Should E-commerce Businesses Invest In Video Chat?
January 7, 2023
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Fully showcasing products and answering questions on the spot used to be reserved only for physical stores.
For a long time, poor website design and slow internet speed didn’t allow online vendors to match the brick-and-mortar experience. However, recent developments in video chat software are changing this trend.
E-commerce stores are starting to implement these changes, and their investments are paying off. Customer satisfaction rates and sales are increasing, problems are resolved quicker, and the whole experience is made more reliable.
In this article, we will consider whether you should implement live video solutions to your website.
Implementing live video solutions on e-commerce websites
Video chat has already proven itself in a business setting. According to Forbes, sixty-two percent of executives agree that live video improves communication in the workplace. Right video chat software can help you achieve the same results while building relationships with your customers.
Implementing live video in e-commerce is more challenging than communicating with your team. Customers are unlikely to install multiple plugins or additional software just to speak to a representative. Therefore, e-commerce websites must solve these challenges by themselves.
Usually, this is done by integrating an application programming interface (API) into an already existing system. It might require help from developers, but in most cases, it’s fairly straightforward. For example, if you use Zendesk, you will only need to install a plugin from a marketplace to start video chatting with customers.
Live video solutions must be easy to integrate into your website or customer service software. Complicated solutions risk burdening customers with unnecessary actions and your team with technical difficulties. When they first appeared, text chats had these problems too, but now these challenges are solved by live video software.
Video chat software isn’t only for one-to-one video calls. It frequently includes screen sharing, video conferencing (one-to-many), picture sending, and even payment features. An efficient live video solution must be the whole package allowing the customer to go through the complete purchasing process while on video with a representative.
Increasing sales and improving customer support are the main goals while using live video software. However, e-commerce businesses employ these solutions for more advanced matters as well. A few examples include marketing high-end luxury products, recruiting and onboarding employees, and educating customers on how to use more complicated products.
The benefits of live video chat
The advantages of live video chat for e-commerce are numerous and can be formulated in various ways. Simply put, the live video option can perform two overarching functions – make your representatives more efficient and provide them with a tool for a more memorable customer experience.
Here are a couple of benefits to consider.
1. Human connection
Whether it’s sales or customer support, a face-to-face interaction is better than a phone call or a wall of text. We all are biologically hardwired for visual communication as the most trustworthy. Live video chat helps representatives to build genuine human connections by bringing visual experience into the mix.
2. Personalized experience
Most e-commerce shops are generic and made to fit the average joe. It might be appropriate if that’s your target audience. But if you aim to find a market with higher profit margins, you must bring a personalized experience. Video chat is a great way to build rapport and adapt to every customer.
3. Efficient problem resolution
Some problems are better solved visually than verbally or with text. Tying a tie, replacing remote control batteries, troubleshooting, updating software, and many other tasks are explained faster visually than in any other way. Thus, having a video chat option for your customer support team makes them more efficient.
4. Faster closing sales
Closing is the most important part of a sale, and often it is indefinitely postponed as the customer does not want to commit. The use of video chat software can help to close sales faster. The reason is simple – face-to-face interactions build more trust and commitment than text messages or phone calls.
Should you invest in live video chat?
The short answer is yes. Investing in live video chat software will pay off with increased customer satisfaction and sales. However, there are some caveats you should consider before making a decision.
Implementing live video solutions will require extensive training for your sales and customer support teams. Some of them might underperform even with live video to aid them, so you must prepare them properly. Otherwise, implementing live video can backfire.
Some products need to be adapted for live video. For example, video chat is not enough to sell perfume as we can’t transmit aromas. Think about the challenges your products might face and how to overcome them. In the case of perfume, sending samples and then discussing them on a live video is a great solution.
Not all customer groups are likely to use video chat. Research has shown that younger generations use video calls more frequently than older ones. It would be a bad idea to use video chat software for a target audience that won’t appreciate it.
What to look for in video chat software?
One part of the considerations for investing in live video solutions rests on whether you have researched your market well. In short, you should know your customers and products well. The other part of the decision rests on the video chat software itself. Luckily, there are features you should look into.
- Affordability. Look for a tool with a free plan or a trial.
- Integration. The software should not require expert knowledge to set up.
- Functionality. Connecting to video, making payments, screen sharing, and sending pictures should be easy.
- Trusted. The software must be used by other e-commerce websites already.
Conclusion
Video chat software is a useful tool for your customer success and sales teams. The cost of these solutions isn’t high and integrating them is easier than ever. Of course, some market research and testing will be needed before you can take action, but it’s an option every e-commerce website should consider.
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