Embed Real-Time Communications with Kandy

May 24, 2016 by JUXTO

GENBAND is the global leader in real time communications software solutions for software vendors, service providers, systems integrators, enterprises and developers in over 80 countries. Their market-leading unified communications, mobility and embedded communications solutions address the growing demands of today’s consumers and businesses for real time communications.

Their easy to use solutions allow carriers, enterprises and developers to boost their service offerings with a more engaging user experience. GENBAND’s products range from market-leading media gateways and call session controllers to the latest technology in embedded communications, WebRTC capabilities, and the one-of-a-kind Kandy Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS).

WHAT IS KANDY?

Kandy is a real-time software development platform founded by GENBAND. With increasingly growing demands of today’s consumer and business needs for real-time communications (RTC) features, it provides users with all the tools necessary to stay connected. And to make those connections more meaningful, Kandy offers additional features to enrich applications and assist in providing a more engaging user experience. It quickly enhances software applications with RTC, while providing a more human and context-based experience.

Kandy’s cloud-based features allow organizations to seamlessly embed voice, video, instant messaging, presence, co-browsing, and screen sharing into web and mobile applications – boosting collaboration and productivity with employees.

There are no limitations to using Kandy – its suite of Quick Starts, SDKs, APIs, and applications, enables users to efficiently and cost effectively deploy RTC into existing workflows and new consumer offerings – making field service efficient and customer service more effective and competitive.

HOW YOU CAN BENEFIT FROM KANDY

Software Vendors can easily embed RTC into their services. There is no Research and Development (R&D) investment or communications infrastructure required. The application is built on highly secure carrier-grade technology that scales via the public or private cloud. Quick Starts provides “no code required” options to embed select capabilities into web and mobile applications such as click-to-call and click-to-video.

Service Providers have the benefit of evolving their networks with APIs. Kandy enables over-the-top (OTT) voice, video and messaging services for its subscribers. It leverages the existing user profile and service policies and uses SIP interfaces across session border controllers (SBCs) to route communication sessions. Additionally, Kandy extends the carrier’s reach to any device on any network.

Systems Integrators can create value for their clients with elegant and differentiated apps with embedded contextual RTC. Kandy adds value across many industry applications including e-commerce, healthcare and software. Additionally, it gives system integrators a competitive advantage by allowing enterprise and managed services IT professionals to deliver RTC in their applications and services.

Enterprises can gain competitive edge in their marketplace by leveraging Kandy. It enables companies to tap into new forms of competitive business value through real-time contextual communications, allowing them to achieve better business outcomes. Kandy offers an easy way to get started with no capital expenditure. It boosts productivity and increases employee collaboration. Additionally, it creates a more human and contextual customer experience.

Kandy helps Developers create new features instantly with their Quick Start feature. Quick Start provides a full suite of APIs and SDKs for more communications options, customizations and branding. JavaScript SDK supports WebRTC endpoints and platform capabilities while Android and iOS SDK delivers optimal performance without draining the device’s battery.

WHAT ARE KANDY WRAPPERS?

Kandy-VAA-Calls-300x202Kandy Wrappers are pre-packaged, fully functional software applications that can be delivered standalone or inserted into your website or application. Because let’s face it, not everyone has the time or the skill to play with Kandy APIs and build applications by combining the multiple pieces. Some people may just want to choose pre-built functionalities and inject them into applications or website without much customization.

With Kandy Wrappers, Communication Service Providers (CSPs), Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and Enterprises can significantly reduce their time to market by reducing their implementation effort and costs. It enables fast service creation by:

  • • Differentiating product and service offerings
  • • Facilitating engagement, communication and collaboration
  • • Simplifying the delivery of advanced customer service and concierge style applications
  • • Easily improving any application or business process
  • • Accelerating time to market with simpler, faster and cheaper development and deployment.
  • • Revolutionizing e-commerce, healthcare, enterprise, social and collaboration applications

LET’S PEEL BACK THE WRAPPERS

There are four types of Kandy Wrappers; Concierge, Visual Attendant, Two Factor Authentication (2FA), and Live Support – each offering unique advantages. They can be used as standalone or combined to create the ultimate user experience.

Concierge

Kandy Concierge VIP Customer Service offers the following advantages:

  • • Let’s you engage customers online instead of on the phone/IVR
  • • Allows customers to show, not just tell
  • • Provides integrated instructional and support content
  • • Reduces trouble resolution times
  • • Reduces the need for a truck roll to send a technician on-site
  • • Increases customer satisfaction
  • • Creates the opportunity to upsell

With Kandy Concierge, businesses can offer exclusive VIP shopping experiences from e-commerce sites and VIP customer service from their own website. It puts the human experience back into the impersonal online shopping environment by allowing customers to interact with real people from within a product page at their own convenience. With a single button, customers have the chance to have a voice and video conversation with a shopping assistant that can answer their questions and provide sound advice.

Concierge allows agents to push content such as tutorials or instructional videos to solve issues in a timely manner and eliminate the need for a technician to go on-site, thus helping to improve the company’s bottom line and improving customer’s satisfaction.

