With so many interactions happening online, offering cobrowsing for real-time customer assistance is one of the most effective ways to guide your customers and resolve their issues quickly. By virtually sharing your website or app screen with them, you can provide hands-on help, clear up confusion, and build deeper trust. Whether you support finance, healthcare, retail, or SaaS users, cobrowsing empowers you to see exactly what your customers see and help them, step by step, in the moment they need it most.
Explore cobrowsing fundamentals
How cobrowsing works
Cobrowsing (short for collaborative browsing) allows you to view and interact with your customer’s browser in real time. It is different from a typical screen share because only the specific web page is shared. This means you see the same page layout, forms, and buttons that your customer sees, without exposing any other browser tabs or personal desktop files.
- You request permission to start a cobrowse session.
- Once the customer grants access, you can highlight elements, help fill in forms, or explain the next steps.
- Both you and your customer stay on the same page, literally, so misunderstandings are minimized.
For an extra layer of peace of mind, you can mask sensitive fields such as passwords, credit card forms, or medical data, so no confidential information is displayed on your screen.
Cobrowsing vs screen sharing
While both methods let you see and guide your customer’s activity, cobrowsing focuses on the browser environment only. Screen sharing can display the entire desktop, including unrelated apps or personal files. In contrast, cobrowsing offers a privacy-friendly solution that is especially valuable for customer service scenarios: you and your customers stay aligned on a single web page, with minimal risk of revealing sensitive data.
Unlock benefits across industries
Cobrowsing excels for organizations in finance, healthcare, tax and accounting, retail, SaaS, and beyond. Here are just a few ways you might use this technology in your own field:
- Finance: Guide someone through a complex tax form or an online loan application.
- Healthcare: Help patients fill out insurance or patient-portal forms.
- Tax and accounting: Walk through filing steps or payment portals in real time.
- Retail: Steer customers to the right product or troubleshoot shopping cart issues.
- SaaS: Show users exactly how to access, configure, and use newly released features.
When customers see you addressing their concerns on the spot, they often feel more confident and less anxious. This human touch can elevate your brand’s reputation and reduce the number of repeat queries in the future.
If you’d like to discover more ways this can improve your workflow, consider exploring improving customer support with cobrowsing. You will see how a direct view of each user’s screen makes your service far more responsive.
Focus on key metrics
To measure how cobrowsing impacts your organization, keep an eye on a few essential support metrics. Below is a table summarizing crucial key performance indicators (KPIs), along with their importance in a successful customer service operation.
| KPI | Description | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| First contact resolution | Percentage of inquiries solved on first try | Indicates efficiency and effectiveness of your support process |
| Average handle time | Average length of each customer interaction | Shorter handle times reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction |
| Customer satisfaction (CSAT) | Survey-based rating of how customers feel | Tracks overall happiness with your support and processes |
| Net promoter score (NPS) | Likelihood of a customer recommending you | Reflects the long-term loyalty that customer experiences can foster |
| Ticket escalation rate | How often issues need higher-level support | Highlights how well front-line teams address problems without pass-offs |
Cobrowsing solutions for customer assistance can influence nearly all of these KPIs in a positive way. For instance, when a conversation requires multiple clarifications over email, that can lead to longer handle times and frustrated customers. With cobrowsing, you can guide them immediately, resulting in faster resolutions and higher satisfaction.
Implement best practices
If you want to make the most of cobrowsing for real-time customer assistance, consider a few best practices, regardless of your company’s size or industry:
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Obtain clear consent
Before you start a session, be transparent about what you will see or control on the customer’s screen. Explain the purpose and emphasize that they can end the session at any time. -
Mask confidential fields
Make sure you have masking features enabled to protect sensitive data, such as payment details, health information, or personal IDs. For extra assurance, learn about cobrowsing security in customer service. -
Offer quick instructions
Not everyone is comfortable with new technology. Keep instructions simple, and use plain language to describe how to join and end a cobrowsing session. -
Maintain a friendly tone
A warm greeting and phrases such as “Let’s walk through these steps together” help customers feel empowered, not watched. Provide encouragement as you assist them to lower anxiety levels. -
Document each interaction
After the cobrowsing session, note key takeaways: what specific steps you covered, which solutions you tried, and how the customer responded. This helps in follow-up and can reveal common pain points to address.
If you need a deeper dive into targeted deployments of cobrowsing, you might find value in reading about cobrowsing for troubleshooting customer issues. It outlines how interactive support can streamline problem resolution for both everyday and complex callbacks.
Use Cobrowse.it to streamline support
Getting started with cobrowsing technology for customer service does not mean you have to reinvent the wheel. Cobrowse.it is an all-in-one platform designed to integrate seamlessly into your existing CRM or help desk software. You can view and interact with your customer’s screen in real time, all with enterprise-grade security features built in.
- Easy setup and integration: Install lightweight scripts on your site, or connect through available plugins.
- Real-time coaching: Instantly annotate or highlight specific areas on your customer’s page.
- Detailed reporting: Track sessions, outcomes, and potential bottlenecks to refine your support process.
With Cobrowse.it, you can also enhance remote customer service by bridging the distance between your team and users who might be across the country or around the globe. Learn more about how it can transform your approach to support by checking out cobrowsing for remote customer support.
Common questions about cobrowsing
Below are five questions that often arise when discussing cobrowsing for real-time customer assistance.
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How is cobrowsing different from screen sharing?
Cobrowsing shares only the browser tab (with sensitive fields masked if desired), whereas screen sharing usually involves the entire desktop or device screen. This targeted view helps protect user privacy. -
What if customers worry about security?
You can reassure them by explaining that cobrowsing requires permission before any viewing starts, and it only exposes the active webpage. Sensitive fields remain hidden. Learn more about safeguarding data in cobrowsing security in customer service. -
Can I use cobrowsing in a healthcare setting?
Yes, many healthcare providers employ cobrowsing to guide patients through insurance forms or scheduling systems. Opt for a service, like Cobrowse.it, that meets relevant data protection standards and compliance needs. -
How do I track return on investment (ROI)?
You can track factors such as increased first contact resolution and lower average handle time. Over time, improved CSAT or NPS scores often also show how much customers value immediate, interactive support. -
How do I encourage reluctant customers to try cobrowsing?
Let them know it is optional and beneficial, as it speeds up support. Provide a simple, clear explanation at the start, and remind them they can end the session anytime they wish.
If your team wants more information on how cobrowsing software for customer service can fit into an existing support environment, check out cobrowsing software for customer service.
Bring it all together
Implementing cobrowsing for real-time customer assistance gives you a direct line of sight into what your customers experience on your platform. When you can see their steps and guide them interactively, you speed issue resolution and foster stronger relationships. Along the way, you will likely notice better first contact resolution rates, happier customers, and more confident service representatives.
Start small by introducing cobrowsing in one department or for one category of support tickets. From there, build a set of best practices to keep your sessions secure and efficient. If you are ready for a comprehensive tool, try Cobrowse.it as a specialized, user-friendly solution. By turning ordinary interactions into personal, one-on-one guidance, you give your customers the boost they need to succeed while showing them you truly care.
