Communications APIs Are Santa’s Secret Helper

One time-honored tradition that 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic will unfortunately prevent is the in-person Santa visit. We most likely won’t see long lines of children waiting to snuggle up to the big guy for pictures and gift requests. So what are the alternatives? After all, we need the magic of Santa Claus more than ever this year.

Like everything else about our lives—work, school, doctor’s appointments—Santa is going remote. And with the help of video APIs, he can reach more children than ever before, all from the comfort of the North Pole. Even better, you can treat your children to that one-on-one time with Santa from the comfort of your own home—no lines, no traffic, no stress (and no germs).

Here’s a look at the innovative way one company is using communications APIs to embed personalized visits with Santa into its app and website.

Live from the North Pole, It's Santa and Mrs. Claus

By now, just about everybody has gotten comfortable with video chat. That includes Santa, who makes himself available for personal visits with children across the globe through platforms like JingleRing.

The world’s first fully integrated virtual experience platform, JingleRing is leveraging the Vonage Video API to provide live video chats with a culturally diverse cast of Santas who speak a variety of languages, including American Sign Language. Customers can choose their preferred Santa and/or Mrs. Claus, including a faith-based Santa or even a special needs Santa who has received additional training provided by JingleRing. 

Parents and caregivers can make the experience even more magical by adding personalized details about their children including their Christmas wish list. They can invite relatives from around the world to join their JingleRing video chat session, making it a full-family experience and giving Grandma and Uncle Jim a good look at that wish list. All JingleRing sessions are recorded (will your toddler ever tire of watching Santa speak directly to him?) and even include pictures with Santa that can be shared on social media.

JingleRing works anywhere in the world, from any device with an internet connection. And with JingleRing, your live Santa visit can last up to 10 minutes—that’s about 5 times as long as you get with any mall Santa.

Personalized Santa Messages

Whether they are meeting with Santa via video or in person, sometimes children are just too shy or too scared to talk directly with the big guy or his elves. If that’s the case, prerecorded options are also available. JingleRing offers prerecorded Santa video messages, eliminating any pressure on the child to speak back to Santa. 

For an excited kid, video straight from the North Pole is pure magic. When the call is personalized and recorded, kids get the thrill of speaking directly with Santa and his helpers, and parents can gather useful information for gift-giving. 2020 has been a challenging year for us all, but families can still make magical holiday memories for their children thanks to technology and companies like JingleRing.  

If you’re looking to individualize engagement and improve ROI this holiday season, be sure to add voice broadcasting and live video to your website - learn more here.