At Disrupt 2023, Sabio interviewed Leigh Hopwood, Chief Executive Officer, CCMA, on the importance of providing contact centre advisors with the right tools to do the job.

In this video, Leigh discusses getting CX ‘buy in’ from senior leaders, why organisations should be doing what they can for their people and the changing role of the advisor.

Watch the full video here.

INVEST IN TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT YOUR ADVISORS

There are so many issues, and you know, if I start at the very top, the problem that contact centre leaders have when they want to improve that customer experience is they need that ‘buy in’ from senior leaders.

It’s happening; we are aware that there are 30% of Boards that do have someone responsible for customer experience sat on them, but it’s not enough and so there just needs to be more ‘buy-in’ from a senior level so that they get the investment, and they get the attention to be able to improve the customer experience. And then, once you’ve got that, there is just a raft of things you can do from investing in technology and making sure that you’re deploying the tech in the right way through to supporting your advisors on the front line, that, you know, really want to help the customer.

So, giving them the tools and the knowledge to be able to do that is going to be really, really critical. There’s lots of things that organisations can do.

ADVISORS NEED TO BE ARMED WITH THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGIES

You asked me the question, is it important for advisors to be armed with the most up to date technology? I challenge that a little because I think they need to be armed with the right technologies that might not be the most up to date piece of technology. They have to be armed with the right technologies that are designed in a way that’s going to enable them and support them to do their role.

What I think contact centre leaders can do is make sure that they are addressing the needs of people that are coming to work and that want to work – making sure they’re looked after including looking after their wellbeing and making sure they’ve got choices around where they work – and also making sure they’ve got the right technology so they’re not frustrated when they’re at work. So, there’s lots of things that organisations can do to really make sure that they are doing what they can for their people.

CHANGING ROLE OF THE ADVISOR

It is really interesting how we’ve seen the role of the advisor changing, you know (particularly) since COVID. We’ve talked about the changing role of the team leader, but actually the role of the advisor has changed. And that’s partly driven by COVID but lots of it has been driven by technology because technology can take away some of the easy stuff – but as a result – the advisors are left with the more complex stuff, the more sophisticated stuff. It’s great work, it’s challenging, it’s not mundane, but it does mean that they need to be given the time and the space to deal with those conversations.

If you’ve got someone that’s dealing in the complaints line and call after call after call is a difficult conversation, you need to be giving those advisors breaks so that they can overcome some of the difficulties in those conversations. And that’s one of the things I think we’ll see coming into the next 12 to 24 months; really thinking about how that changing role of the advisor means that people have got to manage it differently.

About Sabio Group

Sabio Group is a global digital customer experience (CX) transformation specialist with major operations in the UK (England and Scotland), Spain, France, Netherlands, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and India.

The Group, which includes ‘makepositive’, delivers solutions and services that seamlessly combine digital and human interactions to support outstanding customer experiences.

Through its own technology, and that of world-class technology leaders such as Amazon Connect, Avaya, Genesys, Google Cloud, Salesforce, Twilio and Verint, Sabio helps organisations optimise their customer journeys by making better decisions across their multiple contact channels.

The Group works with major brands worldwide, including Aegon, AXA Assistance, BBVA, BGL, Caixabank, DHL, loveholidays, Marks & Spencer, Rentokil, Essent, GovTech, HomeServe, Saga, Sainsbury’s Argos, Telefónica and Transcom Worldwide.

At Disrupt 2023 in the UK, we interviewed Seb Reeve, Business Development Director at Microsoft (Nuance), on the benefits of empowering contact centre advisors to help deliver excellent CX.

In this video, Seb discusses today’s contact centre challenges, the evolution of CX and the opportunities it is creating and how the role of the modern-day advisor is continuously changing.

Watch the full video here.

ADVISORS NEED THE RIGHT TOOLS AND SUPPORT

The challenges in customer experience are certainly numerous. We’ve talked a lot about the changes in consumer expectations given what’s going on in society. So that creates a different kind of pressure on businesses to change and adapt and actually quite quickly. Also, we tend to forget the people involved and ensuring that people who are on the front line of customer experiences have the tools and capabilities to make changes to the way they behave – either on the phone, on chat, digital channels or whatever else they’re doing. And, you know, people don’t change quickly as they need a lot of support in order to really fulfil the needs of the consumers in the way they’re changing.

