Video has taken the world by storm in the last couple of years. Video conferencing alone is expected to reach a projected value of $24.4 billion by 2028, and as of 2019, 98% of businesses (mid to large) said they were planning on investing in video tools.
The more companies have invested in video as a solution for boosting productivity, collaboration, and knowledge sharing in today’s digitized environment, the more we’ve discovered the potential for this technology in the CX environment too. Today, around 85% of customers say video is helpful for their customer service experience, and it also forms an integral part of the omnichannel CX experience.
The question is, how do you choose the right video CX vendor in 2022? Here are some critical steps to help get you on the right track.
Step 1: Examine the Customer Journey Map
Video has the potential to enhance almost every part of the customer journey, which is why it’s such a valuable tool for CX engagement. Most companies are already using some manner of video in their marketing strategies to help them engage with clients during the “awareness” stage. However, you can also use video to help you make sales and increase conversions.
Examining the customer journey map will help you determine where you can add video into the mix to engage and delight your audience. For instance, you might start with using video to enable conversations between your sales teams and clients, allowing for more immersive demonstrations and introductions to new technology.
When a customer buys one of your products or services, you can use video in the onboarding process to teach them how to use various features and improve their chances of customer satisfaction. Or run a video webinar for educational purposes.
You can also use video conferencing in your customer service strategy to help improve the communication between your agent and your customer and deliver faster solutions to problems. Knowing exactly where you want to implement video in the customer journey map will help you to decide what kinds of vendors you need to work with, such as:
- A/V companies – for video hardware
- VCaaS providers
- CCaaS solution providers
- Video webinar or event companies
- Help desk and service desk solutions
Step 2: Think Software, Hardware, or Both?
Once you’ve examined the customer journey and found the locations where you can add the most value for your clients, you can begin to look into solution providers. If you already have access to tools like microphones, video cameras, and similar devices, you might be able to start with a focus just on software solutions.
Alternatively, if you’re building your new video-first approach to CX from scratch, it’s worth thinking about how you will approach the software and hardware mix. Do you want to work with a vendor who can give you everything in one package, like Cisco with access to Webex, hardware for meeting rooms, and networking tools?
Or are you looking to mix and match different solutions? You might want to create a video environment for video customer service by building contact centre functionality into Microsoft Teams, for instance. From there, you can access a range of hardware options by companies certified to work with Microsoft technology.
Whichever route you choose, make sure your tools can integrate perfectly together. The easier it is to align your hardware and software, the more convenient it will be for team members to leverage video regularly when interacting with your clients.
Step 3: Focus on Ease of Use
Video can’t transform your CX strategy if your employees and customers don’t want to use it. With that in mind, you need to look at experience from both sides of the coin. For instance, start by thinking about how easy it will be for your customers to request and engage in a video call with your team members if they want information about a product or customer service.
How convenient are the video tools you will embed into your onboarding process, and how simple is it for clients to interact with webinars and video-based educational tools?
Next, consider how simple the technology will be for your team members. Your employees in the contact centre should be able to access video conferencing tools in the same environment as the rest of their omnichannel communication channels. Video hardware should offer plug-and-play simplicity, whether your sales teams are setting up full conferencing sessions or your service agents are interacting one-on-one with a customer.
It’s also worth making sure any video tools you’re embedding into your CX strategy are easy to provision and manage. In today’s hybrid work landscape, your team members won’t always have tech specialists on-hand to help them set everything up.
Step 4: Consider Security and Privacy
Video conferencing and tools for video communication have become increasingly important in recent years, thanks to remote work and the pandemic. However, rapid adoption of these tools also highlights how poor certain systems can be for security when not implemented correctly.
When looking for a vendor to help you access video in the CX space, think carefully about how they can ensure you’re delivering the safest experiences to your audience. Today’s consumers aren’t willing to compromise when it comes to the privacy and security of their data. With that in mind, think about the encryption and security systems you can embed into your CCaaS solution and how you can give your clients peace of mind.
Consider how video data in your contact centre and other CX environments will be captured and stored too. Your solution should make it easy to adhere to any compliance requirements in your industry. Working with a vendor who has experience in your landscape could make it easier to meet the requirements of more complex spaces, like finance or healthcare.
Step 5: Invest in Innovation
Finally, while you might just be looking for basic solutions for video engagement today, this doesn’t mean you won’t want to unlock new innovations in the years to come. Investing in a vendor with a strong focus on R&D today could mean you’re on the cutting edge of the industry when the time comes to explore new concepts, like immersive interactions and XR.
As customer expectations continue to rise, and brands struggle to outshine the competition with their CX initiatives, being ready to embrace the latest transformational opportunities is crucial. Already, many companies investing in video technology are already looking at things like XR and the metaverse. It could pay to get involved with one of these innovative vendors.
