Addressing Customer Service Issues with Visual Engagement

Customer service problem solving and troubleshooting represent a top driver of inquiries to customer service centers. Some issues repeat themselves over and over again and are simple to resolve. Common examples of easily resolved billing and payment issues include customer profile changes or subscription cancellations.

However, some inquiries are much tougher to handle: an unexpected charge, or first bill, for example. Often, the greatest challenge is simply understanding the customer’s issue in the first place.

Customer service problem solving and specifically, resolving billing issues are becoming a massive challenge for customer service centers. This is due to the growing popularity of various industries, such as:

• e-commerce
• digital banking
• digital insurance.

In this article, we address this challenge by highlighting tech solutions that can transform the entire customer service problem solving approach, eliminating many common customer service issues.

Customer Service Issues Examples

Losing a good customer due to mishandling of common customer service issues can be avoided with the proper attention and solution. With approximately 50% of customers saying they’ll consider switching companies after just a single instance of poor service, any friction in the area of customer service problem solving may cause the customer to re-evaluate the value of the product or service….and that just might result in churn.

Billing Issues

Handling billing issues represents a large part of all call center customer service scenarios. Some examples of billing issues include: statement errors, missing or misapplied payments or other credits, calculation errors on the bill, or unrecognized charges on a statement – all resulting from inaccurate understanding of the nature of the problem on behalf of the call center agent.

Promotions Management

When customers want promotional coupons applied to their account, agents must first ascertain that the coupons are valid and that they apply to the order in question.

Proofs Requirement

When a new subscription begins or a contract is renewed, agents require proof of identity to complete the transaction.

How Customer Service Issues Impact KPIs

If agents mishandle customer service problem solving, the outcome can be extremely negative. Longer calls mean low scores on efficiency KPIs – AHT is lengthier, and there may be multiple escalations and return calls. Agents become frustrated with their inability to help, causing a higher attrition rate. And most importantly, customers experience frustration, lower levels of satisfaction with the enterprise, and ultimately, churn.

The Drivers of Unsuccessful Customer Service Problem Solving

Oftentimes, the root cause of a mishandled call is the communication gap. When a customer interacts with an agent, the success of the communication is highly dependent on the customer’s ability to accurately describe the issue at hand. The back-and-forth questions/ answer process is often lengthy and frustrating. This gap in clarity can be easily closed using visual assistance.

Resolving Customer Service Issues With Visual Assistance

Humans use their eyes and brains to see and visually sense the world around them. With 50% of brain capacity used for visual processing, customers automatically choose visual images when faced with a choice of processing methods. This has led to visual search engines leading the market, video tutorials becoming the preferred learning tool, and now remote support becoming more visual as well.

The difference between visually walking a customer through a confusing telecom contract and verbally describing a particular line in question is immense. Visual communication leads to instant, clear understanding, and in the process builds confidence and reduces frustration. Visual engagement empowers the customer rather than escalating dissatisfaction, and is therefore far more likely to result in the successful resolution of customer service problems.

Visual Assistance Options for Customer Service Issues

The visual experience is powered by a variety of technological solutions for different use cases. Contact centers can choose from a range of solutions for engaging their customers visually in order to solve customer service problems, such as:

• co-browsing
• screen sharing
• live video assistance.

These visual engagement solutions can help with customer service problem solving and troubleshooting for billing, payment or proof-related issues, in addition to other customer service issues.

Co-Browsing

Co-browsing allows agents to see and interact with a customer’s browser in real time, visually guiding them to resolution, without requiring any downloads.

Instead of spending valuable time “telling” customers how to solve their online issues, co-browsing allows the agent to navigate the website together with the customer. There is no ability to access or see other tabs, pages or even applications, so privacy is assured. Agents can move their mouse around the customer’s browser, highlight relevant information and annotate to make tricky processes even clearer.  And, the clearer the customer’s problem, the faster the resolution, with Aberdeen reporting that co-browsing tools directly reduce AHT.

Co-browsing can be used successfully in the following customer service problem example.

A customer has a pair of shoes in her cart, but cannot figure out how to apply her coupon code. She is about to abandon the sale, but instead initiates a co-browsing session. The agent annotates on her screen, indicating the proper place to insert the coupon code, and thus saving the sale.

Co-browsing is the optimal solution for a case when all the available data in discussion is on your website.

Screen Sharing

Screen sharing is when agents can view any information or image on the customer’s computer screen. Once the sharing app is downloaded, agents can request to view a customer’s screen and to take control of the customer’s keyboard and mouse in order to streamline a resolution.  The session can also be recorded for documentation purposes.

A call center customer service scenario where screen sharing can help is when customers require support with contracts.

For example, customers with questions about their utility contract might decide to abandon the sale. However, with screen sharing, agents can walk them through the entire process, making it easier for them and thereby ensuring the contract is signed.

Screen sharing is ideal for customer service problem solving when the customer has your native app on their mobile device, eliminating the need for a download.

Live Video Assistance

Live video assistance refers to a live video engagement between an agent and a customer needing assistance. Both see the same physical environment via the customer’s smartphone, and the rep uses the power of AR to direct the customer toward the resolution.

This technology delivers the capability for customers to use their mobile to indicate a physical document such as a:

• bill
• financial statement
• coupon
• proof of identification.

In this customer service problem example a customer calls a utility company insisting there is an error in the monthly usage amount. Using her smartphone, she shows her water meter to the rep, providing the proof necessary for the bill to be adjusted in her favor.

Live video assistance can be used for successful problem solving for customer service situations when interactive communication is required, on and off screen. Here is how it works in a few steps:

• CONNECT: A link to the platform is sent via text message to the customer’s smartphone. Clicking on the link establishes an immediate connection via the browser.
• SEE/ DIAGNOSE: The smartphone’s camera can visually relay the issue to the agent, giving him the power to see what the customer sees.
• GUIDE: Using advanced AR tools and visual instructions, the agent easily directs the customer through the steps necessary for a billing resolution.
• VALIDATE: Once the customer service issue has been resolved, the agent verifies the resolution visually, eliminating the need for repeat calls.

The Benefits of Visual Tools in Customer Service Problem Solving

There are several benefits of using visual tools as a way of dealing with customer support problems:

• Lower AHT due to clearer faster communication
• Less escalation and higher FCR rate due to better understanding and trust
• Agent empowerment and lower attrition
• Higher customer satisfaction and less churn.

Visual Engagement To Solve Customer Service Issues

When customer service issues are mishandled, these calls become a source of customer frustration, and a waste in customer service resources.

The solution is simple – use visual engagement in the form of co-browsing, screen sharing or live video technologies. These customer service solutions empower agents to better connect with customers, resolve their billing issues faster and improve overall KPIs.