8 mins read

Today’s customers are quite sensitive and can be easily influenced by a single experience; one negative experience can make them switch to a competitor. Therefore, businesses will have to understand their customers’ expectations better and make conscious efforts towards fulfilling them if they wish to sustain themselves in this hyper-competitive world. 

The rising popularity of video calling platforms has caught layman’s attention and has raised expectations for businesses to offer personalized support via video chat. Organizations should take heed and actively engage with their customers on communication channels that they prefer.

Here are some key benefits of including video chat as part of your customer service channels.

1. Faster problem resolution

Modern-day consumers like to have their problems solved instantly, and they will get frustrated if they have to wait for several hours and reach multiple agents to get the right solution for their concerns. Businesses can therefore use video chat for customer service to identify the issue and deliver faster resolutions.

With the video chat feature, customers can instantly showcase their issues using their smartphones or computer. The support agent can quickly diagnose the root cause of the problem and provide an appropriate solution in the first go. Video chat is ideal for complex technical issues that need a clear visual understanding, which is difficult to explain when the customers and support agents interact via other communication channels such as email or phone. 

However, if your business supports omnichannel communication with video chat implemented as an additional channel, users can seamlessly switch between channels. For instance, a customer might reach out to a support agent through a chat message or a voice call for convenience. If the support team needs to add the video element to the call, they can do so with a single click and engage with the customer over a secure video chat to take the conversation forward. 

2. Premium brand experience

For modern-day consumers, brand experience is extremely important. Delivering a positive customer experience allows businesses to have a competitive edge and increase customer loyalty. According to the Customer Experience Impact report published by Oracle, 86% of consumers confirmed that they do not mind paying more for a better customer experience.

Companies that aim to improve customer engagement must focus on the value creation of the brand. This can be accomplished by providing an end-to-end customer experience via interactive conversations and real-time customer support. Offering a platform in-built video chat option for customers allows convenient and friendly conversations between customers and the support agents, which invariably builds credibility and trust. The customer experience will improve considerably as the users can instantly connect with the agents via the app without having to open an external app to make a video call. 

Happy customers are likely to be more loyal. They would make repeat purchases and endorse your brand by sharing their success stories across all social platforms.

3. Extended customer support with remote teams

Customers expect support agents to be accessible at all times, and that may not be between the working hours of a company. This can be challenging for many small and mid-sized businesses in particular, who may find it expensive to staff contact centers across multiple time zones. 

However, it is easier than ever for support agents to work remotely and stay in sync with customers with video conferencing platforms. The implementation of video calling platforms into customer service channels enables support agents to work remotely while connecting with customers. While remote teams are not ideal for every business, they offer unparalleled flexibility in expanding support coverage hours. 

The support teams can quickly guide customers with relevant information via video chat, assist them through screen sharing sessions and help them resolve their problems as early as possible. As a result, Businesses can expand their support hours, reduce response rates and keep their queues flowing smoothly during peak contact hours.

4. Personalized consultations

Providing personalized assistance to your customers will help you establish a long-lasting relationship with them. Whether it’s one-on-one calls for financial advisory, doctor appointments, fashion consultations, or remote utility repair, video-enabled chat support makes this process much more manageable. With just a click, your support agents can provide the undivided attention that your customers deserve. Having a face-to-face virtual conversation to understand your customers’ needs will help your agents provide better and quicker solutions. 

One of the most popular retail brands – IKEA, has implemented the video calling facility to guide their customers with their products. Innovations like this lead a brand closer to its customers, gaining their trust, and building a constant revenue stream.

5. Improved service quality

The advanced features offered by video calling platforms enable you to record customer conversations. These video recordings can then be used to monitor your representatives’ on-call performance, gain call insights to enhance operational efficiency, and solve customer queries swiftly and effectively.

Video call recordings enable businesses to provide feedback to the support team on how to handle customer conversations and improve service quality. It allows managers to help teams improve their communication skills and overall performance.

In Summary

The usage of video chat for support has been growing in popularity across industries due to consumers’ growing demand for personalization, rapid technological advancements, and the proven value it brings to companies. Whether your business requirements call for video chat support or live video interactive product walk-throughs, the technology offers various benefits to businesses that choose to harness the solution to enhance their customers’ experience.