Transforming Customer Experience with Video Support [2023 Guide]

Have you ever found yourself lost in the maze of customer support, moving from one automated response to another unhelpful FAQ, desperately seeking a way out? 

If you're nodding your head in agreement, you're not alone. According to Microsoft, 30% of customers are frustrated when they can't reach a real person for help. But what if there was a way to make customer support more personal and efficient? 

Say hello to customer service videos - an innovative way to effectively interact with your clients and address their queries. They include how-to guides, troubleshooting walkthroughs, and live support and offer a user-friendly way to deliver complex information. 

Why are they so effective? The answer lies in our brain's ability to process visual information 60,000 times faster than text. In fact, incorporating technical support videos in customer support is a strategy adopted by many renowned companies.

Interested to know more? Stay with us as we explore:

• The benefits of customer service videos

• How to incorporate them into your support strategy

• Examples of real-world success stories

Let's get started.

Why Use Videos for Customer Support?

All small or large businesses share a common objective: to provide exceptional customer support. Amidst all the customer service tools, video has emerged as a powerful medium.

A customer support video is visual content created to help, guide, or educate customers about a product or service. While these videos are often pre-recorded and not individually tailored, they can offer a more personalized experience than text-based support. Some of the benefits of using videos include;

• Swift issue resolution

In today's era of instant gratification, 33% of customers find waiting on hold or explaining their issues multiple times frustrating. Video support shines in such scenarios. Customer service agents can visually identify and often resolve problems during the first interaction. 

• Cost-effective customer support

Video support can substantially reduce operational costs by decreasing the volume of support requests. According to Aberdeen Group, businesses using video chat save up to 50% on support costs compared to traditional methods. It's the classic case of killing two birds with one stone - enhancing the customer experience while saving money.

• Improved customer satisfaction

Videos can help customers better understand complex topics or instructions by providing visual and auditory information. Video chats offer a higher level of engagement than a phone call or email, leading to improved satisfaction levels. 

• Personalized customer interactions

Videos can emulate a one-on-one interaction through tone, emotion, and visual cues, making customers feel understood and cared for. This allows businesses to connect with their customers on a deeper, more personalized level.

Additionally, videos can be used to create a library of support content that customers can access anytime.

How to Use Videos in Your Customer Support Strategy?

Providing efficient customer support is crucial in building a devoted customer following. By leveraging video in your customer support strategy, you can make your services more accessible, interactive, and engaging. Here are the different videos you can integrate into your customer support strategy.

1. Customer onboarding videos

"Welcome to the family!" 

That's the first impression you want to give new customers; nothing does that better than an engaging customer onboarding video. These videos typically guide the customer through the basics of your product or service when they use it for the first time, explaining how to get started and where to find further help if needed.

To implement this in your customer support strategy, here's a simple step-by-step guide:

• Identify the key tasks your customer needs to accomplish to get started with your product or service.

• Break down these tasks into simple, easy-to-follow steps.

• Script and storyboard your video, outlining what you'll say and show each step.

• Record your video. This could be a screen recording for a software product or a physical demonstration of a physical product.

• Edit your video to ensure it's clear and engaging. Consider adding text overlays or animations to highlight key points.

• Make your video easily accessible to your new customers. This could be in the welcome email, on the sign-up confirmation page, or in the first-run experience of your product.

Remember, the best onboarding video is the one that gets your customers from "What do I do?" to "I've got this!" in the shortest time possible.

2. Pre-made videos to resolve common issues

At some point, we have all experienced being stuck with a product issue and desperately searching for a solution. This is where pre-made asynchronous videos can be beneficial. These instructional videos address common problems customers might face while using your product or service.

And all you need is a recording tool; the one I’m recommending today is Airgram.

Airgram, primarily a meeting productivity tool designed to streamline your meetings and note-taking, also boasts a robust screen and camera recording feature. You can use this feature to make helpful videos demonstrating how to solve common customer problems.

Simply add the Chrome extension in one click, and you are free to go.

It's worth mentioning that Airgram is more than just helpful in making customer support videos, it excels when having online meetings with customers:

• Live transcription: Automatically generates meeting notes with differentiated speakers. This feature ensures participants can follow the meeting seamlessly, minimizing the risk of misunderstandings or missed information.

