Video has been “the next big thing” for customer interactions for many years now, but it really hasn’t reached anywhere near that level of adoption yet. With the massive uptick in video collaboration the world is seeing today as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this could be poised to change. Now that millions of people, who may not previously have ventured into the world of video, have been using video conferencing services to interact with colleagues and customers, they may be much more apt to see video as a customer service channel as well.
Believing that video is next on stage for the customer experience, Altitude Software has partnered with Interactive Powers to launch a video solution for contact centers. By adding video to the customer engagement toolset, businesses can elevate the customer journey through enhanced interaction and collaboration and creating deeper relationships with customers.
Combined with the latest AI tools, video completes a true omnichannel experience for customers in all industries. With the addition of video capabilities, businesses can reduce time to resolution, create an increased sense of brand loyalty, authenticity and trust, and increase sales opportunities. Altitude sees it as a true game-changer for customer service.
“Video allows us to create immediacy, proximity and trust. “The inclusion of this visual component in interactions provides the costumer with a more personalized experience, becoming a competitive advantage for digital and omnichannel businesses,” said Alfredo Redondo, CEO of Altitude Software. “Our collaboration with Interactive Powers ensures the ultimate experience on all available channels and to create a true omnichannel journey.”
Video takes customer interactions to a new, highly personalized level – the next best thing to an in-person engagement, which typically isn’t an opportunity for customer service, and certainly not at the current time. By enabling face-to-face interactions, regardless of location, video can help resolve customer issues much more rapidly – the ability to see each other can often help increase the level of understanding, and can certainly increase awareness of customer emotion, allowing agents to react appropriately.
The WebRTC-based video service allows customers to use this new engagement channel on any browser-based device, and brands can embed single-click video applications into their websites or mobile apps, making it simple for customers to reach an agent.
- Live customer service: Agents can interact with customers via video, share screens and resolve issues in real time, which can be a very practical tool with new product purchases or for product demos.
- Chatbots: With the increased popularity of self-service options, chatbots have become widely deployed, but they aren’t always able to solve customer concerns satisfactorily. In those instances, the chatbots can be “trained” to establish a direct video connection to an agent, who can then intervene and provide further assistance. Video is helpful here, since these customers may already feel a heightened sense of frustration.
- Technical support: Video allows tech support teams to more actively and accurately interact with customers, who can show support agents the problem, often resulting in faster resolution than by trying to explain with voice only. Tech support – whether remote or on customer premises – can leverage video to interact with other team members for assistance or additional insight to ensure they provide the best solutions.
- Online banking: Interactive video calls can have a significant role in real-time conversations in the banking sector, including document and file sharing, to increase the value of customer conversations with bank representatives, such as loan agents, for instance. Video chat options can also be built into ATM machines to enable immediate engagement when customers have issues with their ATM transactions.
- Insurance: The insurance industry can expedite claims processes by using enabling customers to use video to report accidents or other incidents. Agents are able to perform immediate damage assessments, leading to much faster processing times. Photos and other documents can also be shared through the video connection, allowing customers and agents to exchange all necessary information.
- Sales: Sales teams can leverage video to develop better relationships with customers, present live product demos, share screens with additional information, or post-sale support. The same goes for online shopping, where customers expect – but rarely receive – the same level of support as they get in brick and mortar establishments. Video can enhance the sales and support capabilities, bringing customer service levels to a new standard.
The use cases are endless, but the result it an ability to customer service and sales teams to more effectively engage with customers and provide a better experience. Video isn’t always the answer, but when applied effectively, it can turn mediocre experiences into great ones, and great ones into exemplary ones. Everyone wins when contact centers are able to give better support, and adding yet another channel they can leverage to elevate experiences in the right circumstances is a no-brainer – especially with everyone now familiar with video.
The latest trends in customer engagement and experience, including automation, AI, and messaging/communication tools, and how Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning can benefit organizations and their communities or customers and users, is the crux of Future of Work Expo 2021. Taking place at the brand new Miami Beach Convention Center, June 22-25, 2021 as part of the #TechSuperShow. Future of Work will again sit beside its collocated events – ITEXPO, SD-WAN Expo, MSP Expo, IoT Evolution, The Blockchain Event, and more – to deliver a compete learning and networking opportunity for business leaders who need to know what new technologies will drive their companies into the future.
Edited by
Erik Linask
