Contact Center Solutions Featured Article

WebRTC Phone from AudioCodes Selected by Interactive Intelligence

July 11, 2014

AudioCodes is on the cutting-edge of WebRTC innovation. There has been some new tech advances by the company, such as with the birth of the WebRTC phone, and other uses are likely in the future.


“WebRTC as a technology has evolved and grown a little bit more mature,” Alan Percy, senior director of marketing for AudioCodes, told Gary Audin during an interview held at the RTC Conference & Expo 2014 in Atlanta. “We’re seeing the standards start to gel.”

In addition, partners and other businesses are starting to show more interest in the technology – as well, Percy said. Among its many advantages is how WebRTC brings new media capabilities to the web browser and eventually to mobile devices. It will lead to improved multimedia, voice and video communications.

AudioCodes has added codecs to its IP phone line, including Opus codec, which is recommended for WebRTC. That is important for Unified Communications and contact center uses. In fact, contact centers are the earliest implementations for WebRTC at the company.

There are varied applications of the technology, such as in retail settings. “Offering consumers the ability to click to call or click to talk is an obvious application,” Percy said. Another option may be concierge service for airlines. Agents, too, could use WebRTC technology at contact centers or when they are working from home. Still, Percy said it will take a few years for WebRTC to fully penetrate the contact center.

One of the most recent achievements, however, was when Interactive Intelligence selected AudioCodes technology. The AudioCodes 420HD IP Phone was recommended for Interactive Intelligence’s Customer Interaction Center (CIC) all-in-one IP communications software suite. The phone was also recommended for use with Interactive’s recently announced PureCloud contact center solution, according to a report from ContactCenterSolutions’s Peter Bernstein. A big reason for the selection was the phone’s native support for WebRTC Opus codec.

Another recent accolade came at the WebRTC Conference & Expo IV, where TMC, Systemwide Media and PKE Consulting announced the winners of the 2014 WebRTC Pioneer Awards, and Percy was one of 64 people recognized as a WebRTC Pioneer. 

Looking ahead, Percy predicts the company’s IP phone will be adopted by more organizations involved with contact centers.

In the past, WebRTC capability has been added to session border controllers, but adding WebRTC to IP phones is a new trend. It provides many advantages, such as not needing transcoding, and there still can be use of older PCs. The resiliency of the Opus codec and its meeting the requirements of available bandwidth make it well-suited for high quality voice calling, plus it is also be touted as a more economical option than using other technology.




Edited by Peter Bernstein



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