Hoping to foster computer adoption among the general public, the Hong Kong Computer Society and the Information Technology and Broadcasting Bureau (ITBB) launched a HK$2.5 million technical support centre yesterday.
Eleven staff would man a hotline from 9am until midnight and give advice on technical issues such as setting up computers, running applications and Internet access, Computer Society director Joseph Leung Wai-fung said.
The project, which is also receiving sponsorship from a number of vendors, will run for one year before an assessment is made on whether to continue or expand.
'That depends on the feedback,' Mr Leung said.
Support line staff would speak Cantonese, Mandarin and English, and their areas of expertise would vary, he added.
'We cannot 100 per cent guarantee to answer all the questions. But if something is hardware related, say, for instance, a printer model, if we don't have that model in the centre, then we will try to refer the contact number to the caller and try to ask them to call the vendor,' he said.