Few UC software applications are developed these days without some sort of plug-in compatibility with one third party platform or other.
Making it possible to access your UC suite and launch calls, conferences, chat or collaboration sessions directly from within your CRM or productivity platform is viewed as a major selling point that is verging on an essential feature. Why ask users to have to open a separate application to communicate when they can click on the tools they need within the software they use the majority of the time?
Most products include this kind of plug-in compatibility, and perhaps make their APIs available for those who want to programme their own, as a nod to a world where everyone should be able to communicate digitally with everyone else, no matter what software they are running. But the direction of travel, with the emergence of open standards architecture and UCaaS/CPaaS, is moving beyond merely giving a nod to this kind of approach.
For some, interoperability is the very future of unified communications.
You could put Eyeson in this category. Rebranded from Visocon earlier this year, the company’s stated objective is to set new - presumably open - standards in real-time video conferencing and collaboration for business. It earned the accolade ‘Cool Vendor’ from Gartner this year, confirming it is doing something right in its efforts to disrupt the video conferencing category.
For Eyeson, plug-in compatibility is more than a nice bonus extra. It is the whole point. The company offers a single platform, a cloud-based video conferencing and collaboration suite, which is accessed in one of two ways. It is available as a browser-based app, which requires no download and can be used for free. Or, you install it as a plug-in for your favourite programme, of which there are currently 13 supported.
The result? HD quality video conferencing, with unlimited participant numbers, available from any device browser, or via single-click launch from some of the world’s most popular business software platforms. Let’s take a closer look at just what Eyeson has to offer.
What can it do?
Eyeson is a cloud-based video meeting and webinar software platform designed to provide straightforward access to video conferencing in a wide variety of circumstances. One of Eyeson’s main focuses is providing a flexible video solution to different teams and departments via direct plug-ins to popular software platforms. These include:
- Jira: Software developers working on Jira can connect remotely via video link using the Eyeson plug-in, with a ‘daily scrum’ feature for running regular team catch-up meetings
- Slack: Adding the Eyeson widget to the popular web-based team collaboration platform adds HD video meetings to the IM, call and file sharing capabilities
- Trello: Similar to Slack, video meetings can be launched directly from within this task-based team collaboration app.
- Salesforce: Run from Salesforce, Eyeson can be used both to hold team video conferences and to launch webinars targeting clients and customers. Participation data is automatically logged
- YouTube / Facebook: Webinars can be streamed live directly to your social media contacts on YouTube and Facebook
- ZenDesk / FreshDesk / TalkDesk: Adds video to your customer support contact options.
- Google Calendars: The Eyeson plug-in means video conferences can be scheduled directly from within Calendars
- Dropbox / Google Drive: Allows recordings of meetings and webinars to be archived
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Thanks to what Eyeson describes as ‘single stream’ technology, its platform delivers HD quality video regardless of the number of participants. It operates via a system of meeting rooms. Video feed from up to nine participants can be streamed simultaneously in any one room, but an unlimited number of ‘viewers’ can be in the room taking part via chat or voice.
Access to an Eyeson room is as straightforward as it gets, a simple log in on a web browser, or one-click via an in-app widget. Thanks to Eyeson’s browser-based platform, guests can also be added via a single click, without the need for registration or installation of any apps. Eyeson is fully optimised for mobile, providing the same HD quality and collaborative experience regardless of what device you use.
