Author: Sivakumar R

Technical team leader at ClaySys Technologies.

8 Types of Web Applications

Posted on by Sivakumar R

What is a Web Application?

Most people often confuse web applications and websites. Well, a web application is a program or software, provided by a third party, stored on a remote server, and can be accessed from any web browser with any device. Simply put, this refers to any website that does some work for its users. Contrary to this, Websites are mainly informative. You can access a lot of documents on websites over the Internet using a web browser. It also consists of web applications, which help the users to finish various online tasks such as searching, viewing, and paying.  

Nowadays most popular brands Facebook, Coca-Cola, and many other giants have multiple ranges of web applications created for various purposes and reasons. In that case, can you imagine the number of web applications that are created for different reasons? Now, this takes the discussion to the different types of web applications.  

Types of web applications 

Let’s classify web applications based on their types and their functionalities. 

Static web application  

The very first type of web application available on the Internet is the static web application, which is built using HTML and CSS to facilitate exhibiting significant content and information. This is usually the simplest web application as it exhibits only limited content and is not flexible. Normally these apps have no personalization and will make changes after the page is fully loaded. Although it allows animated objects such as GIFs, videos, etc., modifying the content of a static web application is not easy, as it requires downloading, modifying, and returning HTML code. Therefore, this app is best suited for software development companies and professional webmasters. Some of the best examples include digital resumes and lead capture pages in marketing. 

Dynamic web application  

Dynamic web application delivers live data based on the requests of the users and is therefore considered one of the best web application types. They have improved technical sophistication when compared to static web applications. There are multiple elements of interactions and methods to draw the attention of the client to the services and products provided by the web app. Such web applications use databases to store all private and public data displayed on the Website. They usually have an admin panel to control the backend and front-end portions and allow the administrator to modify the content and include different interactive components to the web app. The dynamic web app is built using various programming languages such as PHP, and ASP.NET.  

E-Commerce web application  

When your web application promotes products or services directly to your potential customers, you can call it an e-commerce web application which is no different from an online shopping store. Many of the basic features of the e-commerce web app include the addition of new products, removal of outdated and old products, managing payments, facilitating electronic payments, and a user-friendly interface. An effective management panel is very necessary to look at all these tasks. Professional website developers can customize such applications to make them user-friendly. Some of the most common examples of e-commerce web apps include Flipkart, Amazon, Ajio, and the list goes on.  

Single-page web application  

Single-Page Applications, otherwise known as SPA, are a type of dynamic web application that does not require browser reloads and functions as a single unit of a website application. These web applications are fast and dynamic as they implement all business and technological strategies in the client-side browser. The development and implementation process of SPA is simple and faster. Since communication takes place in asynchronous navigation, the process of dealing with the user’s request and response is faster. Moreover, a SPA web application of any type can be reconfigured to achieve the desired results. However, the main problem with SPAs is that they do not comply with SEO guidelines. The best examples of single-page web apps are Netflix, Twitter, and Gmail. 

Portal web application  

A portal web application offers a single access point to important data to a particular type of user. It is a web application that is capable of accessing different sections on the home page. Portals are the best option for organizations and businesses that prefer to build customized interfaces to suit the needs of their target audience. Only registered users are allowed to access and the user’s activities can be monitored by the service provider, once the user logs in.  

Content management system web application  

A content Management System (CMS) is a type of website application in which the owner can modify the content without any help from the technical team. The content can be modified using the admin panel without any knowledge of the programming language. In general, there are a number of CMS variations with various specifications and designs, some of which are: 

  • WordPress – This is the most widely used platform by major enterprise owners who have changed their business online. In WordPress, you may find various features like themes, plugins, and tutorials that will help you to make your website look attractive and distinctive. Moreover, it does not require any kind of technical assistance from outside.  
  • Joomla – This comes after WordPress and is considered the second most popular choice by users. Though it does not have many active users who have incorporated this platform into their businesses, it does have a good community and an intuitive cost for the old but advanced web application. 
  • Drupal – Drupal is an open-source and free web application that is flexible enough to create your own website. It is specifically suggested for building big community portals. 

