Collaborative environment for supporting Web users

This paper describes methods for developing a Web-based collaborative environment for call center agents supporting end users by using realtime Web browser sharing techniques. The collaborative functions should be available for end users without any preparation on the client-side. On the other hand, it is important for Web site developers to separate content design and collaborative-function development. If they are not separated, content designers have to create collaboration-aware content, and existing content cannot be reused with the collaborative functions. This paper discusses three approaches for developing real-time browser sharing systems, and shows why the proxy-based approach is the best to meet the above requirements