In the past decade, live video chat has become another part of everyday life. There are multiple video-chat brands enjoying huge success today, and the video communications platform-as-a-service (PaaS) industry’s revenue is expected to reach $1.7bn by 2020,
The concept of speaking with another person face to face using video technology was the stuff of science-fiction for years, appearing in everything from the writings of Philip K. Dick to James Cameron’s classic movie Aliens. Today, though, we can simply hop onto our choice of video-chat platform to enjoy real-time conversations with people from around the world.
While this is a popular way for friends and family to keep in touch over long-distances in a more intimate manner than a simple phone call, video chat is also an incredibly efficient tool for businesses. For smaller companies in particular, embracing video-chat technology can help to put you ahead of your competitors. Why?
- Live Video Chat Offers Customers Maximum Convenience
While live chat is a common feature on business websites, this is generally text-based. Without doubt, this is a useful tool, providing customers with fast, personal assistance from an agent. However, there are drawbacks:
- Customers have to articulate their questions or issues in written form, which can be frustrating when trying to describe technical problems
- Customers have to wait for their service agent to type their response
- Spelling and grammar mistakes can cause confusion
According to a survey, 90 percent of consumers consider live chat helpful, with 63 percent more likely to go back to a website providing live chat. 62 percent also said they would expect to buy from these websites again, too.
With live video chat, your customers will enjoy a face-to-face conversation from their home or workplace. Any technical problems or complex questions can be articulated more easily with speech and gestures, while visual aids can also be incorporated to demonstrate specific points. Your customer service agents can also present solutions in far less time.
As live video chats can be completed in less time than text-based conversations, agents can accommodate more calls. This offers small businesses on a tight budget a more cost-effective solution, as fewer agents are needed.
- Live Video Chat Boosts Sales
With 40 percent of online consumers who use live chat buying goods at least once per week, live support is an effective aid to your brand’s sales. Live video chat adds a personal touch to your business, and friendly agents representing the company will help to make customers feel more valued, engaged, and loyal.
If they have any questions before they buy, a consumer at the purchase-ready stage can simply click a video-chat button and have their queries answered within moments, rather than having to type a message or even send an email.
This speed and convenience helps to ensure shopping carts reach the checkout stage, rather than being emptied as customers search for assistance elsewhere.
Quality of Experience (QoE) is more important than ever today: as consumers have an incredible variety of options online, competition is fierce in most sectors. By providing live video chat, small businesses can show customers that they are serious about providing the best, most efficient service, and help to nurture a more loyal buyer base.
However, to maximize QoE, you have to offer customers the best video chat possible. Simply relying on standard internet connections and platforms can lead to frustrating problems: lagging visuals; poor sound quality; and loss of connection altogether. Investing in cutting-edge services focusing on global connectivity is key, and initial expenses will pay off along the way when customers discover how much more efficient your service is over competitors’.
Tony Zhao, CEO of video chat company Agora.io, emphasizes the importance of high-quality connections: “Traditional WebRTC is prone to technical problems, including loss of visuals, audio, and even total blackouts. For customer-service applications, this can be disastrous. For internal and external meetings, it can be a deal-breaker – after all, why should an important client accept poor communication when there are so many other people to work with?”
“Agora provides 80 data centers around the world, filling in gaps between dropped data packets for uninterrupted, clear video calls. Without the risk of failed connections, your business can maximize QoE again and again.”
- Live Video Chat Reduces Expenses
When your business is just starting out, the complexities of managing your budget can be incredibly overwhelming.
Not only do you have to factor in the prospect of hiring customer-service agents to handle your calls, you also have travel expenses to consider. Attending meetings, visiting conferences, and other outings can all take their toll on the company’s finances.
With live video chat, businesses can reduce the costs of hiring call-center staff or in-house service agents as video conversations are much faster than text-based chat. Likewise, meetings need not be attended in person, with video conferences providing all the benefits without the hassle and cost of driving or flying.
- Live Video Chat Improves Employee Collaboration
While live video chat saves time and costs on external meetings, it also improves your internal training and employee collaboration.
Workers have the ability to enjoy face to face conversations from their desk, without having to visit another department or picking up the phone. Visual materials can also be displayed on-screen rather than in person, allowing any number of colleagues to share information with the touch of a button.
Training is also made easier, with new employees able to ask anyone in the business any question they have from their workstation. This reduces the need to shadow other employees, leaving workers free to carry on with their tasks without someone looking over their shoulder.
- Live Video Chat Helps You Stand Out From Your Competitors
Video chat is set to become more popular in the business world over the next two years, but for the time being your small business can still stand out by using it.
By offering live video chat, you are engaging your customers on the most intimate, most human level possible, and have the opportunity to provide a more memorable experience.
Even if a competitor has more stock and a better reputation, their customer service may be lacking. With a stronger consumer-focus and a friendlier, more accessible profile, your business can gain considerable traction and gain an edge over rivals.
Live video chat is faster, more convenient, and accessible for customers and colleagues alike. From virtual meetings with potential new clients to one-on-one product demonstrations, live video streaming is perfect for a diverse range of applications. Investing in the right service is key, so prioritize quality of connection and performance. The initial costs will be well worth the increase in sales, loyalty, and repeat purchases.
