You may have heard that we’re in the “Age of Customer Experience” (CX). Thanks to digital disruption, every point that customers engage with a brand or business now has to be personal, immediate and robust.
This is equally important for B2B and B2C businesses.
While this may feel like a tall order, it’s also a huge opportunity for your business. In a study on the future of the B2B customer experience by the consulting firm Walker, it’s predicted that by the year 2020, CX will be the #1 factor over both price and product when it comes to determining competitive advantage.
Telepresence technology is unique in that it allows key members of your team to truly be “in person” with customers, regardless of physical location. And it can also be a buzz-worthy, innovative perk for B2C companies that want to give customers a chance to experience their corporate headquarters and culture firsthand. With so many possible points of contact with customers on and offline, adding your personal touch can make all the difference.
Here are five ways forward-looking companies use Beam to enhance their CX:
Seal the Deal with a Personal Tech-Driven Tour
While Barry Malkin, CEO of the leading STEM education resource Carnegie Learning, originally began utilizing Beam to connect with his team, he soon found that the innovative technology helped him run a more engaged, efficient team and win more business to boot.
As Barry notes, “Yes, many others in the office use the Beam to meet and collaborate. We are also encouraging our employees to invite customers and prospective customers “inside” our office through the Beam. My hope is that visiting our office on a Beam will be a memorable, enjoyable experience that leaves them with a strong impression of both our company and the Beam.”
The Doctor is IN!
The rise of telemedicine has opened important avenues for better patient care, with doctors and other medical professionals providing remote consultations. At Miramont Family Medicine
in Fort Collins, CO, CEO Dr. John Bender and staff use Beam for a variety of patient services, including “seeing” chronic care patients, overseeing fiberglass cast removals, presenting at weight loss clinics, providing buprenorphine/addiction clinic follow up, and giving instructions for kidney infection care, just to name a few. Dr. Bender also uses Beam for acute consults when he’s not on-site, such as after-hours or during a Saturday clinic.
The results, according to Dr. Bender, are incredible. As he points out, “Our record to date is thirteen patients in one day, and these are patients wouldn’t have been seen that day had it hadn’t been for Beam. For patients, this expands opportunities to encounter me when I am out of town or otherwise would not be available to them.”
The Fans Love It
Portalarium CEO and Creative Director and video game visionary Richard Garriott works nearly full-time remotely and relies on telepresence technology to stay connected on a daily basis with his team as they continue to develop their latest release, Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues. His enthusiasm for having a “virtual body” to play in gave him the idea of giving his most rabid gaming fans a treat by inviting them to “visit” Portalarium’s Austin headquarters.
As Richard describes, “We invite people from our community of players that have been supporting us to Beam in anytime for a visit at our offices. We find that the bond that we can build with our customers is dramatically enhanced with this technology.”
CX is defined by the quality of interactions between a customer and an organization throughout their business relationship. In our digital age, the most forward-thinking companies seek out fresh ways to support connection, cultivation and superlative customer service at every point of contact. Telepresence technology provides a cost-effective way to make a positive impact on customer loyalty and higher retention and ultimately, revenues.
Connect your community
While premier cloud computing and platform visualization software provider VMWare initially used Beam to connect its internal team, its company leaders soon found that it was also a powerful way to also increase engagement between external community members from their 500,000+ international customer base and the company.
For example, VMware’s invites global advocacy experts to “Beam in” and participate in podcasted community roundtables of over 10,000 online listeners. And at its annual VMworld conference, they have deployed several Beams to provide community members the chance to experience the event at no cost – a smart and cost-effective way to increase brand awareness and loyalty.
Service Your Client “On-Site” from Anywhere
For Greg Samuels, owner and CEO of Richmond, VA-based IT consulting firm, Solvaria, attending face-to-face meetings is an important part of his business. For his biggest consulting clients, he’s placed Beams at their companies for ongoing, “in-person” customer service.
As Greg told us, “Being seen “on-site” on a regular or daily basis demonstrates the work you're putting in. Otherwise, there seems to be an out of sight, out of mind element where clients think, ‘Gosh I didn’t see you here today, so you’re not working for me’ -- even if you are. With Beam you’re being seen, even if you’re not physically there.”
Now, not only can he and his team members literally be in two places at once, but it’s also saved his company significant time and budget on travel.
