A major change has happened in the way we shop today. Buying journeys once began in retail stores. While they still take place there today, more often than not, buying journeys begin on websites, and smart companies need to take advantage of this, customizing their website offerings and personalizing them for each customer. According to research from Aberdeen (News - Alert) Group, companies with a website content strategy designed around their audience’s preferences are nearly twice as likely to convert as those without.
It’s estimated that today, 80 percent of a buyer’s journey takes place online. It’s therefore too risky to approach Web-based customer service in a haphazard way. Web customer support in the past has often meant self-service: a series of FAQs, a Web forum where customers could share experiences and maybe a how-to video. But all customers will eventually need live help, and most companies have planned for this by putting toll-free numbers or e-mail links on their website. The problem with this approach is it requires the customer to break up his buying journey and essentially start all over again, explaining his wants and needs to the agent.
It’s clear that what’s needed today is a way that allows a customer to reach out for live help while he or she is still in the middle of the Web browsing experience…a way that an agent can enter the process with all the context of the customer’s journey. Many customer-facing organizations have conquered this need by implementing technologies such as screen-sharing and co-browsing, which allows a customer and an agent to browse a website together. If required, the agent can even take over the customer’s screen, guiding him to the right pages, photos or forms.
Some newer technologies allow for full-scale Web-based collaboration not only between an agent and customer, but a larger group, if necessary, without the need to download anything or enter a special meeting room. Redwood City, California-based Osix Corporation is currently beta testing a service called Speedshare, which allows for simultaneous viewing and interacting between two people on any Web site or online application, form, music, or video. Customer support representatives can help a customer make a purchase, complete a form and more, boosting productivity and sales while enhancing the overall customer experience.
These technologies are a way for companies to reclaim sales that are lost when customers abandon transactions simply because they can’t get help via the channel they need when they need it. Going forward, Web browsing no longer needs to be a solo experience, and companies can approach customers precisely at the best moments in the buying process to help produce a sale…and a happy customer.
Edited by Alisen Downey