Now that we are not allowed to travel, video calling apps give us an opportunity to somehow be close to our loved ones. We even found ways of celebrating birthdays online! Companies also had to adapt their events and dynamics to a digital context. And, again, video calls saved the day, offering teams a way to hold meetings and social activities.
Knowing how helpful video calls can be in different contexts, companies are also using them as a feature of their customer support strategy. After all, if your heater is not working for some reason, it will be easier for an agent to assist you if they can see the dashboard through the video.
But this is only one of the many advantages of video calling for better customer support. Today, we’ll highlight some of those benefits and what are the best ways to use them in customer service.
Ease Your Agents Work
Before we discuss the benefits of video calling, let’s have a word about how to ease the work of your customer support agents. After all, enabling options like screen share and video calls are only possible if you are using the right software. And if your team is well equipped for that.
Firstly, consider that customers do not expect to have the same service they had ten years ago. It is important to have a phone number and an email address, but people want more nowadays.
They seek an effective and fast service. For this reason, chatbots, live chat, and WhatsApp business might work as a solution.
Thanks to live chat services, agents can handle multiple conversations at once and, on the other side, your customers can get quick answers. Moreover, there is an option to activate a chatbot if live chat gets too busy or if your agents are off their working hours.
You can leverage the differences and benefits of those services here.
Video Calling Enables аn Omnichannel Experience
Many companies are adopting omnichannel strategies right now. Omnichannel communication has the customer as a priority and aims to offer the same flawless service independently from the channel chosen by the customer. You can learn more about this strategy through successful examples of omnichannel experiences here.
From an omnichannel perspective, a customer can request a video call to “see” how an item looks like before they make their final decision. A salesperson that is at the store can show it in the video. And if the customer decides to buy it, they can simply allow the customer to pay within the chat. To make it even more omnichannel, you can leave the option to have it delivered at their place, or pick it up at the store.
Accessibility Is the New Black
Not all customers find it easy to type using a computer or a cell phone. If they do need assistance, they will go for it anyway. However, nobody wants to see a customer struggling. So why not transform their experience into something enjoyable?
With video calling, you provide customers with another option to improve the conversation. For some, it might even go quicker than a classic chat – as they feel more comfortable talking than writing about the issue.
The Face to Face Experience
Some customers do feel more comfortable about speaking instead of typing. In the same manner, they would love to have an experience similar to the one they could have at a physical store. Let’s say that the video is the closest they can get to that!
With video calling, you can read the customer’s body language and perceive the tone of their voices, which helps in creating a bond with them. In this way, the conversation flows and it avoids misinterpretations.
If, for any reason, the customer might have a hard time explaining the issue through writing or speaking, with the video they get the chance to visually demonstrate it using hand gestures.
As Forrester’s report cleverly pointed out, visual engagement drives relationships and revenue for customer service.
Onboarding Customers
Is there a new product about to be released? Or do a new customer need training on how to use a certain service? Then go the video calling way! With a video chat session, you can provide real-time instruction. It gives customers the occasion to ask questions directly, as soon as they come up with them.
Moreover, it works as the perfect moment to show all of the possibilities of the product or service. No need to overwhelm customers with tons of text in a manual guide!
How Does Video Calling Actively Help Different Industries?
Wondering how certain industries are benefiting from video calls? The examples below will give you a better idea of how different industries are delivering outstanding customer service using this feature.
Healthcare
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and particularly during the periods with a high number of infections, doctors couldn’t always see their patients. To find a way to schedule appointments for all the patients, video calling turned out to be a good solution. For certain matters, a video conversation might be enough for the doctor to understand the symptoms and prescribe the medication needed. If during the consultation the doctor feels that it would be best to see the person, they can easily arrange an in-person meeting.
Home Services
If you want to replace your window or get your roof repaired, it would be best to have an agent over to check how they can manage that. However, there is a way to ease this process by making an online appointment. In this way, the technician can provide the estimated price for the service and have an idea of which tools they will need to fix the issue.
Automotive
Just as in the example of home services, a video call can give an insight into what’s going on with the car. If it looks like something manageable through the video, the technician can guide the customer to fix it themselves. If it looks way too complicated, they can simply book an appointment at the shop. Customers save some precious time and the technician can dedicate their attention to cars that demand harder work.
Final Considerations About Video Calling for Customer Support
When it comes to customer support, we are constantly looking ahead. Particularly in terms of technology. Where there is innovation, there is room to improve the quality of services. Video calls are here to stay, and they become more popular every day among customer support services.
If you are convinced that video calls are the next big step for your company, we are more than ready to help!