Animated web applications  

These apps allow you to display your content along with animation effects. These application types offer creativity and design which cannot be found in any other web application types. The problem here is that it is not very suitable for web positioning and SEO, as the data obtained by search engines is unreadable. 

Rich Internet web applications  

Rich Internet applications (RIAs) are primarily applications that have the functionality of many desktop applications. They are designed to fix browser restrictions and rely on plugins on the customer side. These web app has been created with more efficient and visually attractive resources with a more interactive user interface and better understanding than older desktop applications. Some RIA web applications can work offline as well. The two main issues of the RIA are the risks and inconveniences they cause. For example, if the plugin is out of date, many parts of the app or the whole app may not work properly. 

Wrap Up 

Different businesses need different types of web applications. There is no single web app that is apt for all types of businesses. Choosing the right web application for your business should be based on the requirements of your target audience and the future goals you aim at. Each web app has its own business advantages, such as grabbing the customer’s attention and earning more monthly revenue from your active users. 

What is Automatic Call Distributor? How Does it Improve Customer Experience?

Posted on by Sivakumar R

What is Automatic Call Distribution System? 

ACD is a telephony software system that assigns or routes the incoming calls to different departments or agents within the company.

ACD helps in streamlining customer calls – where the conventional phone system is unable to handle the load of incoming calls, ACD works by organizing the calls in a queue.

How does Automatic Call Distribution system work?

Automatic Call Distribution System is a technical system that uses CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) systems and the IVR (Interactive Voice Response) technology. The calls that are coming in are enabled to get distributed intelligently by using this method.

When a customer calls, he first may get to interact with the IVR or may not. With or without IVR, the caller is first offered the option to resolve the issue on a self basis or through the use of an automated system; where manual intervention is not required.

However, if the caller is required to speak to a live agent, ACD takes over.

  • ACD systems can consider the incoming number, call volume, and other aspects, for making a decision.
  • The decision can be based on the agent’s availability, the volume they are handling, or based on any other criteria specific to each organization.
  • It then automatically connects the call to the selected agent.

Difference between IVR and ACD

  1. IVR may or may not be part of the ACD System. 
  2. In IVR, the caller is offered options to select a desired department or function. In Automatic Call Distribution system, however, it is the system that intelligently decides to route the incoming call.

Advantages of using ACD

ACD systems have proved to provide better customer satisfaction that businesses across the globe that utilize contact centers have implemented ACD to improve their customer experience. Some of the benefits of ACD are:

  • Speed – It is so far, one of the fastest technologies in the domain of customer services. The system responds within seconds to pre-qualify the call. This way, the caller’s wait time is drastically reduced and improves the responsiveness of your business. Not only do you have lesser chances of losing out on a lead; you can impress the customer with a speedy response.
  • Enhancing the productivity of your employees – Businesses need to realize that the Automated Call Distribution method not only is a boon for your customers but also your internal agents. This is primarily because the caller is put directly onto the agent who has the expertise in the required domain. Thereby, no time is wasted in first apprehending the issue and then deciding who the right person is to take the call.
  • Reduction in downtime – Another major benefit of the ACD system is that the business resources are used to the optimum extent with only such agents getting the calls who are equipped to answer and resolve the queries. The call handling is done faster, which helps improve the call resolution rates – this is a critical factor for organizations that are focusing on improving their customer services. 

Overall, the use of ACD helps in the overall improvement of the use of company resources and thus, offering a professional and consistent experience to the customer.

Application of ACD

  1. Automatic Call Distribution system works exceedingly well for call centers. Since call centers are focused on streamlining the external communication system of an organization, ACD helps in reducing downtime, putting callers on hold, or disconnecting the call.
  2. ACD is a technology that is boosting the banking sector. Banks, as we know, have departments and sub-departments and handling customer queries is a big-time concern area for banks. ACD can do wonders by connecting the right caller to the right agent or department.
  3. ACD is a big help for the Supply Chain departments. The system helps in making the collaborative efforts between the logistic chain, the delivery units, suppliers, employees, and customers efficient and productive.
  4. ACD proves to be a blessing for Emergency Services like paramedics, police, fire-fighters; and so on. This is one department where the response needs to be critically urgent. ACD rises to the opportunity strikingly well because the system is smarter and the response times are shorter.

