09) Feature Research

Distinct Dashboards

Research Conclusions

• MoSCoW - Must have
• The dashboard is the first thing that each type of end user sees, thus it is key that the UI be simple and important information to that user be concise.
• High priority and is a must since it’s relatively easy to implement and value is high
• Provides key info about customers to admins so as to edit/update/delete their appointments, in a very user friendly way. - No prior experience required to get started quickly.

OmniChannel - SMS

Research Conclusions

• MoSCoW - Must have
• Gupshup services allow for easing integration for Javascript applications
• Cells phones are an almost universal possession for anyone in the modern world
• • Professionals, retirees, children, etc.
• Real-time messaging capabilities fit well with booking appointments
• Dialogue makes format correction and information exchange easier for the Client
• The widespread availability of SMS capable devices makes this channel a prominent feature
• Showcase feature for attracting a large demographic

OmniChannel - Slack

Research Conclusions

• MoSCoW - Should have
• Slack has a developer kit for Node which supports Web API and Real-time Messaging
• Our service shares a common demographic with Slack
• • Professionals in need of organization
• Real-time messaging allows for quick communication between Client and Booking System
• System can inform Client of missing and/or incorrectly formatted data quickly and painlessly
• Pricing for services is relatively expensive depending on our implementation
• • $6.67 per user/per month for a business standard plan

OmniChannel - Facebook Messenger

Research Conclusions

• MoSCoW - Should have
• 1.44 billion active users on average on facebook
• Some users show apprehension at sharing facebook account with business
• • Many people prefer to keep their private life and work life separate
• Employees that use our product will tend to avoid linking their facebook accounts to their accounts on our service for privacy sake
• Many facebook users use Facebook Messaging as an alternative to SMS
• Free for the Client to use over public WiFi
• Means that we secure the other side of the large demographic who prefer the format of SMS communication, but use Messenger to save money
• If we charge the client for messaging functions, we are forced to charge them our lowest price currently offered

OmniChannel - Email

Research Conclusions

• MoSCoW - Should have
• Email is widely used for professional communication
• • Large demographic appeal
• Simplistic email format makes compatibility issues nearly non-existent
• • Non-formatted text and lack of real-time communication
• • Booking appointments requires Formatted information
• Lack of real-time communication exacerbates format issues and aggravates the Client
• Pricing for services can be expensive depending on implementation
• Encrypted email services

Authentication Services

Research Conclusions

• MoSCoW - Should have
• Authentication services are not a “showcase” feature but help secure our Clientele to our product
• Trust and confidence in our service is important from a retention point of view
• • On an engineering note: we should create dependable and secure systems
• Login and Omnichannel linked accounts
• Linking an omnichannel account to an existing user requires specialized authentication for ensuring consistency between personal information and privacy of sensitive information from prying eyes

Machine Learning

Research Conclusions

• MoSCoW - Could have
• Machine Learning takes an absurd amount of customer usage statistics and data
• Need a steady income of usage data and a good amount of testing before predictions can be made confidently
• More risk coming from the possibility of decisions being made at the business level due to predictions made on our end
• Bad predictions made due to a lack of sufficient data reflect poorly on the product
• Better to implement the feature after a User Base has been established and the demand for the service is strong
• Collect data on customer usage and introduce the feature after a sufficient amount of data has been acquired

OmniChannel - Alexa

Research Conclusions

• MoSCoW - Won’t have
• Incurs immediate cost for Alexa capable unit
• Around 6 billion people use SMS and 8 million people own an Alexa
• Developing Alexa Skills is free
• Amazon does not charge you if you create a Skill for Alexa to use
• Voice recognition is hands-free and therefore more conducive to the “Secretary” ideal, but common consensus of user - research has found that the common user does not stick with voice apps after the initial use.
• 69% of Alexa Skill reviews have 1 or fewer customer reviews
• Retention rates of similar voice applications are around 11-13%
• Only 3% chance for Google Assistant users to remain active users at the 2 week mark