AI IS GIVING ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE IN REAL TIME

In terms of arming customer service advisors with the latest technologies, I talked a little bit in my keynote address (at Sabio’s Disrupt) about how AI is not just taking jobs or acting as a chatbot or advisor to simply take work away – but actually we’re seeing the new breed of capabilities sitting side-by-side and working in concert with the advisors on the front line. So, giving them advice and assistance in real time, giving them the kind of products or solutions they should be talking to their customers about, but also guiding them on how to talk to customers. Technologies, like GPT today, can formulate language that the advisors can really use to have a more positive interaction with the end customer. If you think about what it’s like on the front line, and there are people at all levels of seniority working in contact centre, someone who’s only just started the job needs more support (than someone experienced). I think there’s certainly a lot of solutions I’m hearing about that can help them hit the ground running on day one, and deliver that great customer experience.

ADVISOR ATTRITION IS A CONCERN

I think advisor attrition is definitely a concern in the industry and of course, it creates a real skills’ gap. We’re losing a lot of key skills every time we lose great people. And so I think supporting them more robustly in the day-to-day, in the trenches and in the way they’re actually working – making sure that they feel like their hands being held and they’re being given, not only the capabilities, but the information they need to support their role and ensure that they’re delivering great customer experience.

USE DATA TO SUPPORT CHANGE

I think organisations need to need to think about how they’re providing change, and changing their customer experience, especially. For me, it’s about an agile way of working, so nothing gets done in a seismic way and we don’t really want to be making huge changes anyway. I think businesses who are leaders in the space tend to be using data to support that change. So, it’s about looking at data that tells you how customers are changing the way they work with you, how your advisors are performing, or some of the things that they’re having to deal with today that they didn’t yesterday and then using that data to affect changes in a more iterative fashion. So that’s an agile way of working, using data to reinforce the belief that you made the right changes. I think leaders are really all about that agile, continual improvement mindset.

About Sabio Group

Sabio Group is a global digital customer experience (CX) transformation specialist with major operations in the UK (England and Scotland), Spain, France, Netherlands, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and India.

The Group, which includes ‘makepositive’, delivers solutions and services that seamlessly combine digital and human interactions to support outstanding customer experiences.

Through its own technology, and that of world-class technology leaders such as Amazon Connect, Avaya, Genesys, Google Cloud, Salesforce, Twilio and Verint, Sabio helps organisations optimise their customer journeys by making better decisions across their multiple contact channels.

The Group works with major brands worldwide, including Aegon, AXA Assistance, BBVA, BGL, Caixabank, DHL, loveholidays, Marks & Spencer, Rentokil, Essent, GovTech, HomeServe, Saga, Sainsbury’s Argos, Telefónica and Transcom Worldwide.

Customer service videos build brand equity by engaging customers and answering questions about minor issues. These videos free up time for you and your support team to focus on more pressing issues that may require more technical expertise to handle.

While video marketing could be part of a solid marketing strategy — and generate 49 percent more revenue than teams who don’t — videos are also a better way to pass across information that sticks.

Yes, you can answer customer inquiries or complaints manually, but 68 percent of consumers would rather watch videos than browse through articles or infographics to learn about products and services.

In this article, we would show you how to create engaging customer service videos that anticipate the needs of your customers.

1. Identify Common Customer Questions

Many customer service videos are often a two-way street, involving answers to straightforward questions. That said, your videos must be packed with value and straight-to-the-point.

When creating customer service videos, you must sort out the questions you intend to cover. Like many other businesses, having a customer service team that recognizes potential questions customers might ask is very useful.

That said, you can curate frequently asked questions from live chats, emails, or social media to get a clear idea of what you’re dealing with, then create your customer videos around them.

Take McDonald’s Canada for example, they allow their customers to ask their questions and curate them in a list. By using social media to source suggestions, they’re able to garner responses from their audience.

Source: WordPress

After collecting these questions, they use highly responsive videos to answer their customers in detail.

Interacting with your customers drives engagements to your brand and gives you an idea of what people might request. You can then create customer service videos that are insightful and short.

Keep in mind that your audience wants quick solutions to their problems. So, try not to deviate from the customer’s questions in the video.

2. Create A Simple Script And Revise Your Copy

The best customer service videos sound natural and effortless. They’re also conversational and easy to understand.

