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For all the hype that surrounds WebRTC, proclaiming it the next revolution in business communications, there is the other side of the coin: the side which says the technology is not yet perfect. This type of criticism may sound a bit piecemeal, but there is a lot to be said for technologies that are still growing but which some businesses rely on to be mission critical.

WebRTC, of course, can bring together voice, video, and data onto a centralized platform -- the Web browser. Some call centers even rely on the technology to allow their customers to make service calls directly from their browsers on both desktops and mobile devices. A recent blog post takes a look at what happens when this imperfect technology shows off a glitch.

The recent post at Fonolo (News - Alert) declares, outright, that its author is “bullish” and an advocate of WebRTC. However, the author also feels that the success rate for completing a call with WebRTC, although it is “close enough” to 100 percent, is not yet so good that businesses can afford to be without a contingency plan should things go awry.

First of all, customers need to have the correct browsers and correct versions of those browsers in order to properly use WebRTC. Then they need to make sure their browsers are set to provide audio output and receive input from the input and output devices on their desktops or mobile phones or tablets. Once that is clear, they must also have enough bandwidth to complete a call. Video will necessarily demand more bandwidth than an audio-only call.

For call centers, this means that customers could potentially have a lot on their hands to deal with. They may already be frustrated with a faulty product or other customer service issue, and struggles with WebRTC could only exacerbate situations. Therefore, the blog insists, call centers must have a good reason for wanting to replace or supplement the dial tone with a Web screen. They should also be ready for call center agents to deal with troubleshooting WebRTC-specific issues with their customers.

Furthermore, customers may also have to deal with a dropped call that could force them to start the calling process a second time. WebRTC sessions may not have a failsafe that allows customers who have experienced a dropped a call to jump right back to the same agent with a second call. A frustrated customer may take the time to call a second time, but he or she will understandably be further irritated with a platform that will not recognize her call history.

There are hurdles here that businesses must address. Even though WebRTC presents a modicum of simplicity to callers, the management of dropped calls is a complicated issue that businesses will need to address. In addition, it is largely on the shoulders of businesses to make sure their customers are able to properly use the Web-based communications platform before engaging in an important call. The hurdles are not insurmountable, but they are large enough to gather the attention of business officials who desire smooth operations as well as the attention of customers who expect to interact with intelligent agents and intelligent calling platforms.

By making sure they are ready to deal with any hassles associated with WebRTC, and that failsafes are in place, businesses can go a long way toward making their customers happy with the emerging technology.