At a time of few certainties, it is clear that the worlds of communication and commerce as we know them are being changed beyond all recognition. While responding effectively to the fast-moving challenges of the health crisis dominates the business agenda right now, strategic decision-makers are looking to the future, a future in which digital communication and collaboration will play an increasingly vital role.
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Jeremy Payne[/caption]
I sat down (virtually) to discuss this with Jeremy Payne, Group VP Marketing & Alliances at Enghouse, and explore the way that video communication in particular is coming to the fore in unanticipated ways.
Enghouse’s white label video platform is already deployed in a number of non-traditional B2C settings, where its use is rapidly expanding, to maintain the trust of customers at a time of heightened anxiety — and reduced physical contact.
Circumstances drive new adoption
“It’s not just business, but healthcare and a whole bunch of other things. Education is another one, and personal banking,” explained Payne. All of these sectors are being forced to embrace the potential of video calling, and realising unexpected benefits:
“The technology was there before, but there was a cultural resistance or barrier, people didn't really want to use video technology — they wanted to go in and see a doctor in surgery, because that's what they've always done"
“Whereas now this external, unplanned thing has happened, people are now forced to use that technology and approach and the world will never be the same again — because it's far more efficient and effective for rather than a doctor doing outpatient visits, to be sat in a surgery, and get through 10 patients in the time previously taken for one.”
Customer service and sales are transformed
It’s the same for businesses, who may have a raft of expensive and skilled sales people, typically, “buying bankers lunches and trying to sell them software. And most of those guys are now being told to work from home.”
“So in three months time, somebody's going to say, do we really need these kinds of people, would be better off with people that are better off doing stuff over the phone/laptop? And maybe that's a slightly different skillset. Then somebody's going to say, maybe we don't really need this really big office any more…”