When writing your script, avoid using technical language or buzzwords that might alienate some viewers. You also want to avoid stating industry trends that will fade over time. This keeps your content evergreen and ensures that every customer understands your video without dealing with unfamiliar words or industry terms.

Rely on storytelling to convey your message that highlights the benefits of the products you offer. Regardless of what you want to pass across, keep the script simple and friendly to make the final video engaging.

Lastly, viewers need to know that you empathize with them through your videos. Thus, your video scripts must reflect these emotions but remain concise.

3. Use High-Quality Video Tools

Creating a high-quality customer service video requires time, resources, and some technical know-how to shoot and edit.

However, even with all these in place, you’ll need decent tools to make your video shine. Unless you’re a big company, with a budget to spare, now is not the time to splurge on expensive cameras and advanced editing tools like Adobe effect and Premiere Pro.

Start small, and work your way up.

Consider using simple, low-cost, and functional tools. Thankfully, a plethora of web video editing tools exist online that allow you to shoot and edit videos without advanced knowledge of video editing.

Of course, the tools you use will depend on the kind of customer videos you want to produce. For example, tools like Videoscribe helps with creating animated whiteboard videos, whereas Invideo allows you to create videos with existing content using thousands of free templates.

Source:Invideo

These tools and many more online video marketing tools are low-cost options to consider when creating customer service videos.

4. Add A Suitable Audio And Include Subtitles

Everyone wants convenience. Just as it’s convenient to find and watch videos with excellent quality, adding good audio and subtitles dials it up a notch.

Source: YouTube

If you’ll be using your voice in the video, use a good mic to record a clear voice-over. For best results, make your recording with the intended audio to determine the pacing of your speech. You want to match it, not speak faster. Ensure your words are coherent, audible, and clear.

Avoid closed spaces like hallways as they could mess up acoustics and leave you with an echo in your recordings. If you didn’t record with audio initially, you could still salvage that by choosing background music that matches the pacing of your voice and video when editing.

Be careful though. You don’t want the music overshadowing what’s being said — it becomes counterproductive.

But as mentioned, subtitles are convenient and more engaging. Why? It accommodates and includes people with impaired hearing who might want to view your videos. Plus, others may just want to watch your videos at work without sound or might be in a noisy environment, and subtitles make that possible.

5. Ensure Your Video Gives Up To Date Information

When creating your videos, you want to make sure your content is evergreen. They should contain details that are accurate and recent information.

Every video you make should involve the recent features of your products — not outdated information. You don’t want customers looking for things that do not exist on your site anymore. Keeping your cornerstone content up to date when you create them is important.

Although product and services information may change regularly, it’s your job to keep your customer service video and written content updated to maintain your brand equity and avoid losing customers.

6. Add The Videos To Your Landing Pages And Blog Posts

Once you’re done editing your video, put it up on your site on landing pages and blog posts. Remember, the point is to create awareness within your audience and potential leads.

You can also post it on your social media platforms, to share it with as many people as possible. Alternatively, consider using an email tracker to notify your audience about videos you made to inform them about it.

It’s also best practice to optimize your customer service videos for SEO. You can do this by targeting certain keywords in your video scripts, and using alternative texts when embedding them on your site.

Like SEO in content marketing, these keywords help with searcher intent, describe your content properly, and also help with internet visibility.

With the right tools, you too can produce engaging customer videos. However, you don’t need to go ham on professional tools to create your first video. Go for easy-to-use, low-cost options online when starting out. Then weave your videos around well-curated, frequently asked questions to make them actionable and valuable,

Customer service videos deliver a superior customer experience by resolving minor customer issues effectively. When done properly, these videos can increase your brand’s authority in your niche. Focus on how you can help your customers with your content, and you’ll keep customers loyal to your brand.

The problem is that these videos are notoriously expensive to obtain. One way to give your team some visual brain food is to utilize the many free customer service videos that can be found online.

Here are 5 of my favorites to get you started. And they won’t cost you a penny!

1. Richard Branson’s Customer Service Secrets

Many people consider the Virgin brand to be the gold standard of customer service. In this video Richard Branson reveals his top 7 customer service secrets.

2. Give em the Pickle!

The one and only Bob Farrell explains why we should always…

“Give em the Pickle!”

