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INSTANT MESSAGING

Instant messaging (IM), sometimes called “online chat,” is becoming an increasingly powerful way to engage customers. (Some IM functions can be automated, but the term generally implies interacting with a live person.) While there are often delays sending and receiving email, IM happens in real time. If a customer shows up on your website and needs help locating a product or specific information or is having difficulty navigating on the site, IM enables someone at your company to communicate directly with her. IM functionality may also become incorporated directly into email marketing programs. Emails may have embedded “Need Help?” and “Got Any Questions?” buttons that recipients can click on to immediately reach a customer service or salesperson. The customer’s profile would instantly pop up on the service representative’s screen, complete with a detailed history of all previous interactions with that customer and a snapshot of the email the customer is responding to.

VOICE AND TELEPHONY

Voice can be used in two ways to expand customer dialogue. The first is as an extension of instant messaging. While IM requires users to type in questions and responses, voice-enabled chat allows them to speak through what is basically a telephone function over the Internet. Some customers may prefer typing, while others prefer talking. Adding a voice function to IM gives the customer a choice. A related variation on this is the callback function, which is becoming an increasingly common part of websites and email marketing programs. Customers who click a specific button will receive a call from a knowledgeable customer service person minutes later. And as email and voice mail become more and more integrated, consumers will be able to choose whether they would like to receive messages from an organization by voice mail or email.

WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES

Devices such as Web-enabled cellular telephones, portable computing devices such as the Palm VII handheld, and wireless modems are making it increasingly possible to connect to the Internet from absolutely anywhere. Whether you’re searching for information on a restaurant, getting directions to a meeting, sending a short message to a colleague, buying tickets on your way to the movies, looking up a friend’s telephone number, or receiving alerts when a stock you’re following hits a certain level and placing a quick trade, you’ll be able to do it all with the new generation of handheld wireless devices.

WEB COLLABORATION

This technology (often integrated with IM functionality) enables a sales or support person to take control of the customer’s Web browser and lead him to pages containing products and information he’s interested in or help him use specific functions on the site. The customer and support person interact and communicate with each other, engaging in true, real-time dialogue.

VIDEO AND AUDIO

While most video on the Internet today is jerky and small and streaming audio playback is low-fidelity, it won’t be long until audio and video will rival the quality we expect from our home entertainment systems. Noninteractive, streaming video, audio, and animation are nice ways to enhance static text, graphics, and images. They’re also great ways to get people’s attention and enhance their experience and involvement. And that’s just the beginning.

In the case of audio, new technologies such as MP3 and Napster are already having a profound impact. Although most consumers cannot play music in real time on the Web without compromising quality and fidelity, high-quality audio can be downloaded and played from the computer hard disk. It is only a question of time until most of the music we listen to will be delivered on demand over the Internet. And when that happens companies will also discover new, creative ways to give their customers the option of receiving their messages in audio or as emails with music accompaniment.

When it comes to video, things are a bit different. In order to be truly effective as a part of the customer dialogue, the video experience will have to embrace a new model of interactivity, akin to tellme-more television. But regardless, the creative use of new technologies will greatly enhance customers‘ experience of dialogue, particularly when it is seamlessly integrated.

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