Video Raises the Bar for CX Operations

In the CRM arena, video has been a staple in marketing for years. But today a new wave of video technology is now positioning video at the forefront in customer support, bridging the gap between self-service and human interaction.

These technologies—which include live video chat; screen sharing and co-browse; artificial intelligence-powered video responses to standard questions as part of modern knowledge bases; and interactive tutorials for engaging, step-by-step guidance for product onboarding, use, and troubleshooting—offer customer service and support organizations a modern solution to solve problems more effectively, demonstrate solutions in real time, and create stronger customer connections.

Among some of the other recent technology innovations in the video realm are synchronous tools that are already helping businesses offer support around the clock without additional staff. AI-driven video avatars are enabling companies to deliver consistent, personalized answers at scale. Augmented/virtual/mixed reality is also expected to become a standard feature in video support, enabling businesses to create hyper-personalized experiences that tailor visual assistance to each customer’s needs while allowing customers to interact with digital products right from their couches.

Visual engagement tools like these are essential for creating frictionless experiences, allowing agents to guide customers through complex digital processes, such as financial transactions or technical support, Forrester Research concludes in a recent report.

But it’s not just analyst and consulting firms like Forrester that are now pushing companies to add video support to their customer engagement operations. Consumers themselves are seemingly demanding it. In recent research by Apizee, a video technology provider, 54 percent of consumers said they are willing to use video for troubleshooting, and 50 percent said they would use it for refunds. The same research found that 24 percent of consumers have already used live video support, and 85 percent of customers find video chat helpful for resolving issues, often leading to faster, one-call resolutions.

A recent Statista study found that 61 percent of U.S. cell phone owners between the ages of 18 and 29 use video chat or call services from their mobile devices, followed by 42 percent of adults aged 30 to 49, highlighting a strong trend in mobile engagement among younger demographics.

The data also indicated that 25 percent of Millennials engage in video chats daily, and 25 percent of individuals aged 55 and older have increased their video calling usage in just the past year.

And the vendor community is reaping the rewards. In fact, Vidyard, a provider of video technology, has reportedly seen adoption of video for customer service jump from 41 percent to 57 percent between 2019 and 2025. This shift was accelerated by remote work trends that begin at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Video support is rapidly being adopted in sectors requiring high-touch service, such as banking, healthcare, real estate, technology, automotive, education, and travel.

In these sectors and several others, companies are finding that video, which has historically been a passive experience, is evolving into an immersive, engaging, and measurable format and experience. They are finding that video enables personal connections that text or voice cannot, building loyalty and reducing customer frustration.

The numbers support this, as recent research from video solutions provider Kaltura uncovered. According to its data, video support options yielded 17 percent higher customer satisfaction than traditional support systems (92 percent for video vs. 75 percent for traditional channels); 20 percent higher first-contact resolution rates (85 percent vs. 65 percent); 18 percent higher customer retention (88 percent vs. 70 percent), and lower handling times (eight minutes vs. 12 minutes). Further, by shortening average handle times and reducing repeated contacts, video support helps lower operational costs and limits the need for in-person service visits, according to Kaltura.

Still, as with just about every business technology, implementing video-based customer service presents unique challenges. These can include technical hurdles like bandwidth limitations and device compatibility; privacy concerns that necessitate robust security measures to protect sensitive information; and scalability issues that might arise as demand builds quickly.

To integrate video into customer service strategies, experts have already identified a number of key best practices. The first, obviously, is selecting the right video platform. When doing so, it is important to choose something that integrates into existing customer support software, supports multiple device and format types, and offers strong data security.

Among the items important in video tools are extremely low latency and high-quality audio, according to Alex Radulovic, founder and CEO of Purple Owl, a company that builds custom CRM, enterprise resource planning, and professional services automation software for small businesses.

For many companies, especially smaller ones, collaboration tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet just might provide the customer service capabilities they need, including the video chat capabilities.

With Microsoft Teams, for example, companies can answer customer chats, resolve support tickets, and collaborate on issues. They can connect website chat, WhatsApp, SMS, and social media, all flowing into Teams and one inbox for every customer conversation. To use it, the customer clicks on a chat widget on the company website, app, or WhatsApp. A preliminary ChatGPT/Claude interface answers 75 percent of questions automatically, and complex issues it can’t handle get routed to the Teams channel. Pre-chat forms collect the customer name, email, and issue type before the conversation starts and then route that information to the right team automatically. Other features include chat transcripts, an analytics dashboard to track response times, customer satisfaction scores, chat volume, and agent performance. And then it syncs chats directly to Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM, creating contacts and cases automatically.

But for a company like Purple Owl, Radulovic argues that Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet are insufficient. “We use Zoom, [Microsoft] Teams, and Google Meet for scheduled client meetings. This is unavoidable. They are great for that, just not for customer service,” Radulovic says.

10 Video Vendors

Other video customer support tools abound. Below is a brief look at 10 of them.

