Why Video Messaging Is The Way Forward for Customer Success

How can you leverage video messaging to communicate and share asynchronously? We can actually use video to collaborate more efficiently and be more strategic with our customers and teams.

Emily Garza | October 31, 2022 | 4 min read time

Article Last Updated: October 06, 2023

Why Video Messaging Is The Way Forward for Customer Success

We should use more video in Customer Success.

Did you just cringe? Panic run to the mirror to check your hair? Sigh and think to yourself ‘isn’t all this screen time bad for my mental health’?

All of these are fair responses in a remote friendly world where ‘video on’ is the new default and even though you’ve tried to train yourself otherwise, you still stare at your own video box on the screen a few times during the call.

But what I am talking about is leveraging video to communicate and share asynchronously. We can actually use video to collaborate more efficiently and be more strategic.

The challenges of today’s typical workflow

Have you ever been in a meeting where the focus was solely on providing an update? You probably left thinking ‘why didn’t they just email that over’. The challenge is that email doesn’t always provide enough context (or people only read the tl;dr). Without audio or visual delivery, some emphasis or explanation may get lost. (Not to mention mistypes or grammar items – ie: Want to eat Grandma?). This can impact the level of buy in or action taken.

How about when you’ve been in a meeting that was context sharing for the upcoming meeting? (The infamous ‘meeting about a meeting’.) We go through these motions because meetings have become our default. But meetings can be expensive. Harvard Business Review created a quick meeting cost calculator. A short 15 minute meeting, with four attendees averaging a $100,000 salary? $70. This adds up quickly, especially if the output value doesn’t equal the cost.

Video, especially creating content that can be absorbed and responded to asynchronously, allows people to provide context while also streamlining time.

Collaborating more efficiently

A few years ago, my marketing team provided me with a lightbulb moment. They were focused on evaluating our previous customer events and determining our future event strategy. They held calls with each of the sales and CS leaders to get feedback and brainstorm ideas. Once they had gathered that information, instead of setting up a meeting to share and review it, they created a four minute video recapping the conversations, the next steps they were taking and when they would engage us on this again. In four minutes, I had a status update, heard feedback that my peers had shared, and knew when I would next be expected to take action. That was 26 minutes saved!

How can you use video to collaborate more efficiently with coworkers? Here are some ideas:

  • Record an overview of customer details for internal handoffs
  • Create an executive briefing video for an upcoming customer meeting
  • Record system tips and tricks for new team members
  • Share a summary of meeting takeaways for teams in different time zones

Using video to be more strategic

In order to be a proactive partner, Customer Success needs to be prepared and thoughtful going into customer meetings. The average company has 254 applications they use, according to BusinessWire. Think about how many vendor meetings that could translate to! While we aim to be a strategic partner, the amount of time our contacts can meet with us is limited. If you are able to secure a 60 minute meeting (easily over $350 of meeting time), do you want to spend the first quarter of that meeting doing a recap that could be shared as a video update ahead of time? By leveraging video to provide the ‘one sided’ update prior to the meeting, you release the meeting time to be more engaging, interactive and strategic.

Sometimes, I hear concern from CSMs about this idea. ‘If I send over a recap ahead of time via video, what are we going to talk about?’ The underlying context tells me that the meeting is actually really about the recap. (This is boring and not a great value for the customer!) Think about it from the customer’s perspective – they don’t want to spend significant time recapping something they could access in your system or that they can read faster than you can talk through. Oftentimes, the most beneficial meetings are ones where you talk through strategic challenges, brainstorm ideas together and become both educated and invested in their business. By sharing the basics ahead of the meeting, you create the opportunity to field any specific follow up questions while dedicating most of this time to more impactful conversation.

How can you use video to drive more strategic conversations? Here are some ideas:

  • Send an video to a new customer who is about to onboard with an overview of the process and introduction to the team
  • Send a results recap video ahead of a business review
  • Partner with marketing to create a video outlining advocacy opportunities or asks
  • Send short video “QBRs” with a call to action to low touch customers

Engaging via video is here to stay. By leveraging this as another communication tool, you can improve your internal and external collaboration.

Implementing Video Messaging for Customer Success with Zight (formerly CloudApp)

Effective communication for Customer Success will give your team a solid foundation for growth.

Zight (formerly CloudApp) has a range of solutions that help teams work better, more productively and faster. Our applications, with features like screen recorder, can provide the context and connection of a meeting without the time commitment.

Learn how Zight (formerly CloudApp) can help your customer success team. Request a demo today.

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