While it remains to be seen what they'll ultimately bring to market, in going over some of the coverage about the Ebay/Google partnership, a few voices have noticed their offering may be lacking a way for consumers to connect with businesses by phone, and instead require that consumers have either Skype or Google Talk downloaded to their computers.

As Greg Sterling points out, "So eBay and Google must see this also as a way to generate adoption of Skype and Google Talk. I can understand eBay trying to leverage and promote its Skype acquisition/asset. But if they want to accelerate the adoption of Click to Call (as the basis here of PPCall), why are they throwing up barriers to its use on the consumer side by requiring a software download?"

In our experience, we’ve seen how click to call can increase sales conversions and improve the overall buyer experience, but across the globe we’re seeing that largely, consumers still prefer to speak over the phone than through their PC.  That's why it’s important to give customers options that allow them to communicate with the business in a manner in which they’re comfortable. This means giving consumers the choice of either talking to the business via their PC or over a regular landline or mobile phone without requiring that the merchant or the buyer download additional software. Forcing buyers and sellers down a single path creates an unnecessary barrier that could interfere with the sale.

In order for pay per call to work...you need options.  For some customers, talking through a PC won't pose a problem, but do you really need to have them download additional software for that to happen?  Others will prefer an immediate callback to their mobile or landline phone so that they won't have to be tied to the computer when talking to the business. 

Still, some people may just want a regular phone number...that can be tracked by the advertiser of course. 

Anything short of providing these options and you're likely to lose potential buyers and do a major disservice to your advertisers.

No doubt by now you've all been hearing about yesterday's advertising partnership between Google and Ebay.  Both companies recognize the impact that click to call technology can have in creating new kinds of advertising for their customers.  Consumers have absolutely embraced it. And that kind of enthusiasm is music to the ears of any Web giant.

As Leslie Ament, director of the Customer Intelligence Research Practice at Aberdeen Group, told one media outlet, click to call is "a welcome step in allowing advertisers to directly track the ROI from their marketing investments."

With hundreds of global brands using eStara's Click to Call,we see the increase in sales conversions, decrease in website abondonment and improvements in overall customer experience that this technology enables.  Indeed, click to call is transitioning from a "nice-to-have" to a "must-have."

It's logical that Google and Ebay would want to harness this power and we believe it will only accelerate adoption of this technology.  We look forward to seeing their offerings develop in the first half of 2007.

Below are some links to other coverage of yesterday's announcement:

Google and eBay's New Connection, Business Week

EBay Gambles on Google Partnership for Success of Skype, the Internet Phone Service, The New York Times

Google, EBay Partner on Ads, Calling Tool, The Washington Post

Google, eBay Try to Crack Service Market, Associated Press

This month, Fast Company takes a look at some customer service practices that drive customers, like comedian Lewis Black, nuts.  The article includes a chart on how automated telephone systems are driving customers up a wall:


Source: Customer Care Management & Consulting, June 2006One thing is clear...the quicker you give customers access to a live agent, the less inhumane they perceive the transaction.

The Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) offers a great weekly Webcast featuring Bill Rose, SSPA Founder and Executive Director and the SSPA’s new Vice President of Research, and former Forrester Research analyst, John Ragsdale.

This week, they covered the topic of how to avoid wasting money in your support operations, with questions at the end of the Webcast addressing best practices in phone support and knowledgebase management. The session is archived on the SSPA site, click here to listen (registration required).

As reported today by MarketingVox, a recent Yellow Pages Association study  found that online directory references were up to 1.8 billion in 2005 from 1.5 billion in 2004.  That's good news for Yellow Pages, since they're also seeing a decline in print references.  As the eyeballs increase online, no doubt will there be a rising need to connect buyers and sellers in more effective manners.   The future of Yellow Pages will mean an increased investment in online and mobile technologies that:

1) give consumers options on how they'd like to communicate with advertisers

2) generate new revenue streams for publishers.

Also, a growing online presence means competing with established online brands. In this kind of environment, the key to success lies in providing content and services that differentiate IYPs from other local media sources.