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Top 5 Benefits Using Cobrowsing as a Collaborative Online Support Tool

Written by Heather Robinson | Nov 29, 2022 2:04:27 PM

As work hubs and business setups are increasingly remote and more dispersed, there has never been a greater need for effective digital collaboration. The tech world has designed a number of solutions that allow distributed teams to communicate on-screen just as effectively as if they were in the same room. The benefits of cobrowsing and screen sharing have transformed remote customer and staff support.

A screen share feature, for example, allows everyone on a virtual call to view the same screen presentation at the same time. This eliminates any guesswork and ensures that everyone is on the same page. Agents can show customers something outside of a website browser, whether on a stored video file, PDF, or Excel. 

Cobrowsing, or collaborative browsing, allows agents and customers to collaboratively 'browse' a webpage together in real-time. An agent can join a user on an existing website session to understand and solve problems. As with screen share functionality, it allows agents to assist users from anywhere at any time, however, it does not require additional software installations. It allows for fast and effective problem resolution and improved user satisfaction.

With communication as the backbone of any successful organization, any modern company that does not make provision for effective remote collaboration will fall behind competitors quickly. It is important to consider the benefits of cobrowsing versus screen sharing when determining which remote collaboration solution is best for your business.

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Benefits of Cobrowsing

1. Speed

In a world where time is money, businesses cannot afford downtime when it comes to operational technology and computing. Cobrowsing allows for fast problem solving and issue resolution. Help agents are able to see exactly what the issue at hand is since they have access to the visual context as opposed to the user trying to explain their struggle verbally without a visual perspective.

Users can experience virtual assistance as effectively as if the agent was in the very same room. New queries may arise during the resolution process which agents can address immediately without having to launch a new session, create a new ticket, and wait for another callback.

2. Increased Customer Satisfaction

While configuring solutions may take only a few minutes for a tech-savvy individual, the same issue can turn out to be a time-consuming and tedious process for non-tech users. Since cobrowsing allows agents to interact with the user's screen, they can guide them step by step, verbally and visually, to fix the problem. The agent can scroll, click, write, and take full control of the user's screen if necessary. This can save time and eliminates frustration on both ends.

Cobrowsing does not require the user to download, install, or configure additional software to initiate the help session. The support process is frictionless with minimum effort on the user's part. When an agent requests access to a user's screen, all they need to do is click ‘Allow’ to initiate the assistance.

With more efficient problem resolution and access to assistance when and where needed, there is a significant increase in user satisfaction. This plays a major role in retaining loyal users since there is a guarantee that they can always receive the help needed on demand.

Source: Shutterstock

3. On Safety and Security

Improved security is one of the stand-out benefits of cobrowsing. Unlike screen sharing, cobrowsing only allows the remote agent to see and access the browser page in question. With some third-party screen sharing applications, there is a risk of spamming, session lag, and the computer system being subject to malware. Cobrowsing, on the other hand, does not require third-party app installations and does not give any additional parties, including the help agent, access to anything on the user's system.

While the agent can see and perform some functions on the page in question, a field masking function prevents the agent from seeing any personal information that the user may enter during a help session.

Users can, therefore, have greater peace of mind that other open tabs and applications on their computer are not visible or accessible by help desk agents. Personal information is essentially blocked from the agent's view without interfering with the assistance they are able to provide.

4. Cost

While cobrowsing solutions may be more costly initially, they offer a host of benefits that will set your business apart in the long term. Customers prize their online privacy. Being able to guarantee the user complete information security while assisting them with a cobrowsing solution can be a significant differentiating factor for your business.

Customers that receive excellent service without having to put their information at risk are likely to remain loyal users and recommend your services to others. Those who feel that their information is not secure with you will not hesitate to look for a service provider who guarantees information security.

In addition, large e-commerce and online retailers can handle bigger volumes of client queries simultaneously and deliver quick problem resolution.

5. Adaptability to Bigger Teams

Cobrowsing is useful for a range of business teams from staff support services and account managers to sales, call centers, and customer success teams.

Human Resources can implement it to walk new team members through forms and speed up onboarding. Finance companies can assist users to complete quotes while startups can walk users through their software applications. Additionally, it is highly beneficial for medical companies since sensitive data remains secure.

Leverage Innovative Collaboration Tools

With an increased remote work culture, there is a greater need than ever before for efficient and secure online interactions between businesses and their employees or customers. The benefits of cobrowsing are vast. It allows for rapid, context-driven customer support, improved online collaboration, and ultimately a user-friendly experience across all devices. With ScreenMeet's cobrowsing solution, interactions are secure, reliable, and trustworthy.

Founded in 2015, ScreenMeet is the product of 100+ years of combined expertise and insight into how employees and consumers want to collaborate over the internet.

ScreenMeet will help usher your company into the new age of collaboration by empowering sales, service, and support teams to deliver meaningful one-on-one interactions online.

Get started with ScreenMeet in 3 simple steps:

  1. Book a customized demo
  2. Try ScreenMeet FREE for 14 days
  3. Start transforming your business!