It’s no secret that today’s consumer is finicky- they have high expectations and low patience for anything that isn’t top of the line. This means in order for businesses to be successful in today’s market, they need to provide a quality product, and customer experience to match. While a majority of enterprises believe that cost trumps all, they are sadly mistaken. The truth is, most consumers are okay with spending a little more money on something if they know they are getting a quality product.
That being said, how can a company redefine their customer experience to meet and exceed the high expectations set by their customers?
Since a majority of our lives have integrated into the online world, successful companies have started utilizing innovative new technologies to ensure the digital buying experience runs as smoothly as possible – setting themselves apart from their competitors. Online chat solutions on a company’s website were a good start, but today’s consumer needs more – they need an interactive buying experience, similar to one they’d have in-person. A potential customer needs to feel like they are receiving the individual attention they want and need before making a big purchase.
This is where CoBrowsing comes into play. CoBrowsing provides customers with high-level engagement by allowing a customer service agent to visually guide a customer through an otherwise difficult process, effortlessly. Bringing this level of comfort and ease to an online transaction allows a business to stand out against its competitors by providing a great customer experience. CoBrowsing creates a lasting impression at critical moments during the customer journey.
What is CoBrowsing?
CoBrowsing (or Co-Browsing) is short for collaborative browsing, which is a way for a customer service representative and a consumer to ‘screen share’ and browse on the same web page simultaneously. This is especially useful when a customer is trying to explain their problem to an agent, such as where they are on the company’s website or what they are struggling with.
For example, if you were filling out a form for a homeowners insurance quote and weren’t sure what level of protection was needed, instead of explaining to an agent where you are and hoping they understand what you’re talking about, you could simply accept the agent’s request to CoBrowse and be guided through the remainder of the form.
Forrester recently began covering CoBrowsing solutions. According to Forrester, CoBrowsing can be categorized as a visual engagement solution, which, simply put, is communicating with customers visually via screen sharing, CoBrowsing or face-to-face video chatting. CoBrowsing, either by itself, or paired with other chat functions, creates a deep level of engagement that leads to higher online conversion and increased sales across the board.
Evolution of CoBrowsing
CoBrowsing is still a relatively new channel of visual engagement, however, its descent stems from screen sharing technology. Earlier versions of CoBrowsing were way less collaborative and were more similar to a one-way, screen sharing tutorial. Other issues CoBrowsing had to overcome in its infancy were that anyone who wanted to screen share would need to download software that drastically slowed down their computer and lacked the proper security.
The CoBrowsing technology that Glia offers today requires no downloads and provides customers with a seamless, unbroken customer journey from start to finish. Additionally, the use of DOM-based technology increases speed and efficiency so agents and consumers can communicate in real-time, like a face-to-face conversation. These advancements in CoBrowsing technology generated serious interest and support from enterprises who were looking to decrease average handle time and improve overall customer satisfaction. All in all, CoBrowsing has become a trusted tool businesses use to increase their online sales and conversion.
Why You Should Include CoBrowsing In Your Online Offering
With consumer expectations continuing to rise, the smallest inconvenience or break in the customer journey could be the difference between closing a deal or losing that customer to a competitor.
In a recent survey by Accenture they reported:
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- 73% of consumers expect customer service to be easier and more convenient– they’re on the go and want a seamless experience without getting lost in the madness of searching for the product or information they want.
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- 61% of consumers expect service to be faster– cobrowsing provides real-time visual context to help agents ‘see’ customer issues immediately
- 83% of consumers who switched to new providers said that better live or in-person customer service would have impacted their decision- cobrowsing isn’t just a novelty, it has a meaningful impact on customer experiences that influence a buyer’s decision
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While most companies struggle to bring the in-person customer experience online, Glia enables many of the world’s top organizations to create high-touch human interactions seamlessly.
Getting More Out Of CoBrowsing
Now that you’ve got the 411 on CoBrowsing, how can you make sure you get the absolute most out of your visual engagement experience?
CoBrowsing provides real-time communication and support that can be combined with other features to facilitate a highly personal customer journey. At Glia, we’ve dedicated our efforts to bringing the in-person customer experience online and we’ve discovered the best ways to get the most out of your CoBrowsing experience to generate the greatest increase in conversion and sales.
If you’re interested in learning more about CoBrowsing and how to get the most out of your visual engagement platforms, we encourage you to download The Ultimate Guide to CoBrowsing.
In this Ebook, you will learn:
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- The history of CoBrowsing
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- The benefits of offering CoBrowing
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- How to choose the right CoBrowsing solution
- How to get the most conversion from CoBrowsing
