Workforce Management Featured Article
Can WebRTC Revolutionize the Contact Center?
There are a number of people who believe that WebRTC is gearing up to change the world. Essentially, WebRTC enables Web browsers with voice and video calling, without requiring users to download any additional plug-ins or software. With one click, users can easily communicate with others through their browsers. This technology is being applied in several new and innovative ways, and it can be especially useful in the contact center.
According to an article by Tsahi Levent-Levi from NetworkWorld, the most obvious use case for WebRTC in the contact center is when it comes to receiving calls. For instance, when a user dials in, they would then be routed through the company’s Interactive Voice Response (IVR) to the contact center. Typically, from there the user would be routed to a phone where the agent would answer. However, with WebRTC, the user could instead be routed to an agent’s Web browser.
There are several benefits to using WebRTC in this way, most notably that IT would have fewer vendors and software to manage and maintain. This scenario also promotes the mobile workforce, which becomes more popular by the day, because agents can bring their laptops with them anywhere. If they’re being reached predominantly through their Web browsers, then it doesn’t matter where an agent is working from.
Additonally, WebRTC can also be used to call site surfers based on real time analytics. Every time someone browses a website, information is collected about them—how long they looked at certain pages, where they live, what they clicked on, etc. Once this information is collected, call centers could potentially take this a step further by sending offers to these people through WebRTC calling. Levent-Levi writes, “This is most suitable for sites where transactions tend to be of high value and agents are more sales oriented, rather than for service or support. WebRTC closes the loop. All the other technologies in play – the website, CRM and analytics – are already built over Internet technologies. So voice or video calling using WebRTC is a natural fit.”
WebRTC is no longer an “up and coming” technology. It has proven itself useful, and is therefore here to stay. Contact centers would do well to embrace it in any way they can.