Visual engagement refers to the practice of using technology to make customers feel as though there were a person in the room with them, guiding them through online processes. With visual engagement technology, agents can instantly see customers’ screens and take customers through complex transactions, processes, forms, demos and more.
Chat and phone support are good places to start for providing a humanized customer experience, but visual engagement takes the situation to the next level, bringing true efficiency and effectiveness of customer interactions.
Cobrowse and screen share are the two key visual engagement technologies that are used to enable organizations to achieve this goal. But what exactly is a cobrowse solution? And how is it different from screen sharing?
Cobrowse
Cobrowsing solutions enable agents and customers to be on the same page – literally. With the click of a button, agents can instantly view and interact with customers’ web browsers. Thus, they can provide live, personalized guidance through complex processes. Note that agents can only see what is on the web page, and not any other open browser tabs or open applications on a customer’s computer.
When would you want to use a cobrowse solution? Cobrowsing is great for improving customer experience in both sales and customer service situations.
Let’s say, for example, a customer wants to purchase or alter his healthcare plan. However, that same customer might be lost in the various options offered and unsure about where to find the information he needs. He might even call into the company to get guidance from a representative. But the agent who picks up doesn’t necessarily understand where the customer is on the site or what the customer is clicking. This results in frustration on both the agent and the customer sides.
A cobrowse solution, on the other hand, allows the agent to move around within the browser, as though the customer himself were using his own mouse and keyboard to control the situation. With no download necessary, they’re instantly ready to share. Poof – frustration has disappeared and the situation can be quickly resolved.
Concerned about privacy and security? Be sure you invest in a solution that is highly secure and reliable. You should also be able to hidespecific sensitive fields, such as social security numbers and bank account information, to protect customer privacy.
Screen Share
When agents are interested in showing customers something that is outside the browser, a screen share solution is the answer. Screen sharing allows agents to show their screen or view and control the customer’s screen.
For instance, with screen share technology, sales people can present, demo or share information that is on their screens. With the click of a button, prospects can instantly see what is on the agent’s screen and the demo is off and running.
In a support situation, agents can, for example, take a customer through a complex billing situation, even if the bill is on a PDF. Agents can guide customers through the process as though they were in the room together, alleviating stress and quickly clarifying even complex situations. Even better, agents can empower customers by teaching them to handle such complex process themselves. Teaching customers how to handle processes on their own is a boon to both the customers and the business!
At times, agents may need to toggle between “show” and “view” mode. Luckily, that is entirely doable with today’s top solutions and only takes a click to achieve.
The Ideal Solution
Be sure when you are researching solutions that you invest in a solution that will enable you to expand it as your business needs grow. Look for a solution that is able to support a true enterprise implementation.
Moreover, be sure that you understand the customers’ path as your agents interact with them over time. You may want to start with only cobrowse or screen share capabilities. That said, more often than not, it is to your advantage to have both.
And when you’re ready, you might even decide to add agent video, enabling customers to see the representative in order to build trust and credibility.
Looking for more information about visual engagement solutions? Check out this infographic below (created with Visme) for a complete checklist of features to look for and visual engagement planning tips:
