If you're not quite sure how serious Google(s goog) is about wooing business users, here's another indication that it is: the company is working with enterprise-y software companies to put the Google Hangout button smack dab on their web sites or applications. Got a problem? Bam! You're in a hangout with customer support. It's basically a replacement to the live chat buttons you see on most web sites these days, but with video.
Partners here include Zendesk and Zoho and for a quick demo of integration with Salesforce.com(s crm) check out the video below.
Business customers already incorporating the Hangout button include The Weather Channel and Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream, Google said.. In much the same vein, Google launched Chromebox for meetings, which also runs Hangouts, earlier this year.
Making Hangouts ubiquitous can promote collaboration, customer service, employee recruiting and other tasks, said Stephen Cho, head of Google Apps and Hangouts Technology Partnerships in a blog post announcing the news.
Given Microsoft's continued dominance with Office and integration of Skype with those bread and butter apps, this makes perfect sense.
Feature photo courtesy of Flickr user The Daring Librarian