Customer engagement has never been more important. Here's why.

Thousands of tiny signals

Here's a thought experiment. After Googling “personal injury lawyer”, why would someone choose one attorney over another? Or, more broadly, what are the inputs that affect how we buy online?

This is a question companies grapple with every day. The answer, as you might expect, is nuanced and involves hundreds (maybe thousands?) of tiny signals. What's interesting is what that the process of deciding to transact a purchase or continue your Google search is:

• Often emotionally driven
• Pivots on the basic question: “is this particular [thing I am searching for] the best fit for me?”

Our job is to understand which signals matter, and how to create a compelling experience that overcomes objections and drives conversions.

What really convinces shoppers to make a purchase? (hint: we're often emotional buyers)

We evolved over a couple hundred milenia into highly social beings. We're swayed by emotion more than we would like to admin. And our decisions are influenced by how we feel about a thing.

Pro tip: put your thumb on the scale. Human to human communication is best when someone is considering a purchase. The good news is that the internet makes this easier.

Humans communicate in rich and sophisticated ways that are often driven by visual cues. We depend on facial expressions, body language, and gestures to develop trust through meaningful conversations. Video engagement allows these visual needs to be met while improving understanding and clarity as marketers engage customers in the buying process. Non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, eye contact and posture provide valuable insight about how a customer is feeling during the engagement and if there are any unspoken issues. Knowing whether a customer is confused, satisfied or even disinterested allows sellers to adjust responses and ask probing questions. Customers will feel valued and understood when they experience a real human on their screen actively listening to their questions and concerns.

Would-be customers frequently get stuck

Customers are influenced by social interactions and a gentle push in the right direction can be a big help. There are lots of fence-sitters and reassuring conversation will get the sale done more often than not. The personal interactions that occur through live video engagement offer customers simple and fast access to support. Sellers have the opportunity to nudge customers by explaining why buying a product or service is a good choice. Up to 76% of customers reported using video to learn more about a product. And a face to face video engagement session during the sales process allows customers to receive assurance from a real person that they're on the right track.

The clock is ticking

In a world of competitors and limited attention, you've to do everything you can to do meaningful engagement during the time customers are on your site. It's important to engage your customer on your website at the peak of their intent to buy. Now's your chance! Speed is of the essence. They may bounce and never come back. You have a limited window to convince your customer why your product is the right choice for them. If they engage with you via a call, chat or other mechanism, you're way ahead. Don't miss the chance to engage customers when they are most interested.

People buy from people. But it's important not to over-simplify.

Goods and services are transacted in mind-numbing quantities daily on the web without any human interaction. But for a subset of companies (think nuanced, high-margin, services many more) traction is best achieved with the help of human beings. Regardless of what you sell, engaging with your traffic will help. And video chat provides a means for a meaningful interaction with your would-be customers. The goal is a personalized experience, where customers feel valued as they engage in conversation, and are able to be seen and understood. Companies can quickly learn what shoppers want and address any concerns. The future belongs to the companies with the best engagement, and we believe that live video engagement with customers is one of the best ways grow.