Video Calling Is Here

We have talked about video calling and its benefits in some of Sytel’s previous blogs.  Now is time to reiterate that it has well and truly landed!

Younger people are generally more comfortable with video calling than those born in the baby boom years.  Having grown up with the likes of FaceTime and Skype, youngsters know no different.  They all have smartphones and take it for granted that their handset does whole lot more than just provide voice capability.  It is this generation that is driving video calling to become a norm.

Until recently, the use of video calling with contact centers was minimal.  Reasons included significant network bandwidth demands i.e. typically five to ten times that of a voice call, which would have a major impact on the costs incurred by a contact center.  Also, video calling software has been limited due to each being proprietary, thereby alienating anyone who does not use the particular one offered.  Thanks to WebRTC, a technology that allows a browser application to utilise the media devices connected to a computer, these barriers no longer exist. WebRTC makes it possible for customers to communicate with contact centers using a choice of media channel; voice, text, video and file transfer.  Also, the media channel being used can be changed. For example, if a customer is in a web chat conversation with an agent but the subject matter would benefit from a video conversation, the agent can send a link within the chat which when clicked will automatically connect the two in a video call.  Not only can this reduce the time to complete the interaction, but it can improve the relationship between the customer and the organization.

But there are a few things to consider.  Is the agent ready?  Bad hair days and creased tee-shirts may be acceptable when communicating by web chat or voice but video conversations require a completely different approach to appearance.  Plus, is the surrounding area ready?  Home working agents could be located in any part of their home.  Dirty dishes and children mucking around in the background is not what any organization wants their customers to see.  It is important to ensure the visible background is suitable and reflects the image the organization wants to promote.

These are just issues to be managed.  Video calls are here to stay!