Will avatars be a part of the future of customer service?
Often referred to as “holograms”, they are in fact a rear projection mylar technology, a modern version of a classic stage trick called “Pepper’s ghost” [1], and are otherwise known as “virtual mannequins”; for more detail, see my Meta Guide webpage, “Best Virtual Mannequin Videos” [2]. Generally thought to be one-way video, @Equicross claims their @AirportAvatar virtual mannequins are already “capable of answering spoken questions” [3].
Social CRM, including Mobile CRM, is undoubtedly heating up at the moment. One just has to look back at how ATMs have transformed the banking industry to imagine the future full of synthetic people, or virtual humans, not to mention the coming augmented reality….
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepper’s_ghost
[2] http://www.meta-guide.com/home/about/videography/best-virtual-mannequin-videos