As a customer experience (CX) leader, you know live video support is vital to your company’s competitive edge. Tech has gotten more complicated with the rise of the smart home, streaming and the expansion of 5G.
So you start looking at different video chat solutions. You print out their feature lists, and they seem promising: screen sharing, browser-based access and options for mobile support. But here’s what those charts aren’t telling you: how well they actually integrate with your contact center workflows.
This might seem minor, but standalone support tools can often create big headaches. They don’t integrate with your tech stack or how your agents work, which can lead to slower response times and increased friction in the customer experience. All of this can have a devastating impact on your business.
So, how do you choose the right tool for your call center? Below, we go over how to choose the best live video support tool for your business.
What are some of the unintended consequences of standalone video chat support tools?
Tech support is undoubtedly more complicated. Companies that fail to deliver fast issue resolution risk losing customers to the competition. These days, customers aren’t just phoning in for help with their router. They’re trying to figure out why their smart doorbell isn’t notifying them about deliveries. They’re influencers who are having issues live-streaming from home. Or they need help to figure out why they can’t access the security camera footage for their home.
Tech issues aren’t just a minor inconvenience; they affect the customer’s daily life - and they want answers at the speed of now. This is where remote video support tools can help, since it’s much easier for them to show an agent the problem they're having than to describe it over the phone. This lets the agent quickly understand the problem they’re having. So far, so good.
However, the next step is where the process can fall apart. With a standalone tool, the agent can clearly see what the customer sees. However, now the agent needs to find the solution, and fast. After all, 90% of customers expect an immediate response to service-related questions. But with a standalone tool, the agent doesn’t have access to interactive tutorials to troubleshoot and provide speedy resolutions to customer inquiries.
This creates a poor customer service experience, which can have a devastating impact on your business. Most customers who have a bad experience aren’t giving second chances. In fact, 96% of customers leave after a single negative support experience. Additionally, since acquiring new customers costs more than retaining your current customer base, this can lead to increased business costs. The bottom line? While standalone live video support tools can be rich in features, they often create increased friction and customer frustration.
What features should you look for when choosing a live video support solution?
There’s no doubt that live video support is the future of customer service. So, how do you pick the right solution that best fits your business? Below, we go over a few questions to ask yourself when researching your options.
Does it integrate with your knowledge base and existing tech stack?
Seeing the customer's problem is only half the equation. Your agents still need to solve it. With a standalone video tool, the agent can diagnose the issue, but then has to switch over to your knowledge base to find the fix. They're toggling between windows, losing context and keeping the customer waiting.
Good integration means your knowledge base lives within the video interface. The agent sees what the customer sees and the relevant troubleshooting steps are right there. There's no separate search and no context switching. This can drastically improve average handle time (AHT) and streamline the customer experience.
When you're evaluating vendors, ask them to walk you through the complete agent workflow: from the moment they start a video call to when they resolve the issue. If the answer involves switching between multiple systems or running separate searches, you likely won't achieve the efficiency gains that make video support worth the investment.
Can agents share virtual devices and apps with customers during a live call?
Remote content sharing helps agents to meet customers where they are. During a live call, agents can share virtual devices and apps directly with customers, offering clearer guidance and more effective troubleshooting than describing what to do over the phone. This reduces miscommunication and can help improve your first-contact resolution rate (FCR).
Additionally, virtualized tech support, such as virtual devices and apps, can be a great solution for customers concerned about privacy and security. With virtualization, agents can walk customers through troubleshooting steps using only the virtual app or device to demonstrate the appropriate steps, rather than completely taking over the customer’s device. This allows agents to provide effective guidance while respecting the customer’s privacy.
There are many benefits to live video support tools that include virtualization. Not only does it help agents give detailed visual support that streamlines communication, but it also balances privacy concerns, putting customers’ minds at ease. As a result, companies may see increased customer satisfaction and improvements in other key contact center metrics.
Does it include a robust knowledge base?
A live video support tool is only as effective as its knowledge base. Your video chat support can offer many features, but if it doesn’t provide accurate answers for effective troubleshooting, you likely won’t see a good return on your investment.
A robust self-service knowledge base ensures agents can access the information they need to resolve customer inquiries quickly. Otherwise, agents are forced to scour the internet, which may not have the most up-to-date or accurate answers to customers’ questions. It could also lead to potential security concerns.
A good video support tool should dynamically update, so you never have to worry if the answers adequately address customers’ questions or concerns. It also helps increase agent confidence, since they can trust that they’ll always have access to accurate answers for even the most complex tech support inquiries. As a result, companies might see benefits such as increased employee engagement or easier scaling of customer support.
What are some additional considerations for choosing a live video support solution?
Now that you know some of the most critical features to look for when considering, you might be wondering if there’s anything else you should look for. Some other factors you might want to consider when choosing a live video support tool include:
- Ease of integration with your current tech stack
- Timeline for implementation
- Seamless browser-based video connections with customer-led privacy management
- Live markup for highlighting key components on the customer’s screen
- Text capture to extract important text like serial or model numbers live on the call
- Remote video desktop screen share for more accurate diagnosis and troubleshooting
Choose the right live video support solution for your business
Live video support is critical for modern tech support teams. Technology is only becoming more complex, and traditional over-the-phone troubleshooting can lead to miscommunication and friction in the customer experience. By harnessing the power of live video support, agents can streamline the customer experience and resolve issues faster and more accurately.
However, it’s important to know that not all video chat tools are created equal. Many standalone tools lack the robust features and integrations your agents need to do their jobs well. By following the recommendations in this guide, you can begin to narrow down the tools that best meet your customers' and your business's needs.
Are you looking to learn more about how live video support can enhance the customer experience? Download our free guide to learn how video chat tools create a better customer experience while improving key contact center metrics. Grab your free copy today.
