Quick Thoughts On Whereby

Though the Covid pandemic raised our awareness of it, video chat isn't new. For decades we've had video chat available in MSN Messenger, Skype, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp.

But the thing that made Zoom take off during the early days of the pandemic - with consumers at least - was the cross-Platform nature of it. Whether you were dialling in on desktop or mobile, iOS or Android, it just worked. Key to why it worked were simple, shareable, clickable dial-in links.

Browsers are already where we spend most of our time. Just like Zoom, apps like Whereby will make browser based everything even more normal. And make video calling even easier.

Admittedly, I'd never heard of Whereby until Ryan Bonnici recently joined them as CMO. Ryan know's whats up. He's seen the inside of more successful software companies than most - Microsoft, ExactTarget, Salesforce, HubSpot, and G2. He was named as a Forbes Magazine "Most Influential CMO" in 2020. If he joins a software company, it's probably doing something right.

Ease of use is absolutely something Whereby are doing right. I first used it a few weeks back to catch up with friends on the weekend, and it was a breeze. My account was created in seconds, sharing the link was easy, and all invited to the chat joined moments after that.

Because it's browser based, Whereby is easy to embed in websites and web apps. If a visitor or prospect shows up to chat, they just "knock" to be let in to chat with you. Embeds can even include company logos to help it blend in even more.

I'm a firm believer that browsers, not apps, are still the future of mobile and Whereby seem to believe that, too. The mobile web experience is top class. Again, no need for a native mobile app.

Check it out at whereby.com. And definitely follow Whereby and Ryan on Twitter.