The digitalization of services that began around the turn of the millennium and accelerated during the COVID crisis shows little sign of slowing. Activities like shopping, banking, and even visiting your doctor have been replaced with digital alternatives. As far back as 2009, Apple told everyone, “There’s an app for that,” and it’s easy to see why. Modern consumers embrace digital channels for their convenience, and businesses deliver digital services because of their efficiency and the access they provide to meaningful data.
Of course, there is also a compelling financial reason why businesses choose to offer digital services. Removing the physical barrier to service adoption significantly expands the reach of a product or service. A small, specialist high-street store is unlikely to thrive on passing traffic alone, whereas an online store has a potential global audience. The relationship between adoption and revenue is clear. The more people that use your platform, the greater the opportunity for revenue generation.
A good online experience positively impacts customer experience and loyalty, encouraging repeat transactions and increasing the likelihood of add-on or complimentary product purchases. Businesses can expand their portfolio by offering digital-only products and bolster repeat revenues by offering subscription-based services. Online banking is a classic example. As the user base grows, more customers are exposed to complimentary products and services, discovering they may be eligible for preferential rates on savings or loans.
However, the digital marketplace is crowded. Every app has multiple alternatives, so user experience and advocacy play a vital role in ensuring adoption and longevity.
Barriers to adoption
Migration to digital services is rarely frictionless. Where change is forced upon users, such as the closure of a local bank, there can be resistance. For non-technical users, onboarding can be problematic. If the initial experience is not good, users will either seek an alternative or fail to utilise the product to its full capacity, negatively impacting loyalty and revenue generation opportunities.
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Complexity
Despite the time spent designing the UX for digital platforms, complexity or ambiguity still makes it through to production environments. If the user experience is not simple and intuitive, it will create a barrier to adoption. Where complexity is unavoidable, support services need to be easily contactable and empowered with the right tools to address user queries.
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Confidence
For some users, even the simplest of platforms can be a cause of anxiety. Less tech-savvy users who are migrating to digital platforms for the first time may struggle to get to grips with navigating websites and native mobile applications. These support queries take longer than average to resolve and can lead to frustration for both the customer and the agent.
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Confidentiality
Data privacy is a significant concern for users when it comes to digital adoption. Security has become a key differentiator, with users eschewing convenience in favour of confidentiality. If users believe their personal details are at risk of exposure, they may be reluctant to fully embrace digitalization; leading to an erosion of trust and customer loyalty.
The role of co-browsing in enhancing digital adoption
Collaborative browsing offers support agents a unique perspective on the challenges facing new and existing users. The ability to see what the user is seeing, provide real-time guidance and access a toolkit comprising a laser pointer, annotation, and even remote-control delivers an unprecedented, personalized support experience. Eliminating traditional barriers to communication ensures complex issues are solved quickly, and the ability to show users what “good” looks like reduces the chance of repeat calls.
Co-browsing comes into its own when demonstrating how to navigate a website or mobile application. Agents can indicate where buttons should be clicked or where items sit within the navigation. If permitted, they can carry out navigation and click buttons on behalf of the user. Agents could also share their screens with the customer to show how to navigate a platform.
Benefits of co-browsing
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Increased customer engagement
Interactive, real-time support helps users feel more comfortable with new platforms, increasing overall engagement and confidence. By guiding customers through the interface and demonstrating key features, businesses can help users overcome the complexity of digital services. This direct assistance not only reduces hesitation but also empowers users to explore and utilize the platform more effectively.
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Enhanced customer support
Businesses can use co-browsing to walk new users through key features, ensuring a smooth onboarding experience and reducing drop-off rates. Many users struggle with lack of confidence when using new digital services. By offering real-time training and guided walkthroughs, businesses can boost user confidence, ensuring they feel comfortable navigating the system and performing tasks independently over time.
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Improved education and onboarding
Co-browsing allows for human interaction, which can be superior to automated responses. Automated support can lead to customer frustration, failing to understand nuanced issues, struggling with unscripted scenarios and lacking empathy.
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Reduction in support costs and time
Faster issue resolution means fewer tickets, reduced call volumes and lower operational costs. A streamlined support process benefits both customers and businesses. By enabling support agents to directly address user concerns in a co-browsing session, companies can avoid prolonged troubleshooting calls and unnecessary escalations. This efficiency not only enhances the user experience but also helps businesses allocate resources more effectively.
Implementing co-browsing
When building a business case for co-browsing, it is important to identify where the technology can add the most value. When integrating co-browsing, businesses should seek to:
- Define key use cases: Identify where co-browsing can have the most impact, such as onboarding, troubleshooting or complex transactions.
- Ensure privacy and security: Choose a co-browsing solution that safeguards user data and limits agent access to non-sensitive areas.
- Train support teams: Equip agents with best practices for guiding customers through co-browsing sessions.
- Monitor performance: Use analytics to assess effectiveness and refine strategies as needed.
Co-browsing can transform the user support experience, contributing to increased adoption and utility of online platforms. Breaking down traditional barriers to adoption and providing personalized guidance has a long-term impact on customer loyalty and boosts digital revenues.
