Blog - September 21, 2020
Summer has come and gone, but that hasn't stopped us from developing new features in Talk. We recently released a new version which contains some awesome stuff. Product Manager Gerard Nijboer is happy to share them and the design decisions that make Talk an even better User Experience centered product.
? Mute microphone
There are many use cases that support the option of being able to mute your microphone while on a call. For example:
- to have a private discussion with someone next to you while on a call,
- to mute yourself on a conference call so noises don’t get in the way of who’s talking,
- or to sing along with the music while waiting in a queue.
The Talk user interface now allows you to do just that with the click of a button. Don’t forget to unmute yourself when you do need to be heard or the conversation will turn into two monologues.
On a technical note: the mute function is a software-driven function that only applies to the single session of the Talk web application. It doesn’t mute your microphone for other applications, nor does it remember your setting the next time you use the application.
? Dialpad (DTMF tones)
One of the most requested functions is here! ? The dial-pad. Your site visitors can now send DTMF tones to your Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system just like on a regular phone call. This is the well-known “Press one for support” etc. prompt. This feature makes the implementation of Talk even easier and lightweight, as it seamlessly integrates with your existing call flow.
The dial-pad can be shown and hidden by clicking a new button to the right of the hangup button while connected on a call. This works for both mobile and desktop users. For mobile users, the client will expand in height to make room for the dial-pad buttons.
We have even designed the interface to have the good old T9 text on keys as a reminder that some IVR’s support sending letters by hitting the same number multiple times (eg. three times ‘6’ and two times ‘5’ for ?). Always remember to hit the pound key (or the #hashtag, for younger generations) after you’re done with your input to switch turns with the voice computer on the other end.
⏭ Automatic redirect
And last but definitely not least, a feature I personally am really excited about: the automatic redirect feature. It was already possible to redirect users back to your website after a session has ended via the click of a button. But now you can set up an automatic redirect to a web page of your choosing after a set amount of seconds. You can also differentiate the target hyperlink for successful and unsuccessful calls. For instance, because access to the microphone was not granted. This feature is famous for its potential to increase conversion by continuing the online journey of users. Like, redirecting callers to your website where you ask them to sign up for your newsletter, point them to your summer sale of NPS survey.
