Multiple authentication mechanisms for accessing service center supporting a variety of products

A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for providing support services to users of products, the method comprising:

• transmitting a plurality of login options for logging into a computer server representing a service center to a mobile device to be presented by a mobile application running within the mobile device, wherein the login options include a media login option using an image or a voice stream and a regular login option using a username and a password;
• in response to the login options, receiving first media data from a mobile device over a network, the first media data including at least one of an image and a voice stream representing an identity of a user associated with the mobile device, wherein the first media data was captured via at least one of a camera and a voice recorder of the mobile device;
• authenticating the user by matching the first media data against second media data stored in the service center, wherein the second media data has been previously registered with the service center, wherein the service center provides support services for a plurality of products on behalf of a plurality of product providers, wherein a product provider is one of a retailer, a manufacturer, a distributor, and a service provider associated with the products;
• and
• upon having successfully authenticated the user, retrieving from a user account associated with the user one or more products that have been registered with the service center;
• determining a list of support options available to the user for each of the registered products, wherein the availability of the support options are determined based on a support preference of a client of the corresponding registered product;
• and
• providing support services to the user for a product that has been purchased by the user and registered with the service center by the user, wherein providing support services to the user comprises establishing a communication session between the user via the mobile device and a support agent of the service center using a communications channel that is preferred by the user and is available to the agent, such that the support agent can provide a live support service to the user concerning the registered product.

A data processing system, comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory coupled to the processor;
• an application programming interface (API), executed from the memory by the processor, to transmit a plurality of login options for logging into a computer server representing a service center to a mobile device to be resented by a mobile application running within the mobile device, wherein the login options include a media login option using an image or a voice stream and a regular login option using a username and a password, in response to the login options, to receive first media data from a mobile device over a network, the first media data including at least one of an image and a voice stream representing an identity of a user associated with the mobile device, wherein the first media data was captured via at least one of a camera and a voice recorder of the mobile device;
• a security system, executed from the memory by the processor, to authenticate the user by matching the first media data against second media data stored in the service center, wherein the second media data has been previously registered with the service center, wherein the service center provides support services for a plurality of products on behalf of a plurality of product providers, wherein a product provider is one of a retailer, a manufacturer, a distributor, and a service provider associated with the products;
• and
• a support service system, upon having successfully authenticated the user, to retrieve from a user account associated with the user one or more products that have been registered with the service center, to determine a list of support options available to the user for each of the registered products, wherein the availability of the support options are determined based on a support preference of a client of the corresponding registered product, and to provide support services to the user for a product that has been purchased by the user and registered with the service center by the user, wherein providing support services to the user comprises establishing a communication session between the user via the mobile device and a support agent of the service center using a communications channel that is preferred by the user and is available to the agent, such that the support agent can provide a live support service to the user concerning the registered product.