Each year we learn a number of new terms. Our favourite so far in 2015 is “omni-channel”. It’s a very useful term. If you haven’t encountered it yet, then a quick explanation should suffice.

We are all used to the concept of the contact centre. This is a platform that enables lots of calls to be handled so that customers can speak to agents and solve problems, buy things, or obtain specific kinds of services.

However, as we are all aware, the number of ways in which customers can interact with call centres has grown – it's not just a phone call, it’s via social media, instant messaging and so on. A contact centre must be able to manage all possible forms of customer interaction – hence omni channel.

WebRTC has become a phrase with which most are now familiar. However, while there are many use cases for WebRTC-enabled communication, there has, to date, been little in terms of investment return. In fact, in many cases, WebRTC will never be a revenue generator as such; it will simply be another means of communication that must be supported.

However, the omni channel call centre does provide a number of clear use cases that can be monetised, in one way or another. At this year’s IMS World Forum, we’ll be discussing this topic and pointing to ways in which service providers can help contribute to the evolution towards omni channel communications.

Guy Redmill will be giving a speech entitled “WebRTC as part of a multi-channel strategy for customer care – the role of operators in facilitating delivery” and covering the following topics:

• Why multi-channel matters
• WebRTC as part of the mix
• Increasing merchant value
• Enabling the ecosystem
• What should operators be doing to facilitate and capitalise on this?

If you are attending, why not come and see us? If not, get in touch and we’ll send you our presentation.