Method and system for providing assistance via video

A system for providing assistance to a user via video, comprising:

• a call host configured to receive incoming telephone calls;
• a computing terminal operated by the user and configured to initiate a video chat session as an audio telephone call with the call host;
• and
• a plurality of human agent operated terminals in communication with the call host;
• wherein:
• the call host is configured to establish an audio connection between the user terminal and the call host for the audio telephone call and route the audio telephone call to a terminal of a human agent, the routing depending on a skill required for providing a type of assistance requested by the user;
• and
• responsive to the agent terminal accepting the routed telephone call, the agent terminal and the user terminal are configured to establish a video connection between the user terminal and the agent terminal.

A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a series of instructions executable by a processor for providing assistance to a user via video, the instructions configured to cause the processor to perform the steps of:

• initiating a video chat session as an audio telephone call between a terminal operated by the user and a remote computing device;
• establishing, by the call host, an audio connection between the user terminal and the remote computing device for the audio telephone call;
• routing, by the call host, the audio telephone call to a terminal of a human agent, the routing depending on a skill required for providing a type of assistance requested by the user;
• and
• the user terminal and the agent terminal establishing a video connection between the user terminal and the agent terminal after the audio telephone call is accepted by the agent terminal.

A system for providing assistance to a user, comprising:

• a user terminal;
• and
• a call host,
• wherein the user terminal directs a chat session telephone call to the call host, the call host selecting an agent terminal from a plurality of agent terminals and routing the telephone call as an audio connection to the selected agent terminal, and responsive to the routing of the telephone call, the user terminal and the selected agent terminal directly negotiating with each other to establish at least one of a video connection and a text chat connection that is maintained in parallel with the audio connection.