ConsenSys, the company behind the MetaMask Ethereum wallet, and LivePerson, a customer care platform that uses artificial intelligence, announced plans to create VillageDAO. The DAO aims to build a solution to a lack of customer care in Web3.
Having someone to call when things go wrong can be comforting to consumers, but Web3 isn't particularly known for its high Yelp reviews.
While a cryptocurrency exchange may have a dedicated customer service department, many decentralized wallets, and NFT projects do not. So if a transaction fails, a customer or collector is forced to turn to social media for help.
According to ConsenSys Vice President of Customer Success Dror Avieli, the idea behind VillageDAO is to have a decentralized group of experts available to offer assistance to a growing Web3 customer base. The DAO, Avieli says, is a way for different brands to come together and support a growing Web3 consumer base without competing with each other.
A DAO, short for decentralization autonomous organization, is an online community focused on a common goal that uses a shared treasury, smart contracts (programs that execute once criteria are met), and tokens for voting on proposals.
VillageDAO rewards
VillageDAO says it will offer rewards and other perks to incentivize community members to participate in the DAO and become experts in its products.
The first product VillageDAO will focus on MetaMask, the popular Ethereum wallet created by ConsenSys in 2016.
"In early 2021, we started to see this crazy growth in monthly active users," Avieli told Decrypt. "There was also immediately a translation to the number of requests for support."
Avieli says that while seeing the growth in MetaMask users is fantastic, it came with several challenges, like how to provide customer support quickly so that people don't fall victim to scammers on social media.
"VillageDAO is a critical part of our commitment to unlocking Web3 for founders and users," Avieli said.
While the launch date is still being decided, Avieli hopes others will be attracted to the idea of decentralized customer care and join the DAO.
Last year ConsenSys and LivePerson began partnering to bring LivePerson's conversational artificial intelligence technology to the MetaMask platform for quick, scalable customer support. VillageDAO hopes that combining customer care with community incentivization can further enhance community engagement.
Said Brian Haley, vice president of marketing at LivePerson: "Web3 is all about individuals helping each other, and we're excited about the possibilities VillageDAO can open up for Web3."