Some companies will follow a hybrid-work model in the near future, with certain days in the office and others remote, and could align the in-office and remote schedules of workers to build equity. In order to be fully remote, other businesses can use video communications. Increased efficiency and greater teamwork and the opportunity to recruit a more diverse workforce would enjoy both models.
For technology and the companies and customers that rely on it, 2015 has shown rapid changes. Wearable technology is trending, and it is becoming the standard for video chat. Most of these patterns are influenced by consumer behavior and the immense shifts in the relationship between consumers and businesses that arise. Companies are starting to switch to a next-generation approach this year that can minimize costs while being much more flexible and easier to manage.
- Such examples of how business interactions are influenced by video chat include:
Studies show that 55 percent of communication includes body language, thus making video chat a way to communicate that enables clarification. - It helps minimize costs by using video chat as a corporate relations tool. It makes it possible for workers to telecommute, which helps to minimize in-office costs. It is also possible to boost scheduling and efficiency since meetings can occur at the click of a button.
- If they are a few rooms or a few countries away, video chat enables direct, succinct contact between colleagues that is close to instantaneous. Chats can be conducted from wherever there is a Webcam available.
- Technology has both increased connectivity for people with disabilities and made it possible when it wasn’t before. Video chat enables the deaf to connect with company representatives who communicate with their clients using sign language.
- Mobile video chat allows users to be mobile and does not force them to sit in front of a computer, much like having a headset frees their hands when talking to a customer or client.
- In a video chat, using two cameras allows the opportunity to show a person what they are looking at and is much easier than picking up a laptop to share the view. There are several items that can be demonstrated by video chat, and clients can be shown how to use products or even how to repair them by video agents.
- An often forgotten advantage of video chat is that after a purchase, it reduces the likelihood of customers requiring more assistance. The quality of the interaction offers a higher rate of resolution of problems and a reduced number of unanswered questions via video chat. This upfront consumer awareness helps fix problems quickly or even prevents them from originating in the first place, with the ability to access goods and samples from agents, saving both the business and the customer time and energy.
- Video chat has shown to raise sales rates by up to 10 percent in online shopping. A recent study reveals that 67.45 percent of online shopping carts are never actually checked out, but that this rate can be dramatically improved by more personal types of customer service. After all, when you can see the face of the individual rather than just know the name of a person, it is much harder to hang up.
