WebRTC Can Bring Joy To The Customer

December, 2015

WebRTC
Clicking a WebRTC link can quickly connect customers to agents who already know specifics about the call.

As consumers continue to use a variety of media channels to contact organisations, so those organisations are trying to ease the process for their customers.

One way of doing this is by identifying the topic a customer wants to speak about before the call reaches the agent. Organisations have generally tried to do this by using an IVR or supplying a specific DDI for the customer to dial. Unfortunately, the IVR approach often fails to match the customer’s requirement; “press one for this, two for that, three for the other, or press four if none of these options suit your needs”. Likewise, the list of DDIs can be long and even the most conscientious of customers could fail to find the correct number to dial in the hope of getting through to the exact service they want.

Wouldn’t it be better if a customer could make a call that took them directly to an agent who already knew exactly what they want to talk about? For example; not just ‘billing’, but specifically ‘January’s bill’. Or not just ‘customer service’ but specifically ‘an upgrade to the XYZ product’. The customer would be there for days if they tried to navigate their way through an IVR on that one! Likewise, the list of DDIs required to cover all these options would fill a book.

Enter WebRTC, an API definition that supports browser-to-browser applications for voice calling and video chat. A WebRTC call is initiated from a link within an app or on a webpage. As a result, the call information received by the contact center can include data about the page that the customer was looking at when they made the call. The system can then provide far more detailed information to the agent who is assigned the call.

Previously, the customer’s call would provide the CLI that could be searched against in the CRM to provide customer information and the DDI that customer called would assist in the routing of the call. With WebRTC, the details provided about what page the customer was viewing when they made the call, can ensure the agent is several steps ahead and can handle the customer’s call with minimal introduction and description needed.

Improved customer experience, plus the organisation doesn’t have to manage lots of potentially expensive telephone numbers for customers to call; what’s not to like? Our next blog will touch on the benefits of WebRTC to the organisation.