Video Interaction with customer support.
During this project, I was tasked with synchronizing the company's software, SignOn (which was used for posting and altering digital content on digital displays), with a 24-storage customer support call system. The primary objective was to enable users at the storage facilities to initiate video chats by simply pressing a digital display, which would connect them with the 24/7 customer support team.
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To achieve this goal, I had to devise an effective system that could seamlessly integrate the two software systems. This involved analyzing the technical specifications of both systems and identifying areas where they could be linked. Additionally, I had to consider the user experience and ensure that the process of connecting with customer support was as straightforward and user-friendly as possible.
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During the course of the project, I encountered a few challenges that required creative problem-solving. However, by utilizing my technical skills and resourcefulness, I was able to overcome these hurdles and deliver a reliable and efficient solution ready for testing.
Establish the
workflow and approach.
During the initial phase of the project, we were required to use a new hardware prototype player that our company had recently developed. This player was equipped with Linux, and we had to ensure that only our in-house software, Visual React, could be launched on it. While this was challenging, it became a top priority to make our updated software compatible with the Linux environment of the hardware player.
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In addition to this, we had to integrate the Cisco call solution used by 24 Storage into Visual React. This meant restricting the functionality of the software to only allow the user to initiate or terminate a call, nothing more. This was necessary to ensure a seamless user experience while minimizing any potential technical glitches that could arise.
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Although this presented some initial difficulties, I was able to leverage my expertise to create a stable and user-friendly solution. By testing and refining the software, we were able to achieve a successful integration of the new hardware player with the Visual React software and Cisco call solution.
Building the prototype
and iterative testing.
Upon beginning the prototype phase, I quickly realized that the touch display and the "improved" hardware that we were provided with were plagued with bugs and were not functioning correctly. To address this issue, we obtained updated versions of the hardware; however, this brought to light additional issues such as the microphone not working properly on the new display and an overheating problem with the new player. As a result, we had to send the display back and adjust the hardware to resolve these issues.
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To ensure that all functionality was working correctly, I conducted iterative testing of the hardware. During this process, our partner worked on resolving the issues that we had encountered. In the meantime, I set up a test computer with Linux installed and began working on integrating the two software systems. This allowed us to work on the software aspect of the project while the hardware issues were being addressed.
Challenges.
There were a lot of challenges with this project since I worked alone for the most time since my colleague was on parenting leave. I created a list with tasks that needed to be approved before delivering a finished product. It was very challenging to make two new products to function together that were not built for this type of usage. The amount of information to solve this problem was limited so I had to do trial and error in order to move the process forward. In the end I managed to get a custom link to be embedded into Visual React so that it basically just linked to a call through the button press.
Overall experience.
My problem-solving skills were put to the test with this project as I had to come up with a solution for the client's unique needs on my own. Luckily, 24 Storage was understanding that this type of project had never been done in our software before and may take some time.
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I assisted in creating a digital display featuring a call button that would connect customers with their support team via video call. The finished product was delivered to 24 Storage, and data was to be collected to analyze usage and identify areas for improvement. Unfortunately, I had already moved on to a new job by the time this data was collected.
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