Amazon Kept Kindle Fire HDX's Mayday Wait Time to Below 10 Seconds on Christmas

You've probably seen one of Amazon's commercials touting the new "Mayday" support feature in Kindle Fire HDX devices. Just tap the button and moments later a helpful support representative like Amy in the TV commercials will appear and guide you through whatever tablet troubles you might be having. We were always a bit skeptical that users would have access to live support in a timely fashion, but if Christmas Day is any indication, our fears are unfounded.

According to Amazon, the average response time when a customer tapped the Mayday button on Kindle Fire HDX was just 9 seconds on Christmas, which is significantly faster than the 15-second goal Amazon had set for itself. That might not sound like a big deal, but consider how many people received a Kindle Fire HDX on Christmas morning -- one of the first things they're likely to do is experiment with the Mayday feature.

Kindle Fire HDX

"We set a goal for ourselves to have a response time of 15 seconds or less when a customer tapped the Mayday button—we’re proud to say that on Christmas Day we met this goal, with an average response time of just 9 seconds," said Dave Limp, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. "We’re excited that millions of customers opened a Kindle Fire tablet this holiday season, and we’re glad so many customers tried out the Mayday button."


Amazon shared a few support stories that happened on Christmas, including one where a young girl accidentally tapped the Mayday button and freaked out when a rep appeared on screen. Her parents could be heard laughing in the background. Another 'support incident' involved a group of carolers who called in and sang to the team.

Kudos to Amazon for a smooth rollout.