Last week, Fonolo hosted yet another insightful Google Hangout, discussing Web Call-Backs (formerly Visual IVR). This fabulous panel of industry experts shared their comments on the use of Web Call-Backs for the contact center. To save you some time, we’ve extracted video snippets showcasing highlights from the discussion.
Let’s take a quick look at the panelist introductions: Bret Lathrop, Senior Director, Contact Center Practice Lead at NACR, Tobias Goebel, Director, Emerging Technologies at Aspect Software, Max Ball, Product Marketing, Virtual Contact Center at 8×8, Daniel Hong, Senior Director, Product Marketing Strategy at [24]7, and Shai Berger CEO and Co-Founder at Fonolo.
Is the name “Visual IVR” a good reflection of what it is?
The idea behind Visual IVR (now referred to as Web Call-Backs) is quite simple: To replace the traditional phone menu with a simple visual interface on a web or mobile device. Although the idea is simple, there is not clear agreement on what “Visual IVR/Web Call-Backs” covers.
Tobias wrote a post recently titled, “Why Visual IVR is a Bad Idea”. Part of his criticism is that “Re-using a name with negative connotation might not be the best way to generate excitement about the capabilities of (mobile) customer service available …”
Listen to Tobias elaborate on his reasoning behind this and what the other panelists have to say.
What factors have kept Web Call-Backs from proliferating?
Mobile apps have a very disappointing approach to the important task of getting a customer connected with a live agent. Many of the apps available today simply present a company’s phone number.
You pay a lot of money for a smartphone and, when you think about it, apps that do this aren’t that smart. By simply showing a phone number apps throw away all the potential of smartphone’s advanced interface.
Listen to Max talk about what factors have kept Web Call-Backs from proliferating, and hear what the other panelists have to say.
What are some examples of Web Call-Backs?
Finally, some good examples of Web Call-Backs! Listen to Shai and Tobias as they explain why these examples best illustrate the concept of Web Call-Backs/Visual IVR.
Are Web Call-Backs a permanent part of the customer experience landscape, or just a stop-gap measure?
As we all know, the multi-channel nature of today’s customer journey is changing rapidly. Contact centers, which for decades only had to worry about phone calls, now have to deal with interactions over social media, email, web chats, SMS and other emerging channels.
Listen to Brett as he starts the conversation off, discussing whether Web Call-Backs are a permanent part of the customer experience landscape, or just a stop-gap measure.
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