• ChatGPT meeting summary: Airgram creates a concise summary after the meeting, pinpointing key points. This allows users to quickly revisit the crux of the discussion without wading through a full transcript.

• CRM integration: Airgram integrates with popular platforms such as HubSpot and Notion. This collaboration allows for seamless tracking and management of customer interactions, helping customer support teams to efficiently process and respond to customer needs based on a robust data foundation.

• Team collaboration: Airgram is a central hub for meeting agendas, notes, and action items, facilitating collaboration across your team. Everyone can contribute to and access these critical meeting components in one unified place.

By integrating a tool like Airgram, you can enhance your customer service and streamline your internal meetings, making for a more productive and efficient work environment.

3. Live video chats

Sometimes, a pre-recorded video doesn’t cut it, and a live video complements. Video chat customer service lets you see the issue directly, making diagnosing and resolving problems easier.

Beyond the practical benefits, live video chats also add a layer of personalization and engagement to your customer interactions. Customers aren't just speaking to an anonymous entity on the other end of a phone line; they can see the person helping them, fostering a sense of connection and trust.

To add live video chats to your customer support, choose a reliable video chat platform that is easy to navigate for your customers, and integrates well with your existing customer support infrastructure.

• Train your team: Even the best tool is only helpful with skilled hands to wield it. Invest in training your customer service agents to use the live video chat platform effectively. This should include technical training and soft skills like maintaining eye contact and a friendly demeanor.

• Establish protocols: Set out clear procedures for when and how to use video chat. This could include guidelines on what to do if the video or audio quality is poor, how to ensure the customer's privacy, and how to handle difficult customer situations in a live video context.

• Test and iterate: Finally, continuously assess the effectiveness of your video chat implementation. Collect customer and support agent feedback and use this to refine and improve your approach.

4. Building a video knowledge base

Taking pre-made training videos a step further, consider building a comprehensive video knowledge base. This is a collection of video content that covers all aspects of your product or service. It may include troubleshooting guides, how-tos, and tips and tricks. A video knowledge base is a dynamic, visual resource your customers can turn to whenever they have a question or issue.

Imagine you're a customer trying to learn a new software product feature. You can look it up in the video knowledge base and watch a detailed demonstration of how to use it, with tips and best practices. The value of such a resource to your customers is unimaginable.

Here's how to create a video knowledge base:

• Identify content needs: List common questions or customer issues. What features need more detailed explanations? Where do customers typically get stuck? Use these questions as your guide.

• Create informative videos: Use tools to record and create videos explaining these key areas. Remember to keep your content engaging and easy to understand.

• Organize your videos: A sound knowledge base isn't just about content—it's about organization too. Organize your videos in a way that makes sense for your customers. You could group videos by product features, difficulty level, or user type. The key is to make it easy for customers to find what they need.

• Implement search functionality: A search function ensures customers can quickly find what they want. The easier it is for a customer to find a video, the more likely they will use your video knowledge base as a resource.

• Update regularly: Lastly, keep your video knowledge base up-to-date. As your product or service evolves, so should your knowledge base. Regularly update and add new videos to keep your content relevant and valuable.

• Promote your video knowledge base: Ensure your customers know about this valuable resource. Please include links to it in your customer communications, feature it prominently on your website, and mention it in your onboarding videos.

By having a well-structured video knowledge base, you provide immediate solutions to your customers' problems and empower them to better understand your product or service.

5. Using webinars

Webinars operate like virtual classrooms or seminars, delivering valuable insights and knowledge to your customers through live-learning experiences. They provide an interactive platform to conduct in-depth product demonstrations, comprehensive tutorials, engaging Q&A sessions, or host industry experts for insightful talks. By offering these live sessions, your customers can engage more deeply with your brand and better understand your products or services.

Here's how to use webinars in your customer support strategy:

• Identify topics of interest: Identify relevant and interesting topics for your customers. Some possible topics include frequently asked questions from customers, new product features, current industry trends, and expert opinions.

• Choose a reliable webinar platform: Several reliable webinar platforms are available today. Choose one that suits your needs regarding features, scalability, and cost. Some popular options include Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or WebEx.

