Redefining Customer Experience with Video on Huawei AICC

Contact centers have come a long way since the introduction of the Private Branch Exchange (PBX) in the 1960s.

Initially it was termed a ‘call center’, because the only way to quickly contact a company was by making a phone call through their PBX. These days, customers can choose from various options to contact a company, such as by telephone, email, SMS, or on social media. Hence the name ‘contact center’ better describes the service. However, what most contact centers still lack is the ability to use video for customer communication, which leaves a major gap in the customer experience.

Now, Huawei has integrated video into its contact center application (AICC), which will drastically change the way customers interact with contact center agents.

Imagine the following scenario: You’ve recently purchased a secondhand motorcycle, and on the first sunny day of spring you decide to take it out for a tour of the countryside. In the early morning you put on your gear and hop on your bike. After several hours riding you decide to stop at a roadside restaurant for some coffee. But, when you get back on your bike, it won’t start. You check the basics but everything seems to be in order. Having run out of ideas you decide to contact the roadside service through the app on your phone. After an initial explanation, the agent invites you to a video call to determine the problem.

Since the agent can’t seem to quickly identify the problem, an experienced mechanic is invited to the call. In this three-way video call it is quickly determined what the problem is (a clogged fuel filter). With the guidance of the agent and the mechanic, you’re able to locate and dismantle the filter, clean it and reassemble it. The problem is solved and you’re on your way to enjoy the rest of your tour on this beautiful day!

Consider what would have happened without the video communication: It would have been very challenging for the agent or the mechanic to identify the problem - they would have had to send someone onsite, resulting in a long wait. Or the bike would have had to be picked up to be brought to a nearby shop for inspection and repair. Either way, your sunny day out would have come to a halt, leaving you disappointed and thoroughly frustrated.

This is just one example of the many different ways in which video can significantly enhance the customer experience. It can be used by travel agencies to efficiently assist travelers with complaints about their accommodation. It can enable a furniture company to instantly make suggestions based on the interior of a room or house. It can help to determine if a product is eligible to be returned based on its condition. There are many possibilities for using video to assist the contact center agent and provide an elevated experience.

The mobile video capability can be accessed in two different ways: via VoLTE or via the Internet.

Below is a brief description of both options:

VoLTE is a technology that lets you make high-quality voice calls using 4G LTE networks on your mobile device. Unlike VoIP, which requires an Internet connection, VoLTE sends voice data over a cellular network, requiring only a SIM card. 4G VoLTE allows video calls through your network provider using Native Video Calling. It doesn’t depend on the Internet, like voice calls it uses the cellular network to transmit and receive video data. With 4G VoLTE the caller can seamlessly switch between voice and video without requiring an Internet connection.

What this means is that when a customer calls a contact center, and the contact center has video capabilities, the caller and/or the agent can agree to switch from voice to video (or vice-versa) when this is useful. No app or Internet connection is needed to enable the video call, making it a convenient option. However, not all mobile phones or networks support video over VoLTE.

If that’s the case then the alternative is to use a data connection via the Internet to initiate a video conversation. Most companies these days offer an app, which can also be used to contact them. Video calling can easily be integrated into the app, so the customer can use the app to switch from voice to video or allow the agent to switch from voice to video.

If no app is available, the contact center agent can send a link to the client via SMS, WhatsApp or other text messaging service. The customer can click the link to open the video call via a browser.

Either way, the ability to use video significantly enhances the customer experience. Obviously, contact center software needs to support this capability, to ensure the video calls can be stored, analyzed, and included in the customer communication history.

AICC, the AI-enabled contact center platform from Huawei, is fully enabled for video, making it a leader in the contact center software industry.

Learn more about Huawei’s AICC solution.

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Disclaimer: Any views and/or opinions expressed in this post by individual authors or contributors are their personal views and/or opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views and/or opinions of Huawei Technologies.