VideoVisit Enables Customer Care through a Live Video Link

Helsinki, Finland – June 15, 2010 – Netpresence Ltd, a developer of device-agnostic videoconferencing platforms, today announced the launch and the first commercial implementation of VideoVisit, a web based service that extends professional quality live video contacts from purpose-built videoconferencing rooms to everyday contacts. VideoVisit is the first professional web based videoconferencing solution on the market that enables connections between basic web cameras and high-definition telepresence systems.

VideoVisit turns live video into a new channel for customer care. Positioned between impersonal phone and email contacts and face-to-face meetings, VideoVisit combines the efficiency of contact centres and the stronger brand and service experiences created through visual contact. Delivered as a web service, VideoVisit seeks to increase the utilization of live video contacts as a new way to interact with customers.

“As the next step from increasingly popular videoconferencing, we’re now harnessing live video into a new channel for customer service and everyday contacts”, said Mr. Esa Ojala, CEO of Netpresence Ltd. “Professional quality web conferencing between two or more parties today requires expensive purpose-built telepresence rooms, which most often only connect to other similar rooms. Provided as a device agnostic web-based service, live video links are available for wider use with dramatically lower costs.”

VideoVisit is equally well suited for business to consumer and business to business contacts. Time slots for VideoVisits are booked through a “Book VideoVisit” widget placed on an organization’s website. Once confirmed via an email booking note, the professional quality connection is opened at the agreed time simply by clicking on a link included in the email.

”Live video links bring a dose of personal touch back to customer contacts”, explained Esa Ojala. “Serving customers face to face used to be the norm, until the efficiency of telephone and internet led to the increase of impersonal communication and self service. A visual contact clearly improves interaction and builds commitment, and live video links are a natural addition to the channels currently used for customer care.”

The first commercial implementation of the patent-pending VideoVisit service was launched today in Finland by Esecom, a leading local provider of telecom and data network services, and next market launches will take place shortly in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Netpresence is currently working to find and select service providers to offer VideoVisit services locally or regionally.

As VideoVisit does not require hardware investments, the monthly subscription cost is minimal compared with hardware based videoconferencing solutions. The current user base of live video connections is expected to expand from large corporations to small and medium sized businesses and organizations, which will now have an opportunity to reach the savings documented by large enterprises in decreased travel time and costs.

All that is needed to use the web-based VideoVisit service is a PC or a Mac with a web camera and a regular internet connection. To ensure professional look and feel, organizations may flexibly utilize more professional equipment and existing videoconferencing systems. The “Book VideoVisit” widget may be customized to offer one or more calendars with pre-selected available timeslots, in the same way telephone service lines have several service queues for different types of queries.