Video killed the radio star… but brings customer interactions to life!


ddm-video-klantcontact

The use of video in the workplace is far from commonplace in contact centres. It often is for work meetings between colleagues, especially now that many people – at least some of the time – work from home and the need for visual contact is greater. However, this channel is rarely used for customer interactions. Why is that? After all, it does have the potential to significantly improve the customer experience and that of the employee.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of video in the financial sector for, for example, mortgage conversations, and in the medical world for consultations between doctor and patient. In real estate, video calling was even used for home viewings during the pandemic. These are all examples of customer contact, but strangely enough, these applications are often not attributed to the contact centre, which creates a distorted picture.

Make it simple

But also in the – let's call it the ‘traditional’ – contact centre, the use of video can bring many benefits, both for the customer and for the employee.

As we discussed in a previous blog post, contact centre employees are increasingly becoming the organisation’s business card now that customer interactions – partly out of necessity – are increasingly taking place remotely. They are the ones who make the difference! And proper eye contact is crucial in developing a bond of trust and increasing customer loyalty.

In addition, video as a contact channel has the potential to make interactions about technical questions or product information much simpler. Because let's face it, isn’t it much easier when someone visually guides you if you can't connect your new TV, also – especially! – outside store opening hours? Or vice versa: when an agent can demonstrate to a customer how a product works?

The duration of these types of conversations is also a lot shorter because the customer can see what the agent explains, and vice versa. Result: a higher First Contact Resolution and more satisfied customers. And that’s what makes the average contact centre employee pretty happy indeed!

Seeing is believing

Research1) shows that more than half of calls to customer service departments are made via mobile phones instead of landlines. This offers enormous potential for video calls between customers and organisations. Not (only) as an independent channel that is used here and there, but as a structural part of the omnichannel contact centre.

Of course, it is vitally important that customer contact employees are trained in conducting visual conversations with customers. Some will naturally be better at this than others. That needn’t be a problem! Start by deploying the employees who are immediately enthusiastic about it and let the others have a look first. Seeing is believing – literally.

Would you like to use video as a contact channel in your contact centre? Go for it! There are various solutions where ease of use and data security are the top priorities. We are happy to help you on your way!

1) ContactBabel (sponsored by Genesys): The US Contact Center Decision-Makers' Guide 2021

Whitepaper 'From cost centre to centre stage'

In our whitepaper ‘From cost centre to centre stage: the effect of employee satisfaction on the customer experience’ we focus on the employee. We look at factors that have a positive effect on their well-being, and what their impact is on the customer experience and the business results. Twenty pages of useful information that you can apply immediately.

How do you make your contact centre a success for employees, customers and management? In other words, how do you change it from a cost centre to the centre stage of the organisation?

Would you like to find out how to achieve this?

Download our whitepaper here

About DDM

At DDM Consulting we believe that our customers benefit most from tailor-made advice, without preference for a particular product or specific supplier. That is why we offer a wide range of intelligent omnichannel contact centre solutions, delivered by renowned partners who are all specialists in their field. 

How we work

Together with the client, we evaluate the current contact centre processes as well as the requirements and preferences for the new platform. We apply our years of experience to find the best match, and provide advice on the potential optimisation and automation of business operations, for example through the use of AI.

We naturally guarantee a successful implementation of the new solution, and ensure that all back-end systems are seamlessly (re)connected. After the deployment, we are at the service of our customers to offer advice and aftercare.

But we go one step further: time and time again, we push the boundaries of the chosen platform, and adapt it to the customer's specific business processes and needs. Our team has the business and technical expertise to achieve the maximum potential, even when it comes to an out-of-the-box solution. This is our way of ensuring that every customer makes optimal use of the capabilities of the chosen platform!

Our clients

Our clients come from a wide range of sectors, from major financial institutions such as banks and insurance companies, to telecom operators, healthcare institutions, government agencies, retail, and media.

Our team

We have grown into a team of about 30 contact centre experts, and are mainly active in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. To be able to guarantee the highest quality, we continuously invest in the knowledge, training and experience of our employees.