Voice and video chatting have taken the world by storm, they have primarily been available in standalone apps like Skype, Zoom, FaceTime and Google Meet, dedicated specifically to communication and limited to point-to-point connections. This makes these applications more of a utility than an immersive experience but sets the stage for real-time communication technologies to springboard into Real-Time Engagement (RTE). RTE allows everyone to interact with anyone, in any app, anytime and anywhere.
Ever since the pandemic, businesses have started to realize the power of leveraging real-time engagement (RTE) in keeping people socially connected along with meeting business needs. From live streaming, to broadcasting, to video chat and beyond, Real-time engagement (RTE) technology is helping businesses bring new services and communication capabilities to the masses in newer ways. The core to this change is the evolution of real-time voice and video. RTE is in its infancy, and we are witnessing an increase in app-based collaboration based on shared context, scalable connections, and remote inclusivity; RTE incorporates all of this to accelerate digital interactions, making it a no-brainer for enterprises.
Redefining Customer Engagement
RTE can bring user engagement, user retention and flexible integration with other technologies to one’s app. It brings new types of engagement to your applications that may be fun, or practical or both. User retention in some ways is almost equivalent to revenue generated meaning that the more users spend time on your application, the more potential you have to generate revenue from that traffic. In today’s time, it has become more important than ever for people to make meaningful connections with one another. As a result, adoption of real-time engagement technologies is growing at a rapid pace.
Live video, in particular, is a game changer. While voice chat allows you to hear someone’s tone of voice, and messaging includes expressive visuals, the sheer density of information that comes across on live video chat makes it the clear winner for engagement.
To have a truly engaging experience, we need shared context; The ability to share the same space, hear the same sounds and see the same sights – these are the details that build bonds. Now that consumers are comfortable using video, they increasingly crave this shared context and expect to have video engagement directly inside the apps they are already using.
Driving Sales Through RTE
RTE has found incredible traction in all industries as consumers demand the ability to connect with others instead of sitting idly before a screen. With the right content and live audio and video solution, businesses can create inspiring experiences that increase engagement, brand awareness, customer loyalty, and sales. The key strategy used by businesses is to seamlessly replicate real-life experiences into an online channel to avoid customer churn and retain brand loyalty.
To replicate real life experiences that truly deliver on Real-Time Engagement—shared context, interactive at scale, ubiquity requires a real-time global network with sub-second latency. After almost two years of video calls and meetings, businesses have realized the need to move beyond the limitations of standard video meetings to foster collaboration more naturally as well as enhance customer experience.
The most effective collaboration is “context first,” and not “video first” like traditional web conferencing applications. Being “context first” eliminates the awkwardness of attempting to achieve shared context via sharing screen in a web conferencing app. Adding voice and video functionality to the existing applications and digital world is just the beginning. The ability to build artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) capabilities directly into interactive experiences brings forward new business possibilities for shared context.
Innovative companies are using the powerful combination of RTE and AR to do work remotely that was earlier done in person. For example, Wipro, brings people and expertise together using AR and real-time video to enable remote consultation with experts in a wide range of industries from medicine to aerospace. Irrespective of the type of industry, any industry can monetize in-app engagement in the following ways:
- Identifying the customer profile in real and actionable ways
- Building an outreach plan
- Account based marketing with research, attention, and personalization
- Gathering more targeted leads- creating a relationship with vendors and partners that goes beyond email with RTE’
- Making connections through RTE enabled social media
To put it together, RTE helps create brand loyalty, improves customer experience and sales strategies. A company’s sales team creates long-term brand loyalty as customers connect more and more with the person or team selling the products. The customer value increases for retailers as people create a personal relationship with the ambassador. Similarly, the sales team acts as a customer service representative and floor salesperson. They demonstrate features, discuss how the product works in their daily lives, and answer customer pain points. They can also compare and contrast different products and talk about the pros and cons of each. The influencer-as-brand-ambassador interacts directly with customers, helping to increase customer value for retailers.
RTE is Creating Collaborations of the Future
Due to the pandemic, there has been a shift in consumer behavior with digital adoption redefining how brands communicate. Amidst this, applications that leverage live interactions have seen exponential growth as they keep users socially connected while meeting business needs.
India is also witnessing an uptick in the adoption of watch parties and the integration of augmented reality and virtual reality and metaverse in daily lives. Enterprises see value in dynamic virtual environments and develop better, newer, and more innovative ways to engage with their audience. This would include virtual workspaces, remote assistance, metaverses, avatars, and immersive activities. For example, in the ed-tech sector, virtual education is making tremendous progress in replacing in-person classes with the help of RTE. Another sector that witnessed a rise in voice and video chat is gaming, especially e-sports. Along with “live” engagement and voice or video chat, players can see each other’s reactions, cheer each other, and socialize while playing games and creating memories together.
While the future of digital business is under transformation, real applications of innovative AR and VR combined with RTE and the metaverse have begun in full swing. The possibilities continue to expand as any connected device can be used in RTE. Businesses need to determine how they can start implementing RTE to increase productivity, engagement, accessibility, and inclusivity. Boosting these metrics will help in keeping established businesses relevant while helping new businesses break through and scale.
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