In today’s age of digital transformation, technology is constantly evolving and changing the way modern companies do business. Whether it’s using machine learning in digital marketing or connecting remote teams all over the world with unified communications solutions, there’s no business process unaffected by the digital age.
In 2022, customer service isn’t limited to phone calls and emails. Nowadays, businesses are emphasizing an omnichannel customer service experience that enables customers to access support across multiple touchpoints, including live chat, chatbots, social media, and—of course—video chat.
Video chat is rapidly gaining traction as a valuable customer support medium. Integrating video chat in your contact center empowers agents to handle requests in real-time while communicating face-to-face with customers.
Here are the top 6 benefits of using video calling for interacting with customers.
1. Offer a more personalised customer experience
One of the first benefits of video chat for customer service is that you can offer a more personalised experience. Businesses are already using video conferencing tools to connect with remote teams and clients, so why not expand it to facilitate conversations with customers?
80% of customers are more likely to buy from brands that offer personalised experiences, and many consumers feel frustrated when their shopping experience is impersonal.
There’s no doubt that personalisation plays a key role in the customer experience – and video chat arguably provides the most personal support channel possible.
Customers can directly chat with your agents face-to-face. Participants can read each other's facial expressions and body language to connect on a more emotional level. Contact center software can also be configured to route customers based on their communication preferences, interaction history, and the agent’s skill set—ensuring customers get the support they need immediately.
Different types of customers will expect different customer support experiences. Partners or B2B clients in insurance or business loans, for instance, won’t want to be treated in the same way as a customer making a one-time inquiry. These customers are likely to stick with your business longer, so it’s important for your agents to connect with them on a more personal level to build relationships.
2. Improve resolution time
Time to resolution (TTR) is an important Contact Center metric that measures the amount of time that passes between when an interaction begins and when it’s marked as resolved.
Customers can become frustrated when their problem isn’t understood, or they’re sent on a wild goose chase as they’re transferred between agents trying to resolve their issue. With omni-channel video chat, issues can be resolved quickly and effectively without customers waiting in hold queues or becoming frustrated with lengthy email chains.
Video calls can also drastically improve First-Time Right (FTR) - which is also know as first contact resolution (FCR).
FCR refers to customer issues that are resolved during the first interaction, without having to call the customer back or having them call you back. First-contact resolution correlates directly with customer satisfaction scores, so it’s vital you do everything you can to improve it.
Image source: Pointillist
During a video call, customers can use gestures or demonstrate the issue when something is wrong with a product or service. Agents can leverage features like screen sharing and co-browsing to guide customers towards a solution. By providing real-time, visual support you can also reduce average handling time and solve issues faster - while wowing customers with your customer service.
So whether you're answering questions about an insurance claim, opening a new bank account, getting a refund, or... how to find affiliate marketers, video calls can help you provide in-depth support to handle interactions more efficiently.
3. Reduce costs for customer service
Every business wants to reduce costs. But that doesn’t mean it should cost you your customer service.
Video chat help businesses to save on costs associated with travel, as agents can simply hop on a video call without having to visit the customer. With the help of additional visual features like co-browsing, video meetings can feel even more interactive than in-person ones.
Your agents can do everything they would in-person, without leaving the (home) office or branch location they’re working from. The customer, too, saves travel time. This way, whether customers want to complete a new mortgage application or need help understanding how to use affiliate marketing software, you can take them through the process step-by-step.
4. Market your brand
During a video call, customers get to put a face to your brand. They also get a glimpse into the atmosphere of your company and brand image, which can be a huge marketing advantage.
You’ll need to train your client-facing team about appropriate video call etiquette and ensure they understand the brand image you want to convey.
If agents are working from home, this means ensuring there’s no mess in the background or any disruptive background noise for professionalism. Video backgrounds should be well-lit and clear, agents should be dressed professionally, and sound quality optimised with headsets. It’s vital that the customer feels relaxed during the video call, meaning agents must be kind and well-presented, eager to solve the customer’s issue.
By combining professionalism on camera and a friendly face with quick resolution times, customers are more likely to recommend your brand and its customer service to their friends and family or leave a positive review online.
For instance, imagine you're looking to set up one of the best affiliate programs on offer. If potential affiliates are impressed by the energy and rapport you bring to the initial meeting, they’re more likely to trust in your program and spread the word to others in their network..
5. Record video calls for training and improving your service
Sure, regular phone calls can be recorded. But video call recording is much more interactive when used for quality assurance, process improvement, and training purposes.
Video calls can easily be recorded with a click of a button with most software. Business customer retention teams can use these recordings to measure call success and adjust their engagement strategies if something isn’t working.
Obviously, call recording should only be done with the customer’s consent. Once that consent is given, though, recordings can be used to analyse customer sentiment and agent handling during the interaction.
You can also record videos for onboarding new sales agents, customer service reps, or even clients. Create a library of videos that newbies can refer to, whether they want to know how to get set up with your product or need to learn the appropriate tone of voice to take with clients.
For instance, if one of your team nailed a video call with a client asking about how to create an affiliate program, the recording can be used to teach new agents how to appropriately respond to similar queries, and guide a client through this process.
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Another use case for call recordings is that your agents can record their calls which can be added to a library or knowledge base which is accessible to customers.
Many people would prefer to watch a video to solve a problem with a product or service rather than getting in touch with the business’s support team! This way, if customers need to see a demonstration of your product or service, troubleshoot a common problem, or set up an account, they can find it in your video knowledge base.
6. Improve overall Customer Satisfaction
All of these benefits of video calling with customers add up to a huge improvement in overall Customer Satisfaction. When customers are given the option of communicating with your support team via a simple, quick video chat they know that their issues are going to be resolved efficiently.
Moreover, customers feel more connected to—and trusting of—a brand when they experience a human connection. Putting a face to your brand is a powerful way to increase customer satisfaction, build trust, and boost your customer retention rates.
When paired with other essential customer service channels and business apps, video chat is an advantageous addition to any Contact Center. The video chat technology you choose should integrate with other business tools like CRMs, calendars, and more, to streamline everything from task management for teams to marketing automation.
Of course, video customer service isn’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to customer satisfaction. You’ll need to make sure your customer service initiatives are aligned with marketing and sales teams for a unified customer experience across channels, too.
More about using Video Calls for Customer Contact
We summed up all beneficial results of video calling with customers in this Ultimate Guide to Video Customer Contact - with 4 real-life examples of video use cases. Download it here 👇
About this guest blog
This article is a guest post written by Sam O’ Brien.
Sam is Chief Marketing Officer for Affise, a Global SaaS Partner and Affiliate Marketing solution. He is a growth marketing expert with a product management and design background. And has a passion for all things innovation, growth, and marketing technology.