Voice Biometric Authentication Explained

Posted on by Sivakumar R

What does voice biometric authentication do exactly?

Voice biometric authentication allows you to use your voice as a password instead of the manual password that can be easily forgotten or hacked due to compilation weakness. Voice authentication is a biometric technique that recognizes a speaker by measuring the marked aspects in someone’s voice.

Something interesting here to note is the difference in speaker recognition and speech recognition. 

In speaker recognition, the technology identifies your voice to recognize you as a person.

In speech recognition, the technology uses speech in texting applications and for active dictations in gadget assistants such as Watson and Siri. Moreover, while voice biometrics can verify the name of the speaker based on their voice, speech recognition, on the other hand, recognizes individual phrases of human speech, which is converted into text.

Types of voice authentication

There are two common forms of voice authentication engines, namely: text-independent and text-dependent.

Text independent: Here, the system does not store any pre-recorded audio to compare it with the input. It is a method of voice authentication without any prior speech content inputted into the biometric system. It is much more convenient since it offers free speech.

Text-dependent: For text-dependent recognition, a previously given paraphrase that is stored in the system has to be repeated, there is a constraint in speech content here.

How does voice biometric authentication works?

Voice biometric recognition starts with a voice input from the person whose voice identity needs to be stored in the system. This print is then kept for authentication purposes.

The voiceprint is made with the use of software that splits the statement into various frequencies. More behavioral attributes are identified at this stage that works as a team to mutually make-up the voiceprint.

Since voiceprints behave just like fingerprints, each one of them is peculiar and connected to a sole person. The prints are stored in databases to identify later and acknowledge users. 

For example, during the procedure, a text-independent system will focus on matching unfamiliar speeches with the previously stored voiceprint of a person.

Applications of voice biometric authentication

  • Safeguarding of bank accounts: Voice authentication can be used together with facial identification technology for security reasons when conducting bank transactions.
  • Mobile applications: It can be used as a secure form of authentication in mobile apps that requires extra security for inner application payments.
  • Call center attests: Voice authentication makes it easy to show beyond doubt an identity by merely discerning the voice at the other end of the call. It provides security against call center fraud, cuts down costs and airtime, keeps a quality brand identity, and upgrades customer experience.

Advantages of voice biometric authentication.

  • Satisfactory customer experience: Common user authentication methods such as passwords, PINs, questionnaire-based on personal information, etc. can be a setback in customer experience as it makes the customer wait for some time before they are able to avail of any services for which they contacted the call center. 
    Voice authentication, on the other side, occurs passively in the background, enabling customer’s experience to be the priority, while recognizing speech without interrupting the conversation.
  • Increased security: Layers of security arises through voice authentication measures. The method of authentication acknowledges not only one’s voice but also their character and other factors that affect the sound. This reduces fraud as the biometric channel can quickly identify a different voice.
  • Reduces operational costs: Voice authentication reduces the operational cost of call centers and even banks. It saves them millions by removing many processes that are involved in ancient authentication techniques. On an end to end conversation, it can recognize the customer’s voice to verify the identity without the requirement of standard questions.
  • Protects brand reputation: Companies that use voice authentication have the advantage of protecting their brand reputation. In this era and age, where consumers are adopting online services, their trust builds when organizations ensure encryption of their account data and their privacy. Consumers can quickly shift towards competitor’s services if their information is leaked, and their confidence breached.
  • Accuracy: Voice authentication is more accurate and reliable than the use of passwords that can be easily lost, changed, or guessed. It is like fingerprints, which nobody can have someone else’s. In other words, you cannot forget or recreate a voice, as in the case of passwords. Although the sound might be affected by several factors, it is much more reliable and convenient.

Voice authentication is an excellent method of user identity recognition as it brings adequate layers for security, which might not have been present before through manual pass codes.