TPO Magazine 2013 - B2C: The Final Frontier

7/28/2019 TPO Magazine 2013 - B2C: The Final Frontier

1/7Summer 2013 1

ROBOTIC

TELEPRESENC

TALE OF THE TAPE

TELEPRESENCE

YOUR GUIDE TO VISUAL COLLABORATION

UMMER 2013THE INTER-COMPANY VIDEO ISSUE

PLUS:VISUAL COLLABORATION FOR AGILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT AND SCRUM WEBRTC REALITY CHE

DELOITTE:Open for Business atthe Speed ofLight

DeloittesJerome Oglesby (left

Aaron Roe (right) are connectin

the firm to 185 companies a mo

generating revenue, saving clie

money, and making Deloittesexpertise available globally.
http://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-http://-/?-


2/732 www.TelepresenceOptions.com

Video is a humanizing experience, one that engages customers much more than a disembod-

ied voice on the telephone. But a video call on a PC, tablet or smartphone isnt just a deeper

connection, its a multi-media connection, one that a sales rep, customer service agent, or

technical support rep can use to improve retention and comprehension by sharing data.

Business to Consumer Videoconferencing (B2C)

THE FINAL FRONTIER
http://www.telepresenceoptions.com/http://www.telepresenceoptions.com/


3/7Summer 2013 33

Friction Sur Shop, in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, hasouttted its staf with iPads equipped with Apple's Faceime(a video-calling soware application or supported

mobile devices) to connect online shoppers with in-store reps.Decker Dreyer, the companys managing director, summed upthe benets in an article on RetailCustomerExperience.com:We could beat them [competitors] on our home court withexperienced sales reps that know our products and live the

brand, he said. When you dial into Friction you dont just get acustomer service call center, you get guys who represent, in everyway, what our products are about. Weve ound a way to expandthe hip little indie shop eel into online retail.

For many years the limitations of the public Internet madevideoconferencing a mostly internal communications tool. Andeven then, getting a quality connection between two locations withinthe same company could be a problem. But recent advances in VCtechnology, camera and computing hardware, as well as the reliabilityof the public Internet have eliminated many of these hurdles.

STEPPING OUTSIDE

Business rst enjoyed the increased impact, productivity,

trust building and connectedness o visual communicationswith internal colleagues through B2B communications. (Formore detail on B2B, please read the companion piece to thisarticle.) Companies have since realized these same benetswhen using B2B VC with partners. But when it comes to theirmost important relationshipsthose with their clientsmostbusinesses still rely on the telephone.

Even i all the issues acing B2B (security, interop, rewalls, dialplans, experience) were completely solved today, it wouldn'tbegin to address the number one problem blocking B2C

videoconerencing: the act that most consumers don't have

proessional, business-class videoconerencing equipment intheir homes. However, most consumers have a computer thatcan at least support an acceptable videoconerencing experiencealong the lines o Skype and Faceime.Businesses can connect to the customer's computer in two ways:The Guest Client:Most o the current soware-based, business-

class videoconerencing solutions include some orm o guestdesktop client. ypically a user within the company can send

an email invite to a customer that includes a link to install theguest client and join the meeting. Te power, exibility andease o use o the guest client make the diference between agood B2C and a great B2C solution.

Interop with Commercial VC: Very ew typical consumers haveaccess to proessional business VC, but everyone can easilyaccess Gtalk and Skype, and soon, WebRC (please seeour article on WebRC in this magazine or more details).In act, hundreds o millions o people already have theseclients installed. New B2C services oer cloud-based

meeting rooms, which can connect to these consumersolutions, as well as traditional business solutions. hese

new services are built around the concept o connectinganyone, anywhere, anytime.