• AnyDesk is among a number of popular tools for technicians to service computers without needing to be physically on site. Features include a command-line interface, mass deployment, mobile device management, and live phone support. The Ultimate edition adds single sign-on, custom namespace, remote support module, CRM and IT service management system integrations, cloud or on-premises hosting, and a dedicated support team.
• GoTo Meeting is another option for technicians and customer service representatives to deliver high-touch, face-to-face support, remote demonstrations, and collaborative troubleshooting. Features include integrations with CRM systems like Salesforce and Zendesk and the ability to manage customer data within the broader GoTo ecosystem.
• LogMeIn Rescue was designed specifically for customer service and IT teams for cross-platform support, diagnostics, and secure troubleshooting. Features include Windows and Mac remote control, unattended access, in-session diagnostics, agent collaboration, and scripting.
• Pop is used by many primarily as a collaboration tool, though it has customer service benefits. The video avoids latency, and its audio clarity is excellent, according to users. Features include unlimited meetings, screen sharing, remote control, drawing/messaging, the ability to host meetings, and a public support forum. An enterprise edition adds single sign-on, Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML), and support via Slack or email. Pop integrates with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, and Slack.
• ScreenMeet claims that while “legacy remote support tools force agents to juggle multiple applications and workflows,” it has built “the first truly integrated support platform that works entirely within your existing business systems.” Built directly into ServiceNow, Salesforce, and Tanium, it features remote control and system access, AI-powered documentation, file transfer and storage, unattended device support, multi-party collaboration, session recording and audit, and channel automation.
• Salesforce Slack is seen more as a collaboration tool, though there are organizations that use Slack to provide customer service. Slack does offer real-time video, audio, and screen-sharing tools; Slack Huddles for instant, informal, live collaboration; and Slack Clips for sharing short, recorded video messages. These tools allow agents to swarm issues, communicate with customers via Slack Connect, and screen-share for faster troubleshooting.
• Surfly is designed to enable agents to jump in at any point of a digital buying journey to offer better, faster customer service. Features include co-browsing; easy integrations into websites and other chat solutions, CRM systems, and call center platforms; screen sharing; collaborative document annotation and editing; file sharing; e-signing; multi-person voice and video chat; field masking; action logs; behavior control; and a customizable user interface.
• TeamViewer enables support agents to remotely control customers’ computers or mobile devices to troubleshoot software glitches, install updates, or configure settings. Through TeamViewer Frontline, experts can use augmented reality to see what an on-site customer sees via their smartphone cameras, guiding them through physical repairs or hardware maintenance. Features include access to 200 managed devices, remote printing, file transfer, queuing, TeamViewer AI, Google Meet integration, phone support in 33 languages, recording and playback sessions, and custom branding.
• Tuple is designed primarily for developers and the companies they service and offers high-quality (5K resolution) screen sharing and real-time collaboration capabilities. Other features include 60-frame-per-second screen streaming, drawing annotations, remote mouse/keyboard control, and secure peer-to-peer connections. It integrates with Slack, Google Calendar, and Apple Calendar.
• Zoho Assist integrates with other Zoho CRM tools, including accounting, sales, and customer support software, and it supports third-party integrations with Google Workspace, Slack, Zendesk, and Spiceworks. Features include file transfer, remote reboot, session transfer, customer reports, voice chat and remote audio, scheduled sessions, screen sharing and capture, rebranding, and up to four simultaneous sessions. The enterprise edition also includes session recording, video chat, remote printing, custom domain mapping, diagnostic tools, and up to six simultaneous sessions.

Once the vendor is selected, it’s important to integrate the video capabilities into the larger omnichannel strategy, experts agree.

Best Practices for Video Adoption

Video support, analytsts say, must be a seamless part of the customer service journey, so companies should allow customers to move fluidly between chat, phone, and video and use intelligent routing to direct complex or high-value queries to video-enabled agents when appropriate.

In this context, note that though video chat can provide a higher level of customer service than non-video tools, video alone isn’t enough in many instances, according to Radulovic.

For that reason, he and others maintain that companies must define clear usage guidelines for video, laying out exactly when and how video should be used in the customer journey. Some customer interaction types, like product onboarding and high-stakes disputes, are best suited for video, and it is critical to ensure a consistent application of video across support teams.

Then it is important to train customer service support personnel on how to use video. Agents will need unique skills to succeed in video interactions, so training should focus on building a strong visual presence and mastering nonverbal cues and visual communication.

And even when the video support channel is fully established and functioning, the work does not end there. Companies need to monitor performance and optimize continuously based on metrics like customer satisfaction, first-contact resolutions, average handling times, and agent and automated system productivity. They should also collect customer feedback regularly to refine processes and improve the overall experience.

And finally, companies need to avoid trying to do too much at once. They should start small, and as they get more seasoned in the use of video, they can use artificial intelligence to generate video scripts, create and manage video avatars, automate video replies, and track performance metrics.

But in the end, keep in mind that while text and voice still dominate customer service, video support is growing fast. Most customers are willing to turn on their cameras when necessary for resolving the issues that can’t be addressed in simple voice or chat interfaces. Your company will need to do the same to keep those customers loyal to you. 

Phillip Britt is a freelance writer based in the Chicago area. He can be reached at spenterprises1@comcast.net.