There was once a bit from the Canadian comedy troupe “The Kids in the Hall” known as the “Flying Pig” sketch. The title character entertained people waiting in life's many lines, like at an ATM for example. But phone systems don't have a Flying Pig to entertain us while we wait on hold for “the next available customer service representative.” Thus, OnSIP has a new idea in Queue Video, a system which can prove to be just as valuable as a Flying Pig for making the line seem shorter.

Queue Video, available just recently for OnSIP Queue customers, allows those with OnSIP Queue systems to watch a video while waiting for an agent to answer the call. It can be a funny, entertaining clip, or an opportunity to educate customers about new products and services available. It works with OnSIP InstaCall, a solution geared toward giving customers click-to-call access from a Web browser. Given that, according to reports, 15 percent of callers are likely to just hang up after being on hold for only 40 seconds, and an average of seven out of 10 callers are placed on hold right from calling a business, it makes some sense to make the on-hold experience better for the customer, who is then less likely to hang up.

But that's not all OnSIP had to show off recently; the company also brought out the Call Monitor system which allows a supervisor to actively listen in with a simple button press, and neither the agent nor the caller will be able to hear that the supervisor has chosen to listen in on the call. Better yet, should there prove a need for intervention, the next new feature known as Call Whisper can help out. With another button press, the supervisor listening in with Call Monitor can speak directly to the agent, though the caller won't hear what's being said. If the supervisor wants both sides of the conversation to hear, meanwhile, that's where the third new feature, Call Barge, steps in to help.

Essentially, these four new systems work together to make a better experience for the caller by any of a variety of options. There are videos on hand to entertain the waiting caller, and there are several levels of monitoring and assistance that call center supervisors can provide. Some might consider this an invitation to make a difficult job even harder on the part of the call center agent, who must now constantly look over his or her shoulder for the next round of supervisor snooping and meddling, but if it's done properly, it can be an enriching experience for the agent and can help provide a better customer experience. Imagine if call center supervisors could step in with abusive callers, making a call for calm and civility. That could make the call center environment better for its staff, and in turn, that could mean lower turnover and better operations.

There's a lot of potential in OnSIP's new call center offerings. With better service and an easier wait afoot, callers may have a lot more reason to get in touch with a business, and ultimately, buy more from that business. It's no Flying Pig, of course, but it's still got a lot working in its favor.