Business Models and ApplicationsEXPERT CONNECTIONS

Friction Sur Shop isnt the only business out there doing B2C.Several high-prole Wall Street banks are running pilots withB2C services, including installing telepresence displays in banksto connect customers in the local branch to product specialists.Tese initial programs generally provide high-touch service tobig clients, but theyre expected to serve a greater set o bankingcustomers as they grow. Te real power benet here is the ability

TELEPRESENCE TECHS KIOSK OFFERS EYE-CONTACT FOR A COMFORTABLE CALL WITH THE REMOTE AGENT.
http://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/article/188326/Small-surf-shop-plans-to-overtake-competitors-with-technologyhttp://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/article/188326/Small-surf-shop-plans-to-overtake-competitors-with-technology



Basic Features

Deployment Options Cloud or Hardware Based Cloud Based Only Cloud Based Only Cloud Based Only Cloud or Hardware Ba

Virtualized Platform

Meet Me Rooms

Permanent "Standing" Rooms

Virtual Room Size SupportUp to 25 participants in a

single conference

Currently the hard cap that

we set on the service is 25

participants.

Up to 28 participants on

screen.

Up to 25 participants. Can

be increased.

Up to 25 participants in

single conference.

Meeting Moderation

Device Registration (Easy Dialing)

White-Glove / Concierge

Data Sharing

Group Text Chat

iPad / Mobile Support

Telephone Dial-In

Integration / Interop

H.323 / H.264

SIP

ISDN / H.320

Microsoft Lync

Consumer VC (Skype / Google)

Guest Invite

Proprietary Client / Web App

Browser Based (WebRTC, etc)

Pricing

Description of Pricing Models

AGT offers a variety of

options including virtual

meeting rooms and virtual

MCU ports.

Blue Jeans Networks has a

variety of offerings

designed to fit the

customers needs.

Flat monthly, based on

room size. Contact

qualified resellers for exact

quotes.

Flat hourly. Starts at $9.

Flat daily. Starts at $29.

Flat monthly. Starts at $49.

Monthly Unlimited Use

Plans

$199 - 6 person room

$799 - Unlimited room s

Monthy Per Minute Plan

$149 - 500 minutes$399 - 1500 minutes

$1150 - 5000 minutes

Blue Jeans easyConference MyEasyVision OpenVideoEncoreB2B

TELEPRESENCE OPTIONS

Cloud Videoconferencing Interop Services
http://www.telepresenceoptions.com/http://www.telepresenceoptions.com/


5/7Summer 2013 35

ware Based Cloud or Hardware Based Cloud or Hardware Based Cloud or Hardware Based Cloud Based only Cloud or Hardware Based Cloud Based only

ctive

ossible to

on during

50 participant video

streams plus 50 screen

shares plus an audience of

1,000

Varies based on customer

subscription level.

Point-to-point, 4, 6, 9, 16,

and 25 way rooms.

Standard room sizes are 5,

8 and 20 participants.

Larger sizes are available

upon request.

Up to 25 participants in a

single conference.

Varies based on customer

needs.

VNET

rates with no

rt at

h 2

640x480

Annual unlimited

community license $10k.

Teliris endpoint users:

Monthly subscription pervirtual room.

Non-Teliris users: Monthly

subscription per set of

ports.

Pricing details available on

request.

VideoCentric offers tailored

solutions so pricing greatly

varies.

Monthly Unlimited Use

Rates start at:$149 - 5 participant room

Final pricing from channel

partners may vary. Full

pricing details are at:http://www.vidtel.com/servi

ces/vidtel-meetme/meetme-

pricing/

VidyoWay B2B inter-

connectivity service is

FREE.

Yorktel has multiple

offerings to fit different

customer's needs.

Lentaris The VideoCloudMeetMe Cloud VC

ServiceYorktel VideoCloudSeeVogh Connect VidyoWay



to provide a ace-to-ace experience with the right expert or acustomers needs at any given moment.

VIDEO KIOSKS

A& has installed video kiosks at a number o its retail stores,enabling video talks with specialists on a variety o topics in agrowing number o geographies. exas energy company FirstChoice Power is trialing elepresence ech kiosks in malls to

provide an eye-contact experience between potential customersand the companys agents.

