talkbase Blog

As previously summarized in one of my blogs, there are major differences in terms of architecture between today's attendant solutions. The three present-day architectures are attendant solutions without a server, server-based and web-based attendant solutions.

Today I would like to discuss web-based attendant solutions. These attendant solutions shift the user interfaces to web browsers and therefore introduce a technological change. 

Following on from recent blogs in which we primarily addressed topics relating to Unified Communication, today's blog is dedicated to the topic of software licensing. Software is now available for all conceivable requirements and applications. But in addition to requirements to be met by the software, customers should also think about how they wish to acquire the software. For as most people already know, there are basically two different acquisition methods:

• perpetual licensing (purchase), i.e. the customer buys the software or
• subscription licensing (leasing), i.e. the customer leases the software.

This blog explains what exactly the differences are and the advantages and disadvantages of the two models. For you must have already wondered whether the increasing number of subscription models on offer really offer additional advantages over perpetual licensing or not.

The telephone plays a key role in everyday life. Whether for private or professional reasons, we speak to others on the phone several times a day. The focus is always on making a good impression. It is therefore important not to forget yourself when on the phone, simply chatter away or make the other person on the phone aware of your bad mood. The trick is to always come across as positive, irrespective of whether you have achieved your own objective or that of the caller or not. Only then will you be considered a trustworthy contact person on the phone for future calls. In this way, you not only do yourself justice, but also the reputation of the company is at least not impaired due to a negative attitude on the phone. It can only be improved. This applies in particular to receptionists or telephonists at the switchboard. This is precisely where it is important - also in today's digital age - to make a professional impression and to quickly handle and put through the call in the queue. 

Have you already noticed that there are big differences with regard to architecture in current attendant solutions? This article highlights the key differences of the various architectures and the resulting possibilities for companies who make use of them and for their attendants.

The digital age has an ever increasing impact on the way in which we communicate with each other. In view of this, our penultimate blog discussed the requirements to be met by a modern attendant solution. Yet before a new attendant solution can be commissioned at all, companies have to think about how this will be implemented. As you certainly all know, two scenarios in particular are under discussion in this connection: should the Unified Communication solution be obtained from the cloud or should it be operated on the company infrastructure? In the case of UC from the cloud, experts refer to UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) or also Hosted UC, i.e. the UC service is taken from the cloud. If, on the other hand, a company uses its own servers for implementation, it has opted for an on-premises solution.

The digital age is becoming apparent in more and more areas of everyday life and of course also influences communication, i.e. telephony and call handling. Let's look at the telephone switchboard. Incoming calls in a queue can still be calculated using analog means. At the same time, the technology for call acceptance answers calls fully digitally and provides workflows for handling incoming calls as quickly as possible in order to ensure shortest possible waiting times.

How have the requirements to be met by an attendant solution changed as a result of this digital transformation? Let's look at four aspects in this regard:

WebRTC is a technology which allows audio and video connections to be established directly from Internet browsers. It was published by Google in 2011 as an open source project and since then has been constantly developed further and standardized. This technology is integrated in modern browsers such as Opera, Chrome and Firefox. And because it enables communication without the need for any other devices, it is becoming increasingly popular; the browser only needs access to the headset. There is no need to install any soft phones or desktop phones. But how does WebRTC actually work?

Web Real-Time Communication, also known under the term WebRTC, is an Open Source project which was launched over five years ago. The open standard enables real-time communication via audio, video, chat and file sharing within Web applications or mobile apps on iOS and Android. This technology can undoubtedly be considered the pioneering communication technology. For if you Google "WebRTC", you will get numerous hits on the project and the opportunities offered by these new ways of communicating, which are possible with the use of WebRTC. But why is WebRTC such a hot topic at the moment? And how can it change everyday business communication in the future?

As is often the case, there is also some confusion with regard to terminology in the field of call handling. The many technical terms, although precise to some extent, don't exactly make life easy. What are the names of the solutions I am looking for? What do I have to Google to find them? What features do they include? What do I actually need? In this article I will highlight the differences between attendant console, call center and contact center.

You are aware of the advantages of Unified Communication and have decided to integrate a UC solution in your company. You are convinced that this communication solution enables better structuring of internal and external business processes and a more efficient integration of mobile and locally operating employees. The result: increased company-wide productivity. 

Like I said, you have selected your future UC solution. The software application meets the requirements in terms of price, technical specifications and individual features. The manufacturer's corporate presentation was also good. But now the question arises: Is a test installation useful or not?