The business climate has never been an easy one to thrive in. It's inexorably competitive, and there's an increasing focus on customer service and meeting quality goals. The happier the customer, the more likely he is to return, even if he doesn't find quite exactly what he wants. One of the ways to make said customer happy is to entice this person in a conversation. To make this possible online, websites have been adding voice and text-based options for chatting with customers before they make a purchase – since, well – forever. But perhaps you didn't know that there's a new way to do this – one that caters to any operating system on any platform. That, my friend, is through a little magical thing called HTML5.

Workface, a company specializing in real-time B2C sales engagement solutions, has introduced its HTML5 chat application last week. Because it is developed with HTML5, it can cater just as much to mobile devices as it does to desktop computers. This flexibility will allow any sales agent to get in touch with any customer, whether either of them are using a stationary or mobile computing interface. This is particularly exciting because it both expands possibilities for customers and keeps things productive on the business end of things – regardless where an agent may be at any particular moment.

Workface allows a company to put customers in touch directly with a representative, even to the point of letting the customer choose which agent they would like to speak to.

The company's founder and chief technology officer, Lief Larson, expressed excitement over this, saying,  “HTML5 will act as a sort of passport that will allow Workface users to go wherever they want and interact wherever they are.”

“Customers will be able to use virtually any web-connected device to choose when and where they'd like to chat and who they'd like to chat with. By providing the interaction they need, when they need it, HTML5 will provide customers with unprecedented flexibility and convenience, while businesses will be able to deepen engagement and get a closer look at their customers' needs,” Larsen added.

By using applications like Workface, you might just get the “mom and pop” spirit your thriving business has been missing.