The Co-Browsing is the joint navigation in the same site by two or more people accessing the same web pages simultaneously.
The Cobrowsing was probably originated as a technology for documentary research environments at the end of the last century, and as we see in “Is co-browsing dead? 3 out of 5 librarians agree”, it was a technology that had been a degree of disenchantment in those applications for which it was originally conceived.
Fortunately, and like a technology for customer service centers, CoBrowsing technology continues to attract a lot of interest for its application in libraries and documentary research, which continues to promote its development.
One reason that has helped to launch Cobrowsing technology has been as ideal support technology for online customer service centers (Live Help), in all lead management activities, from lead acquisition, lead nurturing communications, and above all as optimal sales assistant during the online buying process, both in a e-commerce portal as for the purchase of any other online service ( i.e. insurance policy).
In the coming years we will see new Co-Browsing technology applications, (i.e.: Applications for Social Networks), facilitated by new Open Source libraries that makes easier its implementation as togetherjs.com from Mozilla.
Co-browsing features as a support for efficient Lead management.
Co-Browsing, as a tool included in Live Help Tool systems for Lead management platforms, has specific characteristics from the lead point of view (prospect or customer), and from the point of view of the commercial agent or sales agent, because:
- Customer privacy must be assured: The sales agent only has to see the page that is shared at that moment with the customer.
- Optional Visibility for sales agent at only specific parts of the page: The sales agent may have limited visibility to certain parts of the page that are not necessary to complete the sale.
- Synchronization between the agent’s screen and the screen of the lead.
- Additional SW installation by the customer should be avoided: This will ease its use and rejection by the lead is avoided.
- Co-browsing could be stopped at any time by the customer: This is usually performed by clicking on one part of the page always visible.
- It must be requested the client authorization to start the co-Browsing: Just before the CoBrowsing session start, a window will appears on lead’s screen with a message where it asks permission to begin Co-Browsing.
Co-Browsing is often integrated with other customer communication tools such as Chat and Video.
Video allows the customer to look at the sales agent, make eye contact with him and interpret his expressions, allowing to set up a type of communication that is not possible using only chat or audio, so that one of the ways of enhance Co-browsing benefits, is to use, a small window that will show how the sales agent interacts with the customer.
Co-browsing technologies used for Lead Management.
There are two technological approaches for integrating Co-Browsing in lead management systems:
- Screen Sharing technologies: Customer needs to install more SW to start the Co-Browsing. For example, Skype uses Screen Sharing when we share the desktop..
- Technologies based in HTML and JavaScript: The customer doesn´t need to install any extra SW.
From the point of view of the user experience the main implications of using one or other technology are:
- Screen Sharing systems may have access to more information than the shared on a given page, so the customer can have objections based about data privacy.
- Screen Sharing systems are often slower: Synchronization problems.
- Many Screen Sharing systems share a picture : Because they are not sharing the same page in HTML, they could not do activities such as filling a form.
- Screen Sharing systems have the advantage that they can share screens from any portal independently of the relationship of theses with the seller.
Because some of the features of Screen Sharing systems, Co-browsing technology based on HTML and JavaScript tends to impose in Lead management platforms, primarily because of synchronization and interactivity advantages.
Co-browsing impact on sales
As happens in the “offline” world, many users need support when they are going to take a decision on a particular product or service.
So, while in a store or mall a sales agent usually go to talk with customers to solve any concerns about a product or service, and if is possible close a sale, we need similar tools that can fulfill that function for online sales, Co-Browsing is a tool that helps in that role.
It is possible to help many leads while they deal in a website with Co-Browsing . Many of these leads would be lost, because in many cases they may feel confused, (or suspicious), about what is the best decision to take with a product or service, form filling or payment method.
Aberdeen Group shows some of the proven benefits of Co-Browsing in a study, after analyzing data from 129 business in July 2013.
Among the advantages are:
- Increase of benefits.
- A greater percentage of users give positive references.
- More productivity of sales agents.
For all these reasons Co-Browsing inclusion as online customer support , is a must in any online business.
Co-Browsing Integration in Delio.
Delio Lead Management has integrated the latest Co-Browsing technology along with other user communication tools (SMS, Click2call, Click2Video, call, etc),which combined with and easy and graphical way of workflows generation, where it is not needed any technical knowledge to schedule planned activities , make it ideal for your marketing and sales teams.
Do not hesitate, if you want to give a more personalized treatment to your potential customers, optimizing your sales resources, Delio Lead management is a flexible solution that integrates in one tool everything your company needs for efficient management of each lead.
Contact us and ask for a free trial.