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Unified communications and WebRTC are shifting the way the world does business bit by bit. Just a few years ago, it was all about UC sitting in the office, with a loose bundle of IM/presence, group chat, voice, and video that may or may not have worked seamlessly with the Fab Four of productivity – email, word processing, spreadsheets and PowerPoint -- with a couple of database applications wedged in on the side. The combination of seamless third-party service integration with the desktop along with better integration and availability of collaboration-based tools means everyone and everything can play in the cloud to a much more powerful degree.
How will we talk to each other a decade from now? Will we even talk? Many have predicted the demise of the phone call, followed by the demise of voice communication as it is replaced by chat - or is chat replacing email, since email is dead? It's hard to keep track of what is supposed to be dead and what is to be replaced as innovators continue to try new forms and methods to supplement the basics of stock phone calls and email.
We live in an always on, always connected world today. For most customers - at least those laying down a hefty purchase price - there are few times when the idea of customer support being closed for the day is acceptable. Thanks to technology, which can transcend distances, time zone barriers and even language, digital and Web-based communications are always on, even when a brick-and-mortar store might be closed. It's worth taking a look at how high-value product retailers are doing it, because they will be the barrier-breakers and the innovators. So let's think about car dealerships.
Business used to be predictable once upon a time. Companies were started in garages and were built up in brick and mortar buildings. The need for sales, marketing and customer service expanded slowly, and was usually fairly predictable. Customers were loyal, the tone of customer interactions was civil and direct marketing took place through the mail. The process was often asynchronous, with companies and customers communicating through the mail, via e-mail or even via catalog order.
The market is, over time, converging to provide visual experience. Technology is not just offering the freedom to work when and where we choose. And it is not just technology transforming the way we work. ITEXPO's first keynote today on visual collaboration, from Polycom's Ashan Willy broke down the workplace into three categories to illustrate this change: Who, What and How.
You may not have heard of developerprogram.com, but you've probably heard of Avaya, Cisco, Harman Kardon, Sprint, Vodafone, and many of the other customers for which the company supports developer and other partner programs.
Once upon a time, companies dictated how their customers did business with them. If the company thought the time was right for a sale, it did so. If the company decided that customers could now communicate them via e-mail, the marketing department let them know. Some retailers or business-to-business vendors had products or services available at only certain times of the year, and customers were required to wait for those times. (Have you ever tried to buy a table fan in the winter at a retail outlet?) |
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