VIDEO-EQUIPPED FIELD SERVICE TECHNICIANS

Cloud Oce Manager, covered recently byelepresenceOptions.com, gives eld service technicians thetools to connect customers to a video call center and to acompany salesperson. When techs show up at customers doorsand get to xing the problem at hand, the laptops they bringalong establish video connections with sales pros who consultwith the client about additional services.

TELEMEDICINE

Andy Howard, a consultant with the Human Productivity Lab,is working on a video call center or a health maintenanceorganization to roll out later this year that will eld video callsrom their insured and route them to the proper specialist.Howard says its only a matter o time beore telemedicineramps up to widespread usage in the United States. Drivingto a doctors oce or one o these visits end up being uselessanyway, the patient could be diagnosed over video without thetime and expense o the drive and waiting time in the oce,he says. Tey can get their issue resolved more quickly. Te

doctor gets to be more productive. And the insurance companydoesnt have to pay or that visit, so it can even turn a prot byacilitating the video call.

How to ConnectHere are a ew o the ways to connect with your customers.

1. INTEROP CLOUD SERVICE PROVIDERS

Tis class o service provider only came into existence inrecent years, and is now one o the hottest segments o the

videoconerencing marketplace. Te chart on the ollowing pageincludes several providers o note. (CheckelepresenceOptions.com or updates). While a deep discussion o all providers isbeyond the scope o this article, we can briey discuss twopioneers in the eld: Blue Jeans Network and Vidtel.

BLUE JEANS

Tis company lets users host meetings that contain bothtraditional endpoints and Skype clients. With a particularlyclever (and oen controversial) marketing approach, thecompany has enjoyed constant buzz about its groundbreaking

service. Buzz aside, Blue Jeans continues to push developmenthard, seeming to come out every ew months with somethingcompletely new, such as Lync integration, advancedcollaboration eatures and mobile capabilities, as well as somenew layout controls providing a better experience or userswatching both video and shared content. Blue Jeans is a start-up, but it provides the quality look and eel you expect rom acompany with some resources. Te result is a proessional andready-or-prime-time user experience.

WHAT DOES YOUR VIDEO CALL CENTER COMMUNICATE ABOUT YOUR BRAND?
http://www.telepresenceoptions.com/http://www.telepresenceoptions.com%2C/http://www.telepresenceoptions.com%2C/http://www.telepresenceoptions.com%2C/http://bluejeans.com/http://bluejeans.com/http://www.telepresenceoptions.com%2C/http://www.telepresenceoptions.com%2C/http://www.telepresenceoptions.com%2C/http://www.telepresenceoptions.com/


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VIDTEL

Despite the inevitable comparisons, this small startupwith impressive interop technology takes a very diferentapproach rom Blue Jeans. For one: its cloud gateway service.Organizations with existing MCUs may want to add interopwithout having to shi to a new cloud meeting room service.Te company lets clients use their existing MCUs to host themeetings and the Vidtel cloud or the interop piece. Vidtel also

doesnt employ the same level o consumer-acing marketing,ocused instead on building and supporting partner relationshipswith diverse companies representing both go-to-market andtechnology partners. Some notable partnerships include:

Solutionz: Video integrator/solutions providerACT: Conerencing service provider

Intelepeer: elephony service with SIP trunking and video

AVer: Equipment manuacturer

Compunetix: MCU provider

Burstpoint: Streaming and recording Solution

Don't mistake Vidtels lower key approach or a lack o activity.

Te company is moving quickly in both the developmentand improvement o its platorm, with almost 100 partnersworldwide selling the service. Te company is extremelytechnology ocused and working to lead in a number odirections, so many in act that CEO Scott Wharton has becomesynonymous with WebRC.

2. GUEST CLIENTS

Videoconerencing endpoint vendors may not see these cloudinterop services as a threat, but as a positive orce encouragingadoption, which in turn will help them sell their own products.However, that doesn't mean these vendors will just give up the

B2C market without making some play o their own. Whilesome VC players are coming up with interop B2C cloud serviceso their own (Polycom's CloudAXIS being a notable example),others are simply encouraging their users to invite consumers viaguest client to their B2B cloud services.

VIDYOWAY

VidyoWay was originally created to disrupt the B2B market byproviding ree cloud interop that supported both traditionalhardware video systems and Vidyos soware-based solution.But anyone with a Vidyo account can invite guests to join aVidyoWay meeting room via the VidyoDesktop guest client.Tereore, or Vidyo account owners, the VidyoWay B2B

solution can easily be used as a B2C solution.

ZOOM

First ofered as a ree, consumer VC app, Zoom stood out romthe rest o the consumer crowd with a cutting-edge UI andbusiness-quality video. Recently, Zoom has added a laundry listo business eatures and capabilities, including recording andadvanced document sharing. Te service is still ree or 1-to-1meetings (and limited-duration multipoint meetings), and onlycosts $9.99 a month or unlimited use o a 25-seat virtual room.With H.323 interop pending, this may be the rst real B2Ccontender coming rom the consumer side o the industry.

ABOUT THE AUTHORDavid Maldow, Esq. is a visual collaboration

technologist and analyst with the Human

Productivity Lab and an associate editor a

Telepresence Options. David has extensive

expertise in testing, evaluating, and explaining

telepresence and other visual collaboration/

rich-media solutions. David focuses on providing

third-party independent analysis and opinion o

these technologies and helping end users bette

understand their visual collaboration options

including video call centers, video network

operations centers, and B2C strategies. You can

follow David on Twitter.com/LetsDoVideo .

GOOGLE HANGOUTS

When Google created its new social network, Google+, manywere (rightully) doubtul that it could challenge Facebook.However, ew oresaw the runaway success o its killer eature,the Google Hangout. Powered by Vidyo (set to consumer-qualityso as not to compete with its business version), Google Hangoutsprovides a highly reliable, accessible experience that has inspiredsome o the most creative and innovative applications o B2C

video to date: an meetups, live perormances, cooking classes,interviews, inormal webcasts, book launches, contests, Q&Asessions, coaching, consulting, and more. At the very least,Google Hangouts is a proo-o-concept laboratory o manygroups experimenting with new and diferent ways to conductB2C video communications.

ConclusionWere still at the early stages o B2C, where just making a basicconnection between business and customer is an excitingdevelopment. But as videoconerencing technology becomesmore and more accessible and the barriers continue to dissolve,well see more novel uses prolierate. Several Companies in this

article are creating novel uses or VC and blazing the trail orwhat will ollow. Te bottom line is that as the video industrysolves the interop, connectivity and other technology issues,the rest o the business world will develop uses or B2C that wecannot even begin to oresee. TPO
http://www.vidtel.com/http://www.actconferencing.com/https://www.vidyoway.com/Vidyo/pages/index.jsfhttp://zoom.us/http://www.humanproductivitylab.com/en/David-Maldowhttp://www.humanproductivitylab.comhttp//http://www.humanproductivitylab.comhttp//http://www.telepresenceoptions.com/about/https://twitter.com/LetsDoVideohttps://plus.google.com/hangoutshttps://plus.google.com/hangoutshttps://twitter.com/LetsDoVideohttp://www.telepresenceoptions.com/about/http://www.humanproductivitylab.comhttp//http://www.humanproductivitylab.comhttp//http://www.humanproductivitylab.com/en/David-Maldowhttp://zoom.us/https://www.vidyoway.com/Vidyo/pages/index.jsfhttp://www.actconferencing.com/http://www.vidtel.com/

TPO Magazine 2013 - B2C: The Final Frontier

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