At the EPiServer Partner Summit last week we demonstrated how we are going to embed our partners into our websites. (See my previous article )
The demo was based on a skunkworks project we have been working on for the last couple of weeks. The project name is currently EPiServer Messenger Connector, but that might change together with the commercial details when we launch the module (sometime after the Swedish summer).
In short, we have developed a connector between web based chat (using EPiServer) and pure Microsoft Live Messenger. The connector acts as a proxy, bridging the Ajax web based chat with the MS Live Messenger client.
The target group is customers who wants to take care of their website visitors but lacks any resources to fund dedicated staff. With the Messenger Connector, the regular staff can be used to serve the website visitors in the same manner as they do with phones and email today.
But why stop there? Looking at the real world it is fairly common to have partners in our booth at various trade shows, wearing our EPiServer T-shirts and their own name tags, promoting their own companies.
The EPiServer booth at the Internet World Show 2008 in London.
With the new Messenger Connector, it is now possible to embed our EPiServer Solution partners in all our websites, copying the booth in the real world!
This way, website visitors that are reading an interesting case story can have a chat with the partner that delivered the project.
The beauty of the Messenger Connector is that there are no requirements for any extra programs; The visitor uses an embedded web chat (with Ajax technology) and our EPiServer Solution partner just the regular MS Messenger program. Typically we suggest that there are at least two or three sales staff at each partner company signed up for our "Embedded Partner" system. If any of them are online (in MS Messenger) the chat icon will appear. If no one is online, the regular email contact info will be presented instead.
Customer case story with embedded partner chat icon.
Right now, we are also storing all chat conversations inside our Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4 system, but we are discussing the privacy issues for logged on users.
Target group
The Messenger Connector is not aimed at large organizations with dedicated customer care staff. For these organizations we recommend dedicated programs like NTR. Also, it is not intended to be the chat engine in a large community, with hundreds of web chats.
The EPiServer Messenger Connector is targeted towards everyone else who like to take their website to the next level of the "Warm Website Initiative".
Commercial
We will try to keep this as simple as possible. We will probably offer this as a module without the requirement for EPiServer CMS (any .Net website should do). Probably as a monthly subscription with an online license system. No license keys, we will use a handshake when the Connector starts to determine how many contacts the bot will be allowed to use.Very easy licensing, just enable yourbot@yourdomain.com (the MS Live ID of your bot) for 25 contacts and one year. Credit card payments (and perhaps invoices with unlock after we receive the money).
Also, it will probably be free of charge for up to two contacts, eliminating the need for complicated developer licenses and keeping our smallest customers happy.
Other use of this technology
It is possible to initiate chat sessions from "the other side" (well, not the dead :-) to the and invite the visitor to a chat session, co-browsing or a screen sharing session. We have modified the EPiTrace application to facilitate this as a demo feature. It actually works pretty fine, especially with the Enecto Adaptive Content information. See the screen shots below.
EPiTrace with invitation links for each visitor.
Invitation pop-up inside Labs.
Adding attitude to the bot...
Also, you can extend the Messenger Connector with more vocabulary. Right now we are only supporting a few words, but it can easily be extended to act as a search engine (Microsoft are using this at their Encarta service) or a semi-human. Fallbacks can be defined to prevent an interested website visitor being left unanswered. Aslo, you can use this technilogy for communicating with editors (Mr Mikael Runhem just wrote a page that needs your approval before being published, please click here) or completely different applications like
This is your virtual assistant Jane. It looks like you have not reported any time for billing the last week. Have you been working every day?
Yes
OK, I have taken the liberty to assist you by adding 8 working hours a day for the last week. If not correct, please click here. Shall these be billed to the same customer as the week before?
Yes
OK, I tied these hours to your customer "Gordon Gecco, Wall Street". If not correct, please click here.
Thanks
It is my pleasure being your virtual slave.
I think we will all be very creative by adding attitudes to our "bots" and extending the technology...
Chatting with the bot itself...
Time schedule
We will test this internally during the summer and take on early customers sometime in August.
Bloggers at Labs can start using the Messenger Gateway right now! Just log on to Labs and add your MS Live Messenger account to your Blog Settings!
Your feedback is appreciated!
Credits to Johan Olofsson (coding) and Ruwen Jin (research and prototyping) @ EPiServer Research
Best regards,
Mikael Runhem