Customer support conversations are all about conveying, creating, and sharing understanding. Be it through email, in person, or over live chat, being on the same page as your customers is obligatory.
In the case of live chat, support agents benefit from extra features and functionality to assist with creating the best understanding possible.
In fact, there’s the ability to quite literally get on the same (web) page as your customer. Here’s a closer look at the importance of customer understanding — and how to achieve it.
Conveying understanding
Agents cannot answer questions, cannot solve problems, cannot serve a customer at all, if it’s impossible to create a shared understanding with them.
Unfortunately, no matter the channel, there are several hurdles to customer understanding.
For some channels, the Mehrabian myth supposedly comes into play. This is the idea that the written word, as with, say, emails or live chat, cannot convey the same level of understanding as a vocal conversation. (Due to a lack of tone of voice and facial cues.)
Then, there’s the Pictionary problem. This is the name given for those times when your explanation doesn’t work for the customer, and vice versa. So, you repeat, but it doesn’t fix the problem.
Enter co-browsing
Ever had a chat conversation where you could so easily fix a problem if you could simply demonstrate? Or you’re talking to a customer that just can’t seem to convey the problem in the first place? It’s frustrating on both sides.
Co-browsing allows live chat agents to share the user’s screen. That is, both parties can see what the chatting customer sees, and also scroll, click, and type alongside them. Additionally, co-browsing allows agents to highlight and annotate sections of the web page.
Co-browsing, in other words, is exactly as it sounds — browsing the web page alongside your customers. And in digital support interactions, it’s a massive boon to creating instant customer understanding.
The benefits of getting on the same web page
Imagine being able to point to the exact thing you want to explain. Or to demonstrate how to do something so the customer can do it next time.
Imagine how much easier it would be to understand customer confusion when you see they’re not on the right page or are looking at the wrong thing.
Co-browsing is a convenient option for facilitating customer understanding during tricky online processes.
It saves agent time, by making it easier (and thus quicker) than ever to get on the same page and share understanding.
Getting on the same (web) page also prevents undue frustration for both agents and customers. Rather than struggling with tricky explanations and confusion, co-browsing allows both parties to get on the same page and move forward without the struggle.
Co-browsing is key to customer understanding
Customer understanding is about being able to see things from the customer’s point of view. And co-browsing is a function of live chat that takes this literally.
WhosOn has many handy live chat features to help convey understanding. From co-browsing and file sharing to video chat and omnichannel calling, whatever you need for transparent customer communication is at your disposal.
Why not start your free trial today and get a step closer to getting on the same (web) page as your customers?
Useful links
The Mehrabian myth, non-verbal communication, and live chat software