• Plan your webinar: Outline the content for your webinar. If it's a tutorial, ensure it's detailed and easy to follow. If it's a Q&A, prepare answers for common questions and a list of insightful questions for expert talks.

• Promote your webinar: Use your available marketing channels to promote your webinar. This could be through email marketing, social media posts, website banners, or personal invites.

• Conduct the webinar: Ensure your webinar is interactive and engaging. Encourage questions and provide valuable insights. You aim to provide information, engage your audience, and make them feel valued.

• Record and share your webinar: It's good practice to record your webinars. This way, those who couldn't attend live can still benefit from the information shared. Plus, you can use these recordings to enrich your video knowledge base!

Using webinars effectively can lead to deeper customer engagement, increased brand loyalty, and a better understanding of your offerings among your customers. Remember, delivering real value to your audience is the key to a successful webinar.

6. Empowering your customer service team with video training

Harnessing the power of videos doesn’t stop at customer interactions. It penetrates the very heart of your organization - the training and development of your customer service team. 

Creating training videos is like crafting a timeless masterpiece. Make a high-quality recording once, and it's there to use repeatedly. This saves time and ensures consistent training for all team members, especially when

• Upskilling

• Onboarding remote hires

Trainees can traverse your collection of customer service training videos at a pace that suits them, revisiting specific modules as needed. Video training is revolutionizing how customer service teams learn, develop, and interact. So, why not let videos be the co-pilot on your journey toward delivering outstanding customer service?

Examples of Successful Customer Service Videos

It's always helpful to see real-life examples of companies successfully incorporating videos into their customer service strategy. Let's explore some successful examples, drawing inspiration from brands like Asana, Dyson, HighQ, Lyft, Zenefit, and Zoom.

Asana: Pre-made training videos

Asana, the project management platform, educates users with pre-made training videos. Their website has a dedicated video tutorial section with bite-sized videos that provide quick solutions to common problems. The user can watch a brief video and instantly understand how to use a specific feature or resolve an issue. Asana's approach is a testament to the efficacy of having a library of on-demand customer support videos.

Dyson: Live video chats

Recognizing the complexity of its products, Dyson offers live virtual sessions with their experts. Customers can get demonstrations and personalized product recommendations during these one-on-one video chats. This approach mimics an in-store interaction, allowing customers to have their questions answered live, further enhancing the customer experience.

HighQ and Lyft: Video knowledge bases

HighQ, a legal business management platform, and Lyft, the ridesharing company, are great examples of businesses that leverage video knowledge bases. HighQ developed a section where users can search and filter relevant instructional videos by product area, making the information easily accessible. 

On the other hand, Lyft offers how-to videos and feature stories of Lyft drivers, lending a human touch to their knowledge base.

Userpilot: Feature Onboarding Videos

Userpilot, a user onboarding software, demonstrates the value of feature onboarding videos in its Synthesia integration showcase. This video, crafted using Synthesia itself, illustrates how easily users can make custom videos with Synthesia and embed them into any Userpilot user interface pattern, whether modals, tooltips, or slideouts, with a simple click. 

The seamless integration and interaction exhibited in the video not only educate users about this specific feature but also enhance their overall onboarding experience by providing a direct, visual understanding of the tool's capabilities.

Zoom: Webinars

During the pandemic, when Zoom's user base increased exponentially, the company conducted a webinar to address the common issues new users face. This proactive approach helped users adapt to the platform quickly and effortlessly, demonstrating the effectiveness of webinars in disseminating information and addressing large-scale concerns.

Each example illustrates a practical way to use videos in a customer service strategy. Be it interactive content, training videos, live chats, video knowledge bases, onboarding videos, or webinars; videos offer a versatile tool to improve customer support and enhance user experience.

Video Support is The Future of Customer Service

As we navigate through the digital landscape, the role of video in customer support becomes increasingly crucial. Video is no longer just a nice-to-have tool; it's becoming the cornerstone of effective customer service. 

Now is the time to start harnessing the power of video support. Start small, test, learn, and refine your approach. Remember, successful customer service is all about meeting your customers where they are – and today, they are increasingly moving towards video.