully, is that telehealth has increased nationally by over 43% over the past five years, which means that more people are able to get in contact with their doctors, specialists, hospitals through things such as Zoom, Google, Google Meets, Gotomeeting. And we're able to provide services to these people who are homebound, who are home stricken. For somebody who doesn't have the ability to get tech help or somebody that doesn't have the ability or knowledge to connect Bluetooth or connect their computer to whatever devices that they have, that can be frustrating. So for what we Offer at a, at a very low price of $30 a month and $250 for an annual subscription. You can call us anytime, day or night on Christmas, Thanksgiving, the Super bowl, even at kickoff on the super bowl you will get somebody attack, rescue and we'll help you solve that problem remotely. Wherever you are in the world, we can be there with you. With a simple connection, we gain access which immediately deletes and is on unretrievable, meaning that I cannot get back into the system ever again without your consent. We solve the problem. We don't give you a tutorial, we don't send you a YouTube channel. We solve it right then and there. And for somebody who doesn't have the ability to get help on a regular basis, you know, we could be a lifeline, which we were a gentleman in Wisconsin, home stricken, 75 years old, Vietnam veteran, basically was getting services from Meals on Wheels and his local charity, church charity, who check on them a couple of times and a lot of them don't have technology skills or you know, understanding. Well. Thankfully granddaughter saw one of our TikToks and called us. We, I listened to the recording, they had a quick conversation that she, she subscribed him and he's been with us for about four months now. And we check, I personally check in on him to see how he's doing. And this is one of our success stories and I hope that we can be a provider of a pathway. I hope we can be a pathway to more help that people need because with technology the way it is, we can get in contact with relatives and friends anywhere in the world with WhatsApp, with Facebook, with Instagram. But you need to have the ability to get there. And I think, I hope that's what I really hope. I hope we can be part of people's journey getting back, back connected to everybody. I hope we can be part of that.
- [10:56]
Vanessa Antonio
That's amazing, Andrew, because sometimes because of technology we tend to, you know, we happen to alienate the seniors or the older ones just because, you know, they're not adept to run this technology. But can you tell us specifically how do you provide the support? Do you go into their homes or do you call them and teach them like step by step and be very patient with, you know, know like where they are in terms of technology in order to do whatever they intend to do.
- [11:26]
Andrew Bolton
So I'll answer that as a twofold. Qu. As twofold. So how we do what we do is we get a call in, we send you an email, you click our link, we Gain access. We have our assigned consent form and release form. Once we gain access to the computer tablet, we can basically handle whatever it is that's going on. Now as our client goes through the list of issues that they're having, we can easily solve those. And as we're going along, and this is the second part, every one of our call center members, which is currently 15 right now, are personally screened, are field tested in terms of, you know, agitated callers, non, non topic, descript type callers. And what I had a great conversation with Ms. Samantha Wallet from BPO was, was that I want everybody on the team to think this is their grandma. And I stress this every time I ever have a conversation with the team over at in South Carolina, is that this is somebody, somebody. All right? This is somebody somebody. This is important to them. They're calling because they need help. You know, we're not a, you know, we're not Tesla. We're not, you know, we're not, you know, the insurance company, they're calling because they need help. And you know, when you're frustrated, you're going to be a little agitated. I get it. Believe me, I get it. So we're here to help. So for anybody watching, you're calling into Tech Rescue. We understand you're frustrated. We're here to help. We're going to get you there. Don't worry. You're in good hands. I promise you.
- [12:51]
Vanessa Antonio
Andrew, that is such a heartfelt mindset to put your team into and more than anything, that's what we need in this world of tech service. If you could change any misconception about seniors and technology, what would that be and why?
- [13:10]
Andrew Bolton
One of the, one of the misconceptions is seniors don't like technology. That could not be any further from the truth. What we saw last year and what we saw this year is Affluent seniors ages 55 to 75 hold the highest demographic in purchasing power. They have the largest stake in assets in all technology sectors. They have the most consumption out of any demographic in the past three holiday seasons. In current, in terms of Technology, yes, in 2024, the number one purchase item was apparel. I personally equate that to an over saturation of technology in the market that just got flooded throughout the year. So Christmas everybody was burnt out, I guess. But the misconception is that seniors don't absorb technology. They do. They are the number one purchaser in, in the space alone. So they are curious, they are purchasing, they are getting connected. Virtual reality sets in 2023 were one of the highest purchased items in the senior in that semi demographic. So being able to visit places that you've never been to that you may not have the ability to visit. So walking through Antarctica through a virtual reality set, that is something that my grandmother would have never imagined herself doing, but she has it. My father in law, my father in law, we filmed his reaction through a virtual reality set. I was down in Columbia visiting my wife's parents and we brought them a virtual reality set for Christmas and he sat in his favorite chair and he was just exploring a world he's never seen outside of Bogota, Colombia. We have technology now that, that can do that. So the misconception that people have about seniors is completely wrong. They are very curious, they're very engaging, and more importantly, they have disposable income to invest in it.
- [15:05]
Vanessa Antonio
Thank you, Andrew for sharing that. Let's go back a little bit about Tech Rescue and can you tell us what is the simplest support or ask for support that you have that you had to help seniors with and what could be like one of the most complicated.
- [15:22]
Andrew Bolton
The simplest thing that we do right now is password resetting. That's right. Now that's the number one thing that we're working with. The most complicated thing that we deal with are trying to understand people's requests. So every, I would say about every hundred phone calls or so, we get a request to find files that at the end of the call we find out we're completely mislabeled or not even labeled at all. And trying to understand what people are trying to accomplish is interesting and I give the team a lot of credit who can sit there, walk through the process, understand what our clients and our customers are looking for, and still be able to deliver on our quality. That's a hard thing to do.
- [16:14]
Vanessa Antonio
That's amazing and kudos to your team for being ever so patient with the service that you're providing.
- [16:23]
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- [20:44]
Vanessa Antonio
Now Andrew, talk to us a little bit about any upcoming partnerships, innovations that you're most excited about for the future of Tech Rescue.
- [20:54]
Andrew Bolton
I can't right now because it's not done and I have, I, I, I know, I know, I know. But my mother always gave me advice, you don't ever count them until they're hatched. So I, it ain't over till it's over until, until it happens. I really want to talk about it, but it's not, I, I can't. But I, I'm looking forward to it. I hope we can have one of these conversations again and we can discuss, you know, how the thought process, the deals that had to get done for it, you know, you know, what led to it and you know, hopefully what we expect out of it. I'm excited for 2025.
- [21:31]
Vanessa Antonio
Yeah. Well, we look forward to having you again, Andrew. Andrew, is there anything else that you'd like to share or invite the families of seniors or the senior themselves to work with Tech Rescue?
- [21:44]
Andrew Bolton
I wouldn't say, I would say this to more of my generation 27 to 45. Don't let technology be the reason why. You visit mom, call Tech Rescue. You handle life, we'll handle the tech. Simple as that. For $30 a month you don't have to worry. We take the stress off your hands. Don't worry about it. We got you. We'll take care of it. Ma is in good hands. I promise you. She's in good hands. And with that being said, don't let tech be the reason why you call her.
- [22:18]
Vanessa Antonio
Andrew Bolton, thank you so much for joining us again.
- [22:21]
Andrew Bolton
Thank you so much for having us.
- [22:23]
Vanessa Antonio
It is our pleasure to hear a little bit of something about, you know, a service that's centered in love and family. See you and we welcome you in the future for founder story.
- [22:36]
Andrew Bolton
Thank you so much.
- [22:43]
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- [23:09]
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