Customer conversations don’t always fit neatly into a text message.
Sometimes the communication requires a little more depth:
- a customer needs to show a damaged product
- a patient needs a consultation
- an insurance assessor needs to inspect a claim
- or a support agent needs to see exactly what’s happening on screen
Until now, moving from messaging to video often meant friction: downloading apps, switching platforms, or asking customers to navigate unfamiliar tools.
With the latest enhancement to Modica’s OMNI platform, businesses can now launch secure video calls directly from an SMS invitation, creating a faster, more personal way to connect with customers.
Designed Around a Simple Idea
The goal of this release was straightforward: make starting a video call feel as easy as sending a text message.
Instead of building a separate product or introducing an entirely new workflow, video calling has been integrated directly into the familiar messaging experience businesses already use.
A customer receives an SMS invitation, clicks a link, and joins a secure video session.
For organisations, the experience is equally streamlined. Sending a video invitation follows the same familiar process as sending a message, making adoption simple and allowing teams to incorporate video communication naturally into existing workflows.
Laying the Foundation for More Conversation Types
As part of this release, we introduced a new Type selector within the messaging workflow.
While it currently enables Conference Calls, the design lays the groundwork for future communication channels within the OMNI platform, including WhatsApp, RCS, and other rich messaging capabilities.
For organisations not yet configured for video calling, selecting Conference Call provides a simple explanation of the capability and a pathway to learn more. Once enabled, the workflow adapts automatically to support video-specific tasks.
Small Changes That Create Clarity
One of the key principles for this release was changing as little as possible while providing the right context at the right time.
When users select Conference Call, the familiar messaging workflow subtly adapts:
- Recipient limits change from large-scale messaging to a maximum of eight participants
- The Message Body becomes an SMS Invitation
- Video-specific settings, such as automatic recording, replace messaging-focused settings
- The final action becomes Send and Join, reflecting the next step in the journey
These small changes help reinforce that a conference call is a shared experience while keeping the workflow familiar.
Preventing Mistakes Before They Happen
One important consideration was helping users understand that a conference call invitation is shared among all participants.
To address this, a review step highlights that the invitation will connect multiple participants into the same video session before it is sent.
This extra layer of confirmation helps reduce the likelihood of accidentally inviting multiple people to what was intended to be a private one-to-one conversation.
Joining Instantly
Once invitations are sent, the host is taken directly into the video experience.
The Send and Join action automatically opens the conference screen, eliminating extra steps and allowing hosts to begin their session immediately.
For desktop users in particular, this creates the fastest possible path from invitation to conversation.
Security in the Experience
Security and privacy were treated as part of the user experience, not separate features.
Participants enter a waiting lobby before joining the call, allowing hosts to admit attendees individually. This provides an additional layer of control for sensitive conversations involving personal, financial, or health information.
When the session concludes, hosts end the call for everyone at once, ensuring there is a clear and deliberate end to the conversation.
Beyond the Call
The experience doesn’t stop when the video session ends.
To help customers maintain a complete interaction history, we introduced a new call summary within conversation threads.
The summary captures key information such as:
- Call duration
- Participant activity
- Recording availability
- Recording expiry status
This provides teams with a clear record of what happened during the interaction and makes it easy to locate and manage call recordings when available.
A Minimal First Step
This release represents the first step in bringing richer customer engagement experiences into OMNI.
The initial version focuses on a deliberately simple flow:
Invite. Review. Send and Join. Admit. End for All. Download.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can we see what the customer is seeing?
Instead of relying on descriptions, screenshots, or lengthy back-and-forth conversations, agents can send a secure video session link by SMS, email, WhatsApp, or any communication channel. The customer simply clicks the link and joins instantly through their browser, allowing agents to see the issue in real time and guide them to a resolution. Browser-based visual support is increasingly used to shorten troubleshooting time and improve customer outcomes.
How can customers show us an issue remotely?
Customers receive a secure invitation link and can immediately share what they're experiencing using their device camera. This allows support teams, field operations, insurers, and service providers to assess issues remotely without waiting for photos, emails, or site visits. Organisations increasingly use live visual assistance to accelerate issue resolution and reduce operational delays.
How can we verify identity without a branch visit?
Video interactions allow organisations to verify customers remotely while maintaining a secure and auditable record of the interaction. Customers can join from any smartphone or browser-enabled device without downloading software, making identity verification more accessible while reducing the need for in-person appointments.
How can we reduce unnecessary site visits?
Many issues can be assessed remotely before dispatching technicians, assessors, inspectors, or field staff. By allowing customers to instantly join a live video session, organisations can determine whether an onsite visit is required, reducing operational costs and improving response times. Remote visual support platforms commonly position this as a way to reduce truck rolls and unnecessary field visits.
How can customers join a video call without downloading software?
Customers receive a secure link and join directly from their browser. There are no apps to install, accounts to create, passwords to remember, or software updates to manage. Browser-based video experiences built on WebRTC technology allow customers to connect immediately from desktop or mobile devices.
How can we create an audit trail of customer interactions?
Video sessions can be recorded and automatically transcribed, creating a searchable record of customer interactions. This helps organisations maintain compliance, support quality assurance programs, reduce manual note-taking, and preserve context for future customer engagements.
How can we prove what was discussed with a customer?
Recorded sessions and transcripts provide an objective record of customer interactions. Organisations can use these records to support dispute resolution, compliance obligations, complaint investigations, quality reviews, and operational governance requirements.
How can we inspect damage remotely?
Video sessions allow customers to show damage, faults, installations, assets, or environments in real time. This is commonly used for insurance assessments, maintenance reporting, claims verification, property inspections, and evidence collection without requiring an immediate onsite visit.
How can we help customers complete complex processes remotely?
When customers become stuck during an application, onboarding process, claim, form submission, or service request, agents can move beyond phone calls and messaging into a live video session. Visual guidance allows agents to identify issues faster and help customers complete processes while they are still engaged.
How can we improve first-contact resolution?
The fastest way to resolve an issue is often to remove the guesswork. By allowing agents to see what the customer sees and interact in real time, organisations can resolve more issues during the first interaction rather than relying on follow-up calls, emails, screenshots, or site visits. Remote visual assistance solutions frequently position this as a key driver of improved first-contact resolution and customer satisfaction.
