In an effort to help keep its roster of professional craftsmen and women working, Lowe's Home Improvement is launching a free video chat service called Lowe's for Pros JobSight.

It's the first phase of the retailer's $25 million pledge to support small businesses, according to a press release.

The service is powered by an augmented video chat technology service called Streem and lets pros conduct virtual home visits with customers — a necessity given the stay-at-home and social distancing mandates due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"With more people staying at home, the need to keep homes running safely has never been more important. This new offering allows pros the ability to interact with homeowners and clients without entering their homes, which expands their job opportunities," stated the release

The service combines video, computer vision and augmented reality capabilities to help Pros evaluate repair and maintenance projects.

During virtual consultations, it provides pros the ability to video chat with customers, troubleshoot, quickly detect serial numbers and product details, and review a one-page summary to address follow-up needs — all without being in the customer's home.

Pros JobSight is available for free to Lowe’s for Pros Loyalty Program members through Oct 31.

"We rely on pros now more than ever to keep our homes and businesses safely up and running, which is why we are working hard to build new ways to keep pros working and to be the new home for pros both now and into the future," said Fred Stokes, senior vice president of Pro Sales and Services for Lowe's, in the release.

"Today's announcement with Streem is just the first of many ways we will provide pros new and innovative options to connect with their customers while social distancing. We will continue to invest in expanded pro product offerings and prioritize services and partnerships to help run and grow their businesses."

Pros JobSight also allows pros to identify parts to order and troubleshoot issues all from a phone, saving the need for an initial in-home visit. After a session, pros can review a shareable one-page summary, including full video and audio, hi-res photos and notes to address follow-up needs. The experience works entirely through a mobile web browser, o app download required, and is compatible with most modern iPhones, iPads and Android devices.

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