4 Effective Co-browsing Practices To Improve Customer Service

Customers are the backbone of any business.  So for the progress of the company, it needs to adopt some best practices to make customers happy, it means you manage to retain more customers and get more business. Returning customers are important for long-term business growth.

According to Bain & Company, “It costs 6-7 times more to attract new customers.” Business needs to focus on offering quality customer service in order to increase customer retention rates.

I’m sure you’ll love to do anything to make them stay, as your customers determine your business success or failure. So, provide quality customer service and make them feel that you care about them.

According to Rockefeller Corporation, 68% of customers that leave your business do so because they think you don't care about them. So put customer’s satisfaction first.

Have you considered using Co-browsing as one of your customer retention strategies?

Co-browsing is a software-enabled technique used to interact with the customers to solve their errors by using the customer’s web browser.

It allows customer care representatives to share PC screens with their client and help them resolve some technical problems.

Co-browsing is the best tool to offer real-time support to the customers. Many times customers face issues in filling up form or credit card details. In such scenarios, customers can easily connect with the customer service agent and can start co-browsing. Agent can quickly help them out whenever they need help. This reduces response time and boosts customer satisfaction and engagement.

According to Customer Focus, 46% of customers leave a website if there can’t find what there are looking for.

With co-browsing, you can help your customers better understand your website, products, and your sales process.

It’s best for your business to integrate co-browsing into your customer service workflow, as it will help in establishing a strong long-term relationship and to retain more customers.

Co-browsing Best Practices

When a visitor visits your website, you will able to know customer’s behavior with the help of monitoring and analysis tool. With co-browsing, you can see the customer’s screen and thus they will get the solutions to their queries quickly.

Co-browsing can be easily integrated with screen sharing, video, telephone or live chat allowing you and your client to be on the same screen.

With the help of live chat, you can proactively ask customers for help. And if you integrate co-browsing with the live chat you will be able to solve the problem fast.

During co-browsing, they can talk to you via voice calls or through video chat to pinpoint exactly where they’re having issues.

Let’s check out 4 Effective Co-browsing best practices to improve customer service.

1. Understand your customer’s need

“Don’t find customers for your products. Find products for your customers.” – Seth Godin

When you're co-browsing with your customer, you need to first understand what challenges the customer is facing. Truly, this will either determine the success or failure of your co-browsing session.

If you understand your customers need, it will be easier to go straight to the issue and fix it.

A survey by WalkerInfo shows that 86% of customers will pay more for a better customer experience. This shows that you have your customers where you want them to be, and can solve their problems easily.

2. Clearly, Define Your Goals through Metrics

Co-browsing is a powerful way to acquire new customers. Co-browsing can actually improve many of the KPIs (key performance indicators) of any company. That is, what the company is aiming to achieve.

To get started, define the company's problem, and use co-browsing to solve it.

A study by the Glance Network shows that 78% of customer service professionals track at least one customer service metric during a co-browsing session.

Could it be that these are the metrics your company uses to measure her success?

i). Increase sales conversion rate: You should know the exact goal your company or business is trying to achieve -- so that your services can be properly aligned. Is your company trying to improve sales conversion rate?

In the process of helping your clients, you can still recommend products and services that can add value to their business. So, you’ll notice seamless cross-selling, up-selling, and increase order size during a session. What a great way to sell more products to qualified customers?

Don't make them feel you’re forcing them for another product; emphasize the value of the product.

ii). Reduce shopping cart abandonment rate: You can easily guide your customers through the checkout process, thus, reducing shopping cart abandonment rate.

You know that many customers will leave or abandon a shopping cart, if they find the process too cumbersome or they don't understand the process very well, you can explain clearly the things they need to know to complete their order.

According to VWO, 12% of customers abandon the shopping cart because the process was complicated, while 8% of customers abandon their shopping cart because they couldn’t find a voucher.

iii). Customers satisfaction: It’s your responsibility to get your customers on your page. Start by improving your customer service delivery. Be on the same page with your customer that will give them the confidence to complete their order.

iv). Web service usability rate: You can actually guide customers on how to search for some information on the website, which they might not be familiar with. If you’ve a knowledge base page, take them there and teach them how to use the knowledge base.

3. Invest In a Pilot Program

A pilot program is a small-scale study conducted prior to handling the actual work in practice. It’s designed to test and refine procedures.

It will benefit your company in a long run. It’s very important that your customer representative agents learn the pros and cons of co-browsing and how to use tools like acquire to drive it.

Be clear on what you expect your customers to do after each session. If you want them to take surveys, rate your customer service, or review a product, you should explain it during the session.

Your agents should understand all of this as well. They need to be trained.

Important Pilot Program Training Key Points to Note

a). Focus on small groups: If you need a better and faster result, focus on small groups, during co-browsing sessions. A small group or one-on-one training is far better than large groups or relying on manuals for self-taught learning.

b). Identify potential pitfalls: Important events may happen during the co-browsing process that needs to be addressed urgently. The agent may be required to instruct the customer on what to do.

For example, for Java-based co-browsing software, a notification will show up if the user doesn't have java installed or haven't installed a java browser certificate. So, it’s the agent’s responsibility to guide the customers on how to go about it.

And for JavaScript co-browsing software, the agent should ensure customers have JavaScript enabled on their browser.

c). Guide the customers all the day: A good way to succeed in a co-browsing session is to have the agents instruct the customer not to close the co-browsing window. Agents should have more of such information.

d). Track each session: An Assessment should be carried out after each co-browsing session to ascertain its effectiveness.

The feedback system can also serve as a communication tool, enabling agents to share effective use of the new technology.

4. Ensure the security requirements are met

“The issue of privacy is not for us simply as a matter of business practice. It’s just fundamental to human dignity.” –Gerald Levin

Inasmuch as you’re helping your customers find a solution to their problems, it’s also essential that you take caution when handling a customer's private information.

Are there files that are private to the customer or your customer wouldn't want you to see a section of the screen?

Its’ best if your session is view “only,” as this would help you check if you can grant your customer more privilege. So, use a good co-browsing system that will make the customer feel like they’re in control.

Conclusion

All in all, customer satisfaction should be your number #1 priority. Give your customers a reason to come back to your website always.

Co-browsing is a great way to help your customers find a solution to their problems quickly. And when they’re satisfied, they’ll love your brand more.

More or less, co-browsing is a must-have tool for building relationships with your customers and delivering enormous value -- as you answer their questions.

I’ll advise that you take advantage of the best co-browsing tool out there that suits your business, integrate it into your business workflow and I’m sure you’ll record significant customer happiness.

Laduram Vishnoi

CEO, Acquire.io

Laduram Vishnoi is Acquire’s President & Co-founder. He enjoys building companies and scaling product teams. He’s passionate about AI, machine learning, neuroscience, and meditation.