Video in the contact center. When does it really add value?

It’s a controversial subject because, to a certain extent, in the contact centers the voice hides us. But whether it is a product demonstration, or a tutorial to learn how to use certain functionality, it is a fact that more and more customers prefer video content to investigate or resolve any doubts.

Is it necessary to see each other to check the balance of the bank account? Or to know the limits of insurance coverage? Suffice it to think for a second in the experience of each.

 

The user’s familiarity with video is remarkable. It looks like it’s easier to learn how something it’s done by watching it than reading about it. On the other hand, anyone who has a smartphone, a tablet or a notebook (almost everyone!), at some point has been captivated by the possibilities of videoconference to overcome physical limitations and bring people together, even though it’s only in a virtual environment.

For all these things we should once again consider video as a means of interaction. And if we say once again is because it is not exactly a new idea, many have been talking about this, although so far it was only a promise.

In what situations does video add value? Let’s say there are many ways to use it. One option is the production of video galleries aiming to answer the frequently asked questions through this means. In this case, the customer arrives at the company’s site, or through a search engine, to a video produced and validated by the company, which allows him to resolve some type of doubt. Result: one less call.

It is not a traditional function of the contact center to produce content, but who better than the experts in customer service to determine what are the usual questions and what is the most effective way to solve them. Nowadays it doesn’t take many resources today to produce this type of material, nor to publish them. In addition, it is also possible to incorporate circuits of interaction to these videos, so the possibilities are enormous.

If we think that contact centers have to take over the new channels of interaction to interact with the customer, then we must think of them as producers of content.

And while video chat interaction does not add value in many cases, in others it does. Take, for example, an institution that provides financial services to small investors. In this case, wouldn’t it be interesting to know the face of the person who recommends a certain type of investment?

Videoconferencing has long surpassed the corporate environment. Services like WhatsApp, Skype, Apple’s FaceTime or Google Hangouts, to name a few, made it a regular means of communication for millions of people. And if nobody expects to see the operator’s face to check a balance, maybe for other types of interactions it would be expected.

It will be necessary to find out in which cases and for what type of clients. And it’s clear, again, that the staff of the contact center will have much to contribute.