3. Amazing Taxi Cab Driver

Professional speaker and bestselling author, Shep Hyken, tells his famous customer service story about the amazing taxi cab driver.

4. The Guest

A short preview of the popular customer service training film The Guest, featuring the crabby gas station lady.

5. Four All-Star Traits

IT customer service expert and author Don R. Crawley explains the four all-star traits of customer service masters.

About the Author

Ian Miller is Editor of Customer Service Manager Magazine – the leading resource and community for customer service professionals.

Learn how video can enhance the quality of the customer experience.

Maintaining a high standard of customer service while minimizing costs is a challenge.

With the significant volume of service calls in the tech industry, it’s impressive that Dell credits video with reducing service call volumes by 5%, while Virgin Mobile expects video to reduce call volumes in the future.

With expenses ranging from five to fifty dollars each, customer service calls can be pricey and time-consuming.

This is especially true when an estimated 30% of inbound calls are repeats. Using video to deliver service provides a cost-effective solution for retailers and higher satisfaction for customers.

Video Enhances the Quality of the Customer Experience

From the customer’s perspective, a bad service experience is more than enough motivation to find an alternative. The most complained about aspect of customer service calls is the inconvenient wait for a customer service agent to get on the line.

It’s not economically feasible to overstaff your customer service department, especially when wait times can be eliminated with the use of service videos.

Through video, support is accessible to customers anywhere they take their smartphone, regardless if it’s 2 a.m. or if 200 other people also need a question answered at the same time. Who doesn’t get frustrated by waiting on hold for a few minutes or more to speak with a customer service rep?

Do your customers a favor and offer an alternate, non robotic interaction that answers their questions efficiently. Offer them video. If they really miss the hold music, they can always download it from iTunes.

Long wait times are only one unnecessary inconvenience experienced by customers. Communication difficulties and technical failures can essentially be eliminated with the use of video. Service videos allow you to provide information in any language, and with subtitles, ready for the customer at all times.

Your customers won’t fall victim to bad cell reception or accidental dropped calls. Even if these aren’t the fault of the company, such instances can be frustrating for customers. Keep your customers happy by providing them with a service solution that accommodates their needs on their schedule.

A service strategy should span on and offline to create the optimal customer experience. Digital shoppers have high expectations for their online experience, and, if you don’t deliver, they are not willing to stick around. In fact, 70% of web-centric consumers would turn to a competitor after a poor online experience (Point of Sale News).

Non-product centered videos such as tutorials on how to best use online resources like bill payment or account management have become a key to improving the customer’s online experience. Essentially, videos improve the customer experience by empowering them to make more informed decisions; therefore, increasing satisfaction while reducing returns and service calls.

Video Reduces Costs for the Business

It’s less expensive in the long run to house an array of videos that answer specific customer questions rather than keep an army of expert Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) on hand at all times.

A service video gallery can be adjusted and adapted to emerging consumer demands to provide the most up-to date information and relevant help topics. When customers do call tech support, CSRs are able to direct callers to online videos, therefore reducing the amount of time they spend on each call.

Complex products leave customers with a wealth of questions that increase as they become more familiar with the product. Impact Learning reports that an estimated 30% of calls coming into the average call center are repeat customer calls.

Reducing the number of repeat calls through suggesting online video substantially lowers customer service costs. If 100,000 calls, at $20 per call, come in every quarter, and call volume can be decreased by 10%, you’ll save $200,000 every three months. Large companies can quickly save millions.

Service Video Benefits Your Customer and Your Business

We all know that excellent service is essential to a successful business. One leader in the mobile industry is exceeding customer expectations by incorporating customer service videos within introductory emails. The company proactively equips customers with video instruction right as they begin to set up their new phones in order to avoid basic service calls.

Video communicates a step-by-step process with complete clarity and is more effective than text instructions which leave room for interpretation and ambiguity. In addition, most customers who would never read a product manual will watch a video.

Impress your customers with outstanding service that differentiates you from the competition. Explore the many different ways video can be used for service on your website and start to realize the savings. With adequate planning time, you have the opportunity to deliver an effective video that enhances service while creating a more positive experience for the customer and saving money for your company.

About the Author

Craig Wax, Chief Executive Officer of Invodo, Inc., leads the company’s overall strategy by bringing a seasoned general management perspective to guide the company’s rapid growth.