It’s an all-too-common experience: a customer calls in about a router issue, only to get transferred back and forth between departments. Or they describe their problem to an agent via live chat, but every response feels cold and scripted.
Forover 40 percent of customers, interactions like these aren’t just frustrating – they can make or break their relationship with a business.
It’s time for a more empathetic approach to customer care. And the right tech can help.
App-free visual support tools let agents actually see customer problems firsthand. This creates an immediate understanding and connection that I call “visual empathy.” It’s a gamechanger for the customer care experience.
Here, I’ll explain three ways visual empathy is impacting everything from customer satisfaction to first-call resolutions.
1. Better First-Call Resolution
Imagine a customer whose TV cuts out right before their favorite show airs. They call the support line to speak with a customer care agent. But maybe the customer struggles to describe exactly what’s going on. Or perhaps the agent asks them to perform some basic troubleshooting steps (unplugging the TV, pressing the reset button, etc.) – even though the customer already tried.
As the call drags on, both sides grow frustrated. So the agent orders an in-person repair or offers to replace the product. For the customer, it could be days or weeks before they have a functional TV again. And the company burns cash on a costly truck roll or product replacement.
Agents need the right tools to solve customer issues on the first call. One solution: use app-free visual support software to create an empathetic connection that can fast-track troubleshooting. To illustrate, let’s revisit our initial scenario in the context of a video call.
Instead of calling a support line, the customer uses their smartphone to scan a QR code sticker on their TV. They get a link to a video call platform for live assistance. From the jump, the agent gets immediate visual context about the customers’ TV issue. And they can really gain a sense of the customer’s frustration (i.e., that they’ve already tried some basic troubleshooting and just want to be able to watch their favorite show again).
With this baseline mutual understanding, both parties can work together to solve the problem at hand. There’s a lot less back and forth – and a lot faster troubleshooting.
The takeaway? App-free video support experiences make room for the empathy needed to solve customer problems on the first call. Your company can save on expensive truck rolls, and customers will likely buy more of your products down the road.
2. Happier Customers
I’ve noted how traditional care models can easily frustrate customers. Nearly 40 percent of customers aren’t happy with their support experience, in part because they aren’t being treated with empathy.
When companies take a video-first approach to customer care, they can create visual empathy in every support interaction. The impact: a vastly more satisfying customer experience.
With access to app-free visual support, customers will feel…
- Listened to and cared for in every support interaction. Video calls let customers see agents’ facial expressions, which make it easier to interpret empathy and tone.
- More respect for their valuable time. Because video helps agents solve problems faster, customers can have a support experience that doesn’t eat up their day.
- Less frustrated by yet another app. These days, nearly every business wants customers to download an app to place an order or try a service – even if the app only sees a handful of uses. But app-free visual support tools can foster empathy in a way that validates customers’ app fatigue.
Alongside the customer benefit, a more empathetic support experience can work wonders for your business. Happy customers are twice as likely to spend with your company – and they’ll probably stay loyal as well.
3. More Satisfied Employees
In the customer care space, turnover is a rampant problem – and it’s only getting worse. Last year saw an average agent turnover rate of 38 percent, up nearly 60 percent from 2020. One of the top reasons why? A deluge of frustrated customers.
Companies can’t afford such high turnover, especially in the current labor market. The good news? With the right tech to foster visual empathy, agents can have the tools they need to ease tensions on every call.
When agents use app-free video software, they can visually connect with customers to…
- Understand where customers are coming from. Over video, agents can read facial expressions to gauge when a customer is anxious or angry. Then, they can respond in a way that keeps tensions low.
- See customers’ problems firsthand. Video allows agents to immediately see a customer’s device. This way, they can gather the information they need without having to repeatedly ask customers for a description. This establishes empathy and helps maintain a healthy conversation flow.
The bottom line? App-free visual support tools make it simple for agents to ease customers’ frustrations. And happier customers make happier agents that will likely stay with your company.
Make Empathy Your Next KPI
For today’s customers, empathetic support is a baseline expectation: it’s almost twice as important for satisfaction than shorter wait times.
To keep customers happy, start optimizing your support experience for empathy.
App-free visual support tools can help. But don’t stop there. Encourage agents to practice active listening. And prioritize human-to-human conversations over perfectly scripted interactions. With a culture of empathy, you can deliver the top-notch support that customers expect.
Rama Sreenivasan is co-founder and CEO of Blitzz, a live, remote video support and inspection platform. Sreenivasan has led the company through its initial inception, launch, and subsequent growth to several million video support minutes per month. Major customers include BMW, Sealy, Fedex, and Rogers Telecommunications.
Before founding Blitzz in 2017, Rama spent several years working as a scientist and educator. His biggest joy comes from helping others solve their problems and he is passionate about finding effective ways to disseminate knowledge. Sreenivasan has a PhD and MS in chemical engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park. He also did his postdoctoral research at MIT in Cambridge, Boston.
Contributed by Rama Sreenivasan, co-founder and CEO of Blitzz
