The Mad Dash to Remotely Support Physical Devices: What's Working, What's Not

In many ways, it seems like the world has slowed to a standstill during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) lockdown. And yet, support calls keep coming.

There’s a palpable sense of urgency to resolve issues and provide expedited service under the influx of support calls coming into contact centers. Companies who support physical devices and spaces – hardware, healthcare and medical devices, manufacturing, equipment, automotive, and electronics, to name a few – are scrambling to find new ways of doing business virtually.

To bridge the distance gap and support these devices, companies are turning to visual engagement solutions like remote camera-sharing to see and solve issues through their customers’ mobile device cameras.

But there’s usually one big problem. Nobody wants to download an app.

A recent study shows that requiring customers to download an app or extension is the #1 challenge companies face with their existing visual engagement tool.

What’s the rub? For one-time fixes, requiring someone to download an app to their phone feels like more of a commitment than they’re willing to make. They just want to get this one issue fixed and move on. Reluctance isn’t a good note to start on.

For those who agree to a download, many find it clunky and confusing. Agents often spend more time coaching users on where to find the app in the store and walking them through the download process than actually solving the customer’s real problem.

Sometimes it seems more trouble than it’s worth, so teams may abandon using the app altogether. Now on a blind phone call or chat without any visuals, customers struggle to describe the issue they’re experiencing and agents struggle to explain a solution for something they can’t visualize for themselves. These calls can get painfully long and leave both parties frustrated.

This doesn’t work in the best of times. And let’s face it, these aren’t the best of times. Agents and end-users need remote sessions to be as smooth as possible.

The better option?

A download-free camera-sharing solution that allows customers to join a session with one click.

Here are the key elements to look for:

1. An entirely browser-based camera-sharing solution.

This lets you augment any engagement channel (phone, chat, messaging) with a visual dimension so agents can see and solve faster without any downloads.

2. A standalone solution that doesn’t require a larger platform to use it.

This allows any and all customer-facing teams across the organization to help more customers with more issues, not just the few agents trained on the larger platform.

3. A solution that’s quick and easy for companies to implement right now.

This will immediately take the stress off contact centers and provide customers with a better, more efficient experience.

These are trying times. The less friction, the better. As I referenced before, we already know that requiring an app download is a major challenge for companies who have already adopted visual engagement tools. In the pressure cooker that is social isolation, there’s no time to fumble through failed experiments by following in their footsteps.

Remove the download barrier and be on-site with customers in an instant with Rescue Live Lens. It ticks all the boxes mentioned above so that you can provide fast and efficient remote support for physical devices and environments without disruption. See for yourself with a free demo.