“Don’t find customers for your products. Find products for your customers.” – Seth Godin
Co-browsing is just one of the many useful features live chat for website can offer businesses. Discover how co-browsing can improve user experience and customer service. First, let us find out exactly what co-browsing means and what is the difference between co-browsing vs. screen sharing.
What is Co-Browsing?
Co-browsing stands for collaborative browsing. A live chat agent or customer representative can view the same browser screen as the customer in real time. Therefore, with this customer support tool a live chat agent can browse simultaneously with the customer, viewing the browser screen just as the customer is seeing it. Plus, agents can only view a browser screen that a customer allows them to see from their end, providing full security and privacy for the customer experience.
By using co-browsing software, your agents can guarantee customers have the necessary help to successfully navigate your website and complete their purchases at the checkout page, or ease at navigating through product pages, offering a one-on- one personalized experience.
When compared with other remote access and visual engagement technologies such as desktop or screen sharing, co-browsing sessions can be initiated directly from an internet browser. Due to this distinguishing feature, co-browsing users usually do not need to add code or download any third-party software.
What is the Difference Between Co-Browsing and Screen Sharing?
It may seem that co-browsing and screen sharing have the same technological capabilities, yet in fact, they do not. Co-browsing differs from screen sharing because with this live chat tool, a customer service representative can take control of the browsing via a visitor’s screen.
While screen sharing permits a visitor to have full access to the browser application and additional applications (not solely for use just on the Internet), co-browsing only permits navigating certain web pages and the business website. It allows an agent and customer to navigate simultaneously, which indicates both participants have access and can engage at the same time. An example of co-browsing would be an instance where an agent’s mouse can denote to a user where to click on their own computer screen.
Whereas with screen sharing, only one participant can take control of the screen and this is displayed in a presentation format. The third key difference is while screen sharing normally requires a third-party application installation across all concurrent devices, co-browsing usually requires adding a browser plug-in. In relation to Velaro use case, the plug-in is embedded in the live chat, and a visitor simply needs to click to accept an invite to initiate a session.
How Does It Improve the User Experience?
Co-browsing provides real-time viewing and insight into what another viewer (customer, employee, or trainee) can see on their screen. Here are reasons why this customer support tool has a long-term impact on the user experience:
Improves user experience (UX)
A co-browsing session allows live chat agents to access and view problems customers face in real time. What results is agents will be able to quickly address and report common customer pain points to their company’s UX teams, which alleviates any complications or confusion customers could experience when navigating through a site searching for a solution to their problem.
Provides better collaboration
Co-browsing is effective at collaboration. Live chat co-browsing helps chat agents monitor current site visitors and track if a customer is stuck on a page for a while or simply to greet the customer inquiring if they need help about a product, service, pricing.
Here is an example:
Tom needs a new tennis racquet. He lost his old one to a devastating tragedy in which he ran over it with his car by mistake. It has been a few years since the last time he bought one, and he knows that – like most things these days – there are tons of new options and considerations to make when selecting the perfect tennis racquet. So, Tom goes to google, searches for “tennis racquets” and lands on your site moments later.
Once there, his suspicions are confirmed. There are, indeed, tons of choices for him to make. While he is pondering where to begin, a proactive chat invitation pops up asking if he would like help selecting a tennis racquet. Tom accepts the invitation and soon engages in a conversation with one of your agents. After building rapport with Tom by giving some good opening advice, the agent then asks Tom if it would be okay to start a co-browsing session to better assist him in his quest. By viewing the site together, Tom can show the agent exactly what he is looking at and continue dialoguing about what his needs are.
The agent points Tom in the right direction and before long, is also helping him fill out the shopping cart form, completing the transaction. Once finished, Tom is highly pleased by the whole experience.
With the help of live chat and co-browsing, Tom’s seemingly daunting task of finding a new tennis racquet to replace his beloved match-winner has become a surprisingly delightful and personalized shopping experience. Tom will continue returning to your site and will also tell his tennis peers about how great it was to buy a racquet from your website. This is an example of this tool benefiting business and demonstrates that proactive live chat is an effective customer engagement tool for reducing shopping cart abandonment.
Secure and safe
Co-browsing is a safe, secure tool for the user experience. First, the visitor has full control and can grant permission for live chat agents to view their browser screen. Second, this tool only displays the browser page a visitor is currently seeing. It will not show other applications or the visitor’s computer desktop screen compared to screen sharing. Third, this tool is so secure that international banks even use it for their customer support tasks. You can hide form inputs, like credit card data, personal contact information or sensitive customer data during a session. When a customer types in sensitive information on their screen, this is restricted access on the agent’s side, displaying as blurred out on their screen, further signifying why co-browsing is such a secure customer support tool.
Increases customer satisfaction
Reported by a Forrester’s survey, satisfaction ratings demonstrated that customer support via co-browsing results in 78% higher customer satisfaction. By sharing their browser screen with a live chat agent, the customer can see the agent working through and explaining the technical troubleshooting of the issue they are facing. Customer satisfaction is increased more so than without a company using co-browsing. Customers’ issues are simplified in a session and questions are addressed much quicker when agents initiate a session with live chat.
How Does It Impact Customer Service?
Co-browsing is extremely effective in strengthening customer service for a business. Here is why:
Promote customer retention and loyalty
Co-browsing is an efficient customer support tool for lowering the wait time customers will experience when waiting to have their purchase order or technical issues resolved. Since customers expect their problems solved immediately, co-browsing will alleviate by offering real-time assistance. People do appreciate interacting with people in real time, which will benefit a company’s customer loyalty. Customers want to return for fast problem resolution solutions and a short wait time.
Reduce shopping cart abandonment rate
There are multiple reasons why online shoppers could abandon their carts: from creating an account to make a purchase, to signing up for a newsletter first, feeling insecure about providing credit card information, or dissatisfaction over lack of product inventory. When co-browsing is integrated with your company’s eCommerce site, this enhances the customer experience of online shopping and reduced cart abandonment because of real-time, personalized, and foremostly secure support from live chat agents.
Your company can lower the cart abandonment rate exceptionally by informing and recommending products, guiding customers in the buying journey all the way to the checkout process, increasing your conversion rates. Aim to focus on their current pain points and consumer needs.
Learn more about eCommerce integration here.
Higher customer lifetime value (CTV)
Since co-browsing is a collaborative experience for customers, this will increase meaningful customer engagement and CTV. Creating a personalized buying journey for each of your customers in a session can fuel positive brand sentiments around your company. Just like, for instance, numerous marketing studies hint that engaged customers are likely to spend more on a product or service. According to MasterMessaging, one specific study discovered that a completely engaged customer will spend an average 23% of more than a typical customer.
Whereas the study also found that a disengaged customer would spend around 13% less. Co-browsing is highly effective at framing a personalized, engaging customer experience that will lead to higher CTV for a business.
Increased customer collaboration
Initiating a co-browsing session of your company’s website and by asking for a customer’s consent, live chat agents will guide your customers through complex forms, searches, transactions, and processes. Velaro’s Live Chat implements interactive and collaborative co-browsing for efficient and secure customer service.
Final thoughts
Co-browsing is one of the best ways to help customers find a solution to their problems in a fast manner. This visual engagement technology will boost customer satisfaction and customer retention for your business, provide an exceptional, personalized customer experience, simplify the user experience of a company’s website, and boost customer loyalty for your business.
