This document provides an overview of the components required for a desktop user to connect to SightCall. These components apply to SightCall participants who fall into one of the following categories:
- SightCall Desktop Agents – These are licensed SightCall users who authenticate to the SightCall service via web browser on their Windows/MacOS workstations.
- SightCall Guests who have received a SightCall invitation from an agent (typically via email) where both of the following conditions are met:
- Guest is using a PC or Mac.
- The SightCall Use Case selected by the agent has the Guest Connection Mode option set to “App Only”.
The components that comprise the SightCall experience for these personas are the SightCall Console, the SightCall Extension, and the SightCall Plugin. The following figure illustrates how each of these components is interconnected. Further detail is provided in the subsequent sections of this document.
Component Definitions
SightCall Console
The SightCall Console is the web-based user interface displayed to the agent. In “standalone” deployments, this is the https://console.sightcall.com web application. For integrated deployments (e.g. Salesforce, Dynamics, Zendesk, etc.), this is the embedded SightCall component in the CRM. The console provides the interface for agents to interact with guests during the SightCall video session.
SightCall Extension
The SightCall Extension is a web browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, or Edge (chromium) that serves as the communication channel between the SightCall Plugin and the SightCall Console. The SightCall Extension uses the browser’s native messaging capabilities for this communication.
SightCall Plugin
The SightCall Plugin is a native background application that runs on the desktop user’s local machine (Windows/MacOS). The SightCall plugin initiates and maintains network connections (UDP/TCP) to the SightCall Cloud, and as such handles all audio and video communication with the SightCall Cloud. The SightCall Plugin is a single purpose application which does not have any configuration or user interface.
Component Interaction
The SightCall Console, extension, and plugin all work together to provide the user experience on the desktop. The following series of steps describes the typical engagement of each of these components during an agent’s use of SightCall:
- Agent authenticates to the SightCall Console (or integrated UI) via HTTPS in the web browser.
- Upon successful authentication, the console instructs the SightCall Plugin to initiate a connection to the closest SightCall Cloud access point. This communication is passed between the console and plugin via the extension.
- The plugin informs the console when the connection to the access point is complete, which allows the agent to create a new SightCall video session.
- The agent creates a new SightCall video session in the console and informs the plugin of this session.
- When the guest attempts to connect to the SightCall session, the plugin handles the network negotiation, capabilities alignment, and ultimately maintains all SightCall-based communication during the live session.
- During the SightCall session, as the agent invokes various features (e.g. camera, flashlight, etc.), these commands are sent from the console to the plugin via the extension, and responses from the guest are passed from the plugin to the console via the extension.