Many start-ups won’t imagine they can make use of video as a tool for great Customer Experience (CX) but with preferences for video chat increasing, even early stage businesses can make use of video as a communications channel to support customers.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect and completely changed how consumers interact with brands. Since March 2020, purchasing journeys in nearly every industry have moved online with many businesses changing the way they connect with their customers. In a recent report released by Webhelp, it shows consumer preferences for video calling in a customer service setting rose dramatically to 89%.

So, with this in mind, when should companies offer video calling and why should all businesses, especially those in their early stages, embrace consumers new preferred way of engaging with the brands they buy from?

How do I know if video calling is suited to my business?

First off, video calling is not suitable for every customer interaction and that’s okay. It’s not about replacing the ways in which you currently talk to customers but rather about enhancing the options for working with them.

We have discovered customers were more likely to want to use video when:

1. Entering into high value sales and mortgage conversations
2. Dealing with insurance claims
3. Accessing hardware and technical support

As we adapt to our changing world, we must understand how the emergence of early stage market disrupters are shifting the ways in which consumers purchase and use products such as insurance, mortgages and bank accounts. Consumers want a seamless experience, and whilst they no doubt value the face to face approach and connection it brings, they also want any of the pains of being set up on services, for example insurance or banking, to be taken away. The answer? Why not offer them both? A frictionless product with support that can either be face to face or through video when required.

Start-ups and scale-ups looking to disrupt industries, who pre-pandemic typically functioned through face to face human interactions, can begin to leverage video calling as a channel to make customers feel at ease when making the transition to their products. Offering video calling as a way of communicating in the right context, offers a competitive advantage to brands. 25% of British consumers said they would switch to a different brand if offered video chat as an additional channel for sales and customer service.

On top of this, those aged between 25 and 34 years old, and people who have used video chat when contacting organizations, are more likely to express a preference for this channel.

It seems like a no brainer for start-ups and scale-ups who are aiming to be disrupters in legacy industries to listen to what their target market is saying; offer us the ability to use video calling and we will be a loyal customer!

Aside from consumers showing a preference, why should I consider Video Calling?

We have established that customers are excited by this new method of communication, especially when making big decisions, but what are the other motivators for early-stage rapidly growing businesses to use video?

1. Cost to serve dramatically decreases; not only are customers getting the answer they need in the way they want, for businesses, video calling can be an excellent cost saving tool as video reduces overall contact time. Advisors can move more quickly through customer interactions, all whilst providing the experience customers are asking for.
2. Video calling allows brands to have genuine additional opportunities for sales; when face to face with customers, advisors can go further than including a cross-sell pitch at the bottom of an email. They can really probe about opportunities, or challenges faced by the customer and offer tailored solutions or assistance that can deepen a consumer’s use of their product.
3. Encouraging self-serve by co-browsing; When problem solving or troubleshooting, advisors can ensure their customers understand how to use their product, offering helpful tips, tricks and insights into the way the product functions, so that they encourage self-serve behaviour the next time they need support.
4. Competitive advantage; Early-stage businesses have not yet wholly embraced video calling so now is the time to use it as a competitive advantage. Show consumers you’re listening and reacting to the changing world we live in.

For start-ups and scales-ups, when considering what their multichannel customer service strategy needs to include, video calling should not be overlooked. Examine what kind of conversations customers would value face-to-face via video, and how to make the most of those interactions and establish what success looks like for both the customer and your rapidly growing business. As an early stage business, it cannot be overstated; listen to the ways in which customers want to engage.

Author: Nora Beqaj, Business Director, The Nest UK by Webhelp