Visual Attendant

Advantages of Kandy Visual Attendant:

  • • Businesses can create/manage Kandy Visual Attendant themselves – no support worries
  • • Embed code is automatically generated – just cut and paste into a website
  • • Works on desktop and mobile endpoints
  • • Easily billed like toll-free service using per transaction and per minute billing (for Carrier)
  • • Adds voice calling to the modern web experience for a point n’ click world (for Enterprise)

Kandy Visual Attendant is a menu-based, click-to-connect service that integrates into a company’s website without toll-free number fees. The sweet thing about it is that it is ready to use and in less than an hour you can develop your own menus, test call flows and get the embedded code required for your website. Visual Attendant offers end users point ‘n click options to select the right group or department directly from any website without menu prompts. It uses the latest WebRTC technology to connect users whether they have a legacy browser or mobile devices that aren’t WebRTC ready.

Secure – Two Factor Authentication
Kandy_2FA

Two factor authentication (2FA) is a neat way to add extra security, by requiring users to have a physical element (such as a mobile device), in addition to their username and password; preventing unauthorized access. The only problem with this solution is that since most solutions rely on SMS/text messaging, the validation messages can create significant additional service charges depending on the user’s mobile plan. To combat this, the Kandy Secure-2FA uses Flash Call provides an innovative way to use a short call that users do not need to answer and embed the one-time password in the Caller ID.

Other mechanisms include:

SMS/Text – a text message is delivered to the user with an authentication code to enter into the application (on Android devices the application can retrieve the code automatically, without user intervention).

IVR Call – a call is sent to the user’s phone with an automatic voice message that includes the code. This method is typically used to enable land lines or legacy feature phones (non-smartphones) to act as authentication devices.

Live Support

Kandy_Agent_console_0

Source: Kandy.io

Live Support offers the following advantages:

  • • Accelerates trouble resolution and increases customer satisfaction
  • • Easy and organized visualization of contacts directory structure
  • • Flexibility to choose or program
    different modes of communication (chat, voice, video) between users and agents
  • • Scales for micro businesses, SMBs, enterprises and large call centers
  • • Can be overlaid onto your existing support infrastructure or fully integrated, your choice
  • • Add to your website with one line of code
  • • Back end administration portal for easy creation/configuration of directory trees and support button
  • • Works with iOS and Android smartphones and tablets
  • • Includes simple, easy to use application for customer service agents
  • • Chat history – Transcript can be sent to user by email
  • • Agent and user can share images and videos (Rich Messaging) or use screen sharing for guided support

Kandy Live Support provides the most interactive, productive and efficient customer support experience with an easy to deploy solution. It allows organizations of all sizes to provide productive and efficient customer support at a fraction of the traditional cost. Live Support uses the Kandy platform to integrate RTC into the website by just embedding a single line of code to add a Live Support button where it needs to appear. And by activating the button, users can select from a menu that directs them to the right person where they can interact via text, voice or video and even share images, videos or use screen sharing for more efficient service.

KANDY IN ACTION – CREATING A HUMAN AND CONTEXT-BASED EXPERIENCE

kandy-live-support

Source: Kandy.io

The Kandy solution can be used to enable sales, service, and business professionals to talk and collaborate in context with their colleagues and customers instantly.

The SAP Cloud for Customer for instance, enables field service workers to engage in live support during repairs from their mobile devices. By using their smartphone and tablet cameras the rep can get assistance using different components of Kandy; including presence to see which expert is available, a video call to contact the expert, and co-browsing to exchange visual information.

Additionally, Kandy can make online shopping an in-store experience. Kandy applications can allow retailers to provide a compelling in-store sales and customer service experience in an e-commerce environment – reducing cart abandonment. Retailers can make their customers’ shopping experience highly interactive from initial contact to checkout by utilizing live video, imagery, documents, tutorials and video demonstrations.

Vizicom for example, uses Kandy features including chat, voice, video and co-browsing to enhance their customers’ experience. Their Virtual VIP Shopping Solution supports IP to PSTN voice and video calls between the customer and sales agent even is the customer’s browser does not support WebRTC.

Kandy can ultimately change the way people socialize on the go. With fring, friends and colleagues can communicate for free via instant messaging, voice and video calls, and conference calls using any device with any mobile internet connection. Built on the Kandy platform, the fring solution allows businesses to take advantage of secure, carrier0grade cloud network and the latest communications tools for increase productivity, improved collaboration and more interactive workplaces.

THAT’S A WRAP!

You don’t need to invest in Research, Development, integration, or spend millions of dollars on development and deployment to create a solution to boost your business’ productivity and customer experience. Kandy provides options that allow anyone to easily embed select capabilities such as click-to-call and click-to-video into their web and mobile applications. It reduces capital and operation expenditures and allows developers to deploy custom apps, test the service and perform customization and branding with ease.

Kandy was created to help companies embed communications right into the software applications that are already a part of their workflow – and with Kandy Wrappers, communication becomes much sweeter with immediate and contextual interactions; resulting in superior business outcomes.

Want to learn how you can use Kandy to boost your business? Contact us for details!

Source: Kandy.io