In August, much ado was made about internet giants Google and eBay agreeing to jointly develop click-to-call text advertising. Click to call allows users to click on a button embedded on an online ad, and instantly be connected to that business over the phone. Google and eBay have adeptly recognized that, in many instances, a voice connection is the most efficient way to connect buyers with sellers and convert sales.
The idea is to use click-to-call technology to power a new business model -- pay per call -- whereby an advertiser will pay Google and eBay each time a web browser calls them (as opposed to simply clicking on an ad). The agreement has the potential to generate new revenue streams for both companies by supplementing Google's historically successful pay-per-click service, and giving eBay a partnership with the world's largest search engine.
The "why" makes sense, it's the "how" that has experts talking. As part of the agreement, Google and eBay are heavily promoting the fact that their respective VoIP network solutions, GoogleTalk and Skype, will be the primary technology to power these click-to-call enabled ads.
Products like GoogleTalk and Skype are classified as peer-to-peer services, meaning they were designed for users to communicate with family, friends and colleagues-- not to initiate B2C communications. When using peer-to-peer products, both the buyer and the seller must download software, and communicate using a computer microphone and speakers rather than standard telephone.
In order for pay per call to work, you need options. If they are used at all, peer-to-peer products should only be one part of the larger pay-per-call strategy. To eliminate barriers for advertisers and consumers, the standard telephone must be offered as a communication channel.
There are proven services, such as call tracking (which assigns a unique standard telephone number to each advertiser) and click to callback (which lets consumers enter their phone number for a return call in the amount of time they specify), that integrate the telephone into pay per call. These ensure that nearly any consumer will be able to contact a business, minimizing leakage for advertisers.
Another unnecessary barrier that peer-to-peer products introduce to click-to-call applications are required software downloads, which many consumers are not willing to do. Click to call is all about instant connections, and downloading software is not instantaneous. If users are forced to have Skype or GoogleTalk on the desktop, Google and eBay put an unnecessary hurdle in front of consumers, and do a disservice to advertisers, in the process, drastically limiting the market for their pay-per-call service.
For some customers, talking through a PC won't pose a problem, but do you really need to have them download additional software for that to happen? Others will prefer an immediate callback to their mobile or landline phone, so that they won't have to be tied to the computer when talking to the business. In fact, when given the choice, only 10 to 15 percent of consumers currently opt to use PC-based voice communication over telephone-based connection.
So, the question becomes, will Google and eBay offer choices beyond these PC-to-PC products? Google and eBay have certainly validated an extremely powerful technology in click to call, which has already been successfully deployed by large publishers such as Verizon Superpages.com and hundreds of other large enterprises. It's time to think about the needs of consumers and advertisers, and give pay per call a chance to succeed. Anything short of providing these options and you're likely to lose potential buyers and do a major disservice to your advertisers.
John Federman is the chief executive officer of eStara. Read full bio.
