CommBox manages omnichannel interaction

With millions of people spending more time at home during the coronavirus outbreak, it's not surprising to see businesses step up their online game and expand their digital engagement tools.

Online interaction used to mean offering an email address along with a company's phone number.

Now, more businesses are engaging in what has come to be called omnichannel communication. That means they can interact with customers, vendors and associates using a wide variety of channels, from sms and chat to Twitter and What'sApp.

How do they manage this explosion of communication options? CommBox is one of the leading companies that offer an omnichannel platform, a service that blends these diverse channels into a stream that can be managed from a one unified console.

In addition to handling email and social media channels, the CommBox platform also incorporates call logs, file sharing, audio and video conferencing, support ticketing, knowledge libraries and live chats.

CommBox says its system uses chatbots to instantly take specific actions based on customer requests and sets rules that are triggered by certain keywords or user behavior. Customers can also fill in and sign web forms while they are engaging with agents and staff. The CommBox system can integrate with Salesforce and other popular CRM systems.

For a closer look at CommBox, check out the video below and visit the CommBox website where the company offers free demos. CommBox is also accessible through a number of other channels including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

By: Ric Manning On 4/22/2020

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A time for Neverthink

Life in a state of social distance has included a lot of television watching. Like many others, we're following the Tiger King and that woman stranded in 19th Century Scotland. But I've also developed an appreciation for Neverthink.

It's a video channel that's populated by streams of perpetual video clips, most of them from YouTube. According to Neverthink, the clips are selected and curated by humans who look for the interesting or unusual. The videos are sorted into some 20 different topic channels.

In my first encounter with Neverthink, I was first entranced by the Drones channel. It was showing a guy doing a daredevil run across a series of rooftops followed by a drone chasing a roller coaster. I was hooked. Then there was the Dashcam channel where I killed an hour (maybe more) watching bad drivers do stupid things.

Sounds like mindless entertainment? It is, and that's by design. It's for people who don't want to spend time searching for something to watch. Tech Crunch said the channel "might just be the most ‘lean back’ online video experience yet."

Here's how Neverthink co-founder Aviv Junno described his creation: “We believe that the main reason people watch videos online is just because they want some distraction. To clear their mind after a day of work, have something in the background to keep them company, to watch while commuting to work, on the toilet etc. People don’t necessarily want to watch something specific, or want the perfect video. We created Neverthink for those times”.

Neverthink reminded me of Night Flight, a visual arts program that ran on the USA Network in the 1980s. It's where I saw the animated series Aeon Flux and J-Men Forever.

Not every channel on Neverthink is something to play in the background. It's Late Night News channel streams monologues and segments from Colbert, Kimmel, Fallon, Seth Myers, Samantha Bee and Trevor Noah at Comedy Central, which isn't on YouTubeTV, my selected cable alternative. I also like Making Stuff and the photography tips on the Learn Something channel.

You can see the full channel line-up on the Neverthink website. A Neverthink app is available for Android and iOS devices and for Apple TV and Amazon Fire streaming boxes. 

By: Ric Manning On 4/04/2020

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