Guides
The lobby screen that talks all day
Ask Mr. Sunny about this
Ask Mr. Sunny anything about this post. Your microphone opens only when you press Ask or Read it to me.
Hosted by Mr. NetShow.
Most businesses have a screen that nobody watches. It hangs in the waiting room, the shop window or the front desk. It loops the same slides, or it shows the news with the sound off. People glance at it and look away.
Now picture that screen with a face on it. The face greets people by voice, answers their questions from what you taught it, and points them to the next step. It does not get tired late in the afternoon. And it does not cost more because it stayed on all day.
That last part is the point of this post. A NetShow face on a lobby screen costs $0 a minute, however long it runs.
Full screen, all day, no meter
Our live avatars page lists four places a NetShow avatar can live. One of them is a lobby screen or kiosk, described in one line: "Full screen on a TV, a kiosk or a projector, still $0 a minute however long it runs."
That is possible because of where the face is drawn. The avatar is drawn by the screen's own browser instead of streamed from a server. Nothing streams to keep it moving, so nothing is billed by the minute. On a website, that means a long visit costs the face nothing extra. On a lobby screen, it means a full day of opening hours costs the face nothing extra too.
Think about how a streamed face would work on the same screen. Every minute it stayed up would be a minute on someone's meter. You would be tempted to switch it off between visitors, or to show it only at busy times. A face drawn in the browser takes that choice away. Leave it on.
What the screen looks like
Our big screen view is called Presentation Mode. It puts any public agent full screen on a TV, a kiosk, or the projector at the back of the room.
It is built for a room, not a desk. There is no menu bar, no footer and no marketing around the edges. There is a face, a caption band you can read from a couch, and a status line that tells the room what the agent is doing.
The caption band matters in a busy lobby. When the room is loud, people can still read what the face is saying.
Who shows up on your screen
A screen in a public place shows only an agent you have made public. A private agent does not appear on a lobby screen for strangers. As the owner, you can preview your own agent before you make it public.
What the face says comes from what you teach it. Your services, your hours, your answers. It greets each visitor, answers from that, and walks them to the next step you choose.
How people talk to it
NetShow faces are voice-first and hands-free, and they speak first. One thing to know for a lobby: browsers keep a page silent until someone taps or presses a key. So the greeting is spoken out loud from the first tap on the screen.
The microphone is the visitor's choice. It opens only when a visitor presses Talk, and the browser asks for permission before the agent can hear anyone. A visitor with no microphone or speaker can type instead.
The voice is part of the welcome. The NetShow voice is included with every avatar. GPT Live is the premium voice, with a daily cap. Your brand never speaks in a robotic browser voice. Our guide Give it a voice walks through picking one.
What you still pay for
The face is free to keep on screen. The thinking behind it is not. In the words of our live avatars page: "You pay for your agent's thinking on your plan, never for its face being visible."
So a quiet morning in the lobby costs the face nothing, and a busy afternoon costs the face nothing. When people ask questions, your agent does the work of answering, and that work runs on your plan. The plans page shows it plainly.
FAQ
Does the face cost more if the screen stays on all day?
No. The face is drawn by the screen's own browser instead of streamed from a server. It stays $0 a minute however long it runs.
What kind of screen can I use?
A TV, a kiosk or a projector. Presentation Mode puts any public agent full screen on any of them.
Will it talk to people without being asked?
It greets people by voice, and it speaks first. Browsers keep a page silent until the first tap, so the greeting is spoken aloud from that tap.
Does it listen to the whole room?
No. The microphone opens only when a visitor presses Talk, and the browser asks for permission first.
Put a face on your lobby screen
If you already have a screen on the wall, you have most of what a talking lobby needs. Our live avatars page shows the eight looks, the voices, and where a face can live, including the lobby screen. It also shows two ways to get yours. You can build it yourself on a plan, or our team can set up your avatar, teach it your business and put it on your site. Meet the host on that page, press Talk, and ask it about your own lobby.