As a Support Associate, I handle hundreds of client queries every week.
For the past few months, I’ve been using video-recordings to simplify my guidance, optimise issue-troubleshooting, and make my SaaS clients happy.
Here’s why I love video-support, and why I think you (and your customers) will too 🙌
Why Video-Support?
No matter how user-friendly your SaaS platform or App, Customer Support can be a quagmire.
Particularly for subscription model businesses it’s so important to get your customer to their ‘wow’ moment as soon as possible. If something is stopping people using your product, you need to solve it ASAP, with the least amount of stress and hassle for your customer.
When your customers aren’t able to properly use your product they aren’t getting the full value from it.
Problem is, when a customer is struggling with your software, especially the more nuanced functions, it can be so easy to send a densely-packed paragraph of instructions.
But who has the time (or the desire) to decipher all that? No one. Especially not your customers.
I used to write out all my Support instructions; frankly, they looked more like the secret code of an ancient treasure map than anything helpful.
One day, I looked at the wall of text I was about to send a client, and I asked myself,
“If I was a customer, would I want to receive THAT?”
That’s when I made the move to video-support 🚀
What exactly is Video-Support?
Video Support (unofficial) definition:
- When a Support agent sends a screen-recording with in-platform, step-by-step guidance to help customers resolve their issues.
- Side-effects include spreading customer joy and lightning-speed issue resolution.
The goal? To make it as easy as possible for clients to remove the obstacles to enjoying your product.
How Video-Support has turbo-charged Customer Joy at GoSquared:
🚶♀️ Nothing beats an in-action walkthrough.
“So where is that third dropdown to access the submenu in my Settings – I can’t see it?”
There’s nothing like seeing exactly where, especially across a multi-page SaaS platform, to find & click the relevant setting. Or to have a complex process broken down into a step-by-step video walkthrough.
‘Scroll down 45% then click the second option below the menu tab’, translates so much better when shown in-action than via text. Two seconds of in-context footage is worth two paragraphs of instructions (and twenty minutes of your clients’ time!).
🎁 Give to others and you will receive.
One of the unexpected benefits I’ve noticed since sending support videos has been the uptick in videos clients have sent ME, in return.
This has given much-needed relief from endless back & forths, “Can you send a screenshot? Can you give me a bit more detail on that?”
Half the battle in providing great Support is receiving sufficient information from clients to diagnose & resolve their problems. Now, more often than not, if my original video is unable to resolve the issue, I’ll receive a video or screenshot in response. I can then diagnose the issue, and send a solution.
Less back & forth = faster issue resolution = happier clients. Win-win!
💞 Make Support Human Again
An understated, but important, bonus of sending videos is the chance for a ‘personal touch’.
Not everyone is comfortable on camera (especially when you’re rocking a lockdown-haircut), but I think it helps to be ‘Chris’ from GoSquared rather than Faceless-Support-Agent Number 12. Especially as AI continues to dominate our daily interactions.
Plus, we’re all SaaS companies operating in ultra-competitive markets. Having clients who know and ‘like’ you, could make all the difference.
Top Tip – the rule of three
But how do you know *when* to send a video? Videos may be super-helpful, but they can also be overkill. How do you know when & when NOT to send a video?
I like to follow the rule of three. If a Support query needs more than three steps to explain, it needs a video.
Forgot your password? Here’s a link to reset it.
Struggling to set up a third party integration via the API key? Not sure how to setup your first Prompts or add a Lead form to your site? Let me send you a video.
OK, I’m onboard, but which video software should I use?
Which software should I use?
Here’s the million-dollar question, which Video Software should you use to create and send your awesome Support videos?
It’s a crowded market out there, with a ton of options. Here’s a mini-breakdown of the platforms we use and love at GoSquared 🙌
Loom
✅ Loom is hands-down my number one go-to for sending Customer Support videos.
Loom is super quick & easy; all I have to do is hit Cmd-Shift-L and I’m ready to send a screen-share recording of my demo site. I don’t have time for Spielberg-quality productions when the Support Inbox is busy. Loom allows me to send videos at speed without compromising on quality.
I also love the mini webcam video. I can film myself talking as I run through the instructions, adding that all-important personal touch. I don’t like hiding behind a Support ticket; I want to build rapport with my clients.
The webcam is optional, in case you are particularly camera-shy (or having a bad hair day..!), but I highly recommend it.
❌ Does Loom have any shortcomings?
Long-form videos and tutorials.
Aside from short-form videos for Customer Support, I’m a big believer in the power of long-form videos for product tutorials.
The value of video is by no means limited to quick-fire clips for customers to navigate your product. Long-form videos, also known as product tutorials, enable your clients to master your platform and develop into super users.
I find that, for this particular use-case, Loom lacks the necessary video editing & production ‘power’. This brings me to video platform number two…
Wistia
✅ Wistia was the first platform I tried for longer-form filming.
What I value most about Wistia is the platform’s tracking stats. Wistia gives me in-depth tracking analytics for viewer engagement across all my long-form content – super important! It’s no good spending weeks crafting the perfect platform tutorial if no one ends up watching it…
❌ Does Wistia have any shortcomings?
The main reason I no longer use Wistia for product tutorials is I find it difficult to create demos in real-time.
I’m comfortable shooting a 1-2 minute clip with Loom, but the pressure of running a 3+ minute tutorial all in one go gets me flustered.
For every successful product demo I created with Wistia, there would be a graveyard of failed ‘takes’. Normally riddled with expletives. Especially when I’m at 04:53 of a 5-minute tutorial and a notification from Slack bursts onto the screen…
The solution?
Screenflow
✅ Screenflow has become my video production HQ for product tutorials.
I was initially put onto Screenflow by Jarratt, one of our friends at HelpDocs.
The ability to record clips in my own time, and add a voice-over at a later stage, puts zero pressure on ‘performance’ – a boon for my stress levels!
I feel like a SaaS Michael Bay at the helm of my Screenflow workspace: splicing, clipping, and cutting my mini screen recordings into a seamless recording (minus the explosions).
Screenflow also offers huge scope for customisation. I can zoom in, highlight, annotate, and even add a soothing soundtrack.
People have short attention spans, so having the right amount of editing is necessary to keep viewers engaged over 5-6 minutes. Just don’t go overboard with the edits!
❌ Does Screenflow have any shortcomings?
Screenflow gives a lot. But it also asks a lot in return.
It’s a sophisticated platform and can be intimidating to first-time users. It requires an initial commitment to get to know even the basic functions before you create anything worthy of handing over to your clients.
But it’s well worth the effort. Offering high-quality, smooth product tutorials is crucial to demonstrating the benefits your platform offers and walking your clients through the steps to get maximum value from their subscription.
Here’s one I made earlier – check out the platform tutorial I created with Screenflow for our latest feature release; GoSquared Forