A call from the browser: a tool for business?
Today we will say a few words about the popular technology - a call from the browser. Gradually, its incarnations began to appear on various platforms, and even businesses offered to call directly from the Internet page. But is it convenient?
')
Our telephony platform has long supported the call function from the browser, but lately, we have increasingly been asked to connect telephony through the browser. They say it is profitable, very simple and nothing needs to be installed. That is why we wanted to say a few words about “what is good and what is bad” in matters of telephony.
As we have said, for the IPtelefon platform , there is an open API library that allows you to embed the telephony function in any platform and in any object using standard methods. In particular, through the API, you can embed a call interface to the site. This can be a call button without any number — just an IP connection from your PBX to a client, or a form with the ability to enter a phone number for your employees so that they can make inexpensive calls to clients directly from the browser.
However, as practice shows, the transition to browser telephony is also not a panacea, and there are 3 reasons for this:
1. When you call in some browsers, the employee loses the ability to freely switch between windows, which means that no additional information is available to him, and switching to another tab, you can lose the window in which the call occurs.
2. In the event of a browser crash or spontaneous closure, for example, due to lack of memory, the call will be interrupted and the client will feel that the operator simply “hung up”.
3. If the browser page with the active call is not displayed on the screen, it is not possible to turn off the microphone if the employee needs to consult with a colleague in the office.
Every case has its own decision
At the same time, no one says that working with IP-telephony should be uncomfortable. From a technical point of view, the server does not care which client it communicates with. For example, a browser page with a script interacts with your PBX in exactly the same way as any other soft phone (softphone). However, the difference is that softphones are constantly evolving and their developers are making great efforts to make them more convenient. Therefore, if you decide to use soft telephony, for regular calls it is better to install a specialized program, for example, the desktop version of Zoiper.
The second option, which allows you to make an employee even more autonomous and even independent of the “freezing” of the computer, is to use a hardware SIP phone. In this case, you can install a digital device right away, for example, a relatively inexpensive Fanvil F52. You can also use analog phones if, for example, they are already on the company's balance sheet or even DECT handsets, in order to be able to navigate with a cordless telephone around the office. It is enough to install an adapter that connects to the network and acts as a SIP device.
The third way is to install a softphone on an employee’s smartphone, for example, the same Zoiper, but in the mobile version. Then the specialist could talk to the client without any additional devices, but still remained independent of the performance of the PC. In this approach, there is another plus - you can contact with the client on the go, during lunch and even at the time of repairing the washing machine, when there is no computer nearby (stable Internet access is required).
The last option is integration with the CRM customer service system. For example, our Hive PBX is already integrated with AmoCRM , but having an open API also makes it easy to integrate telephony tools with any other system. From a technical point of view, it looks very simple - for example, a “call” button appears in the client's card, which sets up a call directly from the CRM system or from any other program, just like a soft phone.
Conclusion
Thus, a call from the browser is a very useful function that allows you to easily connect the client with the employee of the company, but when it comes to feedback, other approaches are more effective. Yes, you can call a couple of times through the browser, so this function in a virtual PBX will not be superfluous, but for comfortable work and a large number of calls it is better to consider other connection options.
IPtelefon specialists constantly advise clients on which type of connection will be more profitable and convenient in each particular case. And if you are in doubt whether to use softphones or, for example, calls from the browser, please contact us, we will be happy to share our experience with you! In addition, all the above technologies are supported in our Hive PBX , so that you can choose at any time exactly how it will be more convenient for your employees to make calls.
')
Our telephony platform has long supported the call function from the browser, but lately, we have increasingly been asked to connect telephony through the browser. They say it is profitable, very simple and nothing needs to be installed. That is why we wanted to say a few words about “what is good and what is bad” in matters of telephony.
As we have said, for the IPtelefon platform , there is an open API library that allows you to embed the telephony function in any platform and in any object using standard methods. In particular, through the API, you can embed a call interface to the site. This can be a call button without any number — just an IP connection from your PBX to a client, or a form with the ability to enter a phone number for your employees so that they can make inexpensive calls to clients directly from the browser.
However, as practice shows, the transition to browser telephony is also not a panacea, and there are 3 reasons for this:
1. When you call in some browsers, the employee loses the ability to freely switch between windows, which means that no additional information is available to him, and switching to another tab, you can lose the window in which the call occurs.
2. In the event of a browser crash or spontaneous closure, for example, due to lack of memory, the call will be interrupted and the client will feel that the operator simply “hung up”.
3. If the browser page with the active call is not displayed on the screen, it is not possible to turn off the microphone if the employee needs to consult with a colleague in the office.
Every case has its own decision
At the same time, no one says that working with IP-telephony should be uncomfortable. From a technical point of view, the server does not care which client it communicates with. For example, a browser page with a script interacts with your PBX in exactly the same way as any other soft phone (softphone). However, the difference is that softphones are constantly evolving and their developers are making great efforts to make them more convenient. Therefore, if you decide to use soft telephony, for regular calls it is better to install a specialized program, for example, the desktop version of Zoiper.
The second option, which allows you to make an employee even more autonomous and even independent of the “freezing” of the computer, is to use a hardware SIP phone. In this case, you can install a digital device right away, for example, a relatively inexpensive Fanvil F52. You can also use analog phones if, for example, they are already on the company's balance sheet or even DECT handsets, in order to be able to navigate with a cordless telephone around the office. It is enough to install an adapter that connects to the network and acts as a SIP device.
The third way is to install a softphone on an employee’s smartphone, for example, the same Zoiper, but in the mobile version. Then the specialist could talk to the client without any additional devices, but still remained independent of the performance of the PC. In this approach, there is another plus - you can contact with the client on the go, during lunch and even at the time of repairing the washing machine, when there is no computer nearby (stable Internet access is required).
The last option is integration with the CRM customer service system. For example, our Hive PBX is already integrated with AmoCRM , but having an open API also makes it easy to integrate telephony tools with any other system. From a technical point of view, it looks very simple - for example, a “call” button appears in the client's card, which sets up a call directly from the CRM system or from any other program, just like a soft phone.
Conclusion
Thus, a call from the browser is a very useful function that allows you to easily connect the client with the employee of the company, but when it comes to feedback, other approaches are more effective. Yes, you can call a couple of times through the browser, so this function in a virtual PBX will not be superfluous, but for comfortable work and a large number of calls it is better to consider other connection options.
IPtelefon specialists constantly advise clients on which type of connection will be more profitable and convenient in each particular case. And if you are in doubt whether to use softphones or, for example, calls from the browser, please contact us, we will be happy to share our experience with you! In addition, all the above technologies are supported in our Hive PBX , so that you can choose at any time exactly how it will be more convenient for your employees to make calls.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/304788/
All Articles