In a world of fierce competition and high expectations, superior customer experience drives revenue and separates great companies from good companies. “According to Forrester, “Brands with superior customer experience bring in 5.7 times more revenue than competitors that lag in customer experience.”

In the financial service industry, the introduction of electronic banking shifted much of the in-branch customer service efforts to a self-service experience. Self-service though, is rarely entirely self-service, but also requires support that is best performed in real-time. That’s where Co-Browsing comes into play. With such a powerful, yet simple visual engagement solution at your side, you will be able to connect agents with customers seamlessly and provide a fantastic customer experience on multiple touchpoints.

In this post, we’ll define Co-Browsing, show the impact of Co-Browsing on your KPIs, and explain the different types of Co-Browsing used in business today.

What is Co-Browsing?

Co-Browsing is a secure technology that allows a support agent to see what a customer sees on their screen, without downloads or installations. Being optimized for web and mobile, Co-Browsing enables an agent to click or scroll, highlight key information, and, therefore, quickly guide a customer to a solution.

How Does Co-Browsing Work?

To implement Co-Browsing on your website, one JavaScript snippet needs to be added to it. Unlike traditional screen sharing, with Co-Browsing, neither the agent nor the customer will ever have to download or install anything.

Here is a simple outline of how Co-Browsing works:

• On the website, a click of a button on the customer’s end initials a Co-Browsing session.
• The customer receives an ID and shares it with the agent.
• The agent uses the ID to connect with the customer’s screen.
• The agent instantly receives an accurate visual representation of the customer’s screen.
  
• The agent guides the customer by clicking, scrolling, and highlighting key information.
• Once the issue is resolved, the agent or the customer can end the Co-Browsing session.

Why is Co-Browsing Important?

Implementing a Co-Browsing solution will significantly improve the efficiency of your contact center, have a positive impact on revenue and enhance customer satisfaction leading to a healthier relationship between you, as a company, and the customer.

According to Forrester, “Live-assist communication channels (phone, chat, Co-Browse) have much higher satisfaction ratings than asynchronous electronic channels (email, web self-service). Satisfaction ratings are: phone (74%), chat (69%), Co-Browse (78%), email (54%), and web self-service (47%).”

Live assistance channels like Co-Browsing work best because customers want service in real-time and trust channels that provide genuine human interaction. Adopting the right Co-Browsing solution will boost your KPIs and the bottom line of your company.

How Can Co-Browsing Boost Your KPIs?

• Improves the Net Promoter Score – Live engagement tools help customers throughout their entire buyers Journey. By incorporating Co-Browsing, you reduce customer efforts, enhance the agent’s knowledge, higher agent engagement, and, most of all, have better resolution rates.
• First Contact Resolution – With live tools, such as Co-Browsing, agents can quickly identify the needs of customers. Whether it be filling out a complex bank form or guiding customers through an online purchase, Co-Browsing facilitates the customer journey across your website that result in First Call Resolution.
• Increase the Productivity of Agents – Rather than wasting valuable time trying to understand the needs of your customers, your agents can use Co-Browsing to guide the customer to a faster resolution.

Types of Co-Browsing

Not all businesses use the same kind of Co-Browsing. There are different Co-Browsing solutions that are suitable for different use cases. To learn more, we have defined the types of Co-Browsing used today in the market.

Embedded Co-Browsing/Web Co-Browsing

Embedded Co-Browsing uses JavaScript to share a browser tab between a customer and an agent. Neither the customer nor the agent will ever need to download or install anything Co-Browsing.

A support agent can guide a customer through an online process or help solve a particular issue instantly using this type of Co-Browsing.

Universal Co-Browsing

Universal Co-Browsing is also implemented using a JavaScript snippet. This type of Co-Browsing allows support agents and customers to Co-Browse any site on the web without limitations or restrictions.

Universal Co-Browsing makes sense when not all resources are on your website. It integrates a browser-like window on your site which is shared between an agent and a customer allowing both to jointly navigate the whole web.

Desktop Co-Browsing

Desktop Co-Browsing involves sharing the content of your screen with another device or multiple devices. Desktop Sharing uses various methods that allow sharing the screen remotely for collaboration between two or more parties. When a customer requests a solution to a problem outside of your website/browser, an agent can initial a Desktop Co-Browsing session to guide the customer to a quick solution.

With Desktop Co-Browsing, an agent can either show their screen/desktop or request to see a customer’s screen/desktop. They can also show any media without the need to send files; this includes videos, images, documents, or presentations.

Mobile Co-Browsing

What Web Co-Browsing is for the web, Mobile Co-Browsing is for native iOS and Android apps. Through an SDK, Co-Browsing functionality can be implemented to your mobile apps, allowing agents to see what customers see on their screen and highlight important information through a drawing feature.

Document Co-Browsing

In a conference call, Document Co-Browsing enables an agent and a customer to collaborate in PDF document preview. This allows the agent to guide the customer through the whole application or contract by filling in, highlighting or pointing out key information in the document.

Final Thoughts

Adopting innovative new technologies to enhance customer experience is key to a successful business today. Customer experience is now understood to be among the most potent differentiators for businesses and therefore, companies need to find better ways to improve their customer service departments by adding new technologies that suit their needs.

Implementing a Co-Browsing solution to you service center will accommodate the growth of your channels will significantly improve your resolution times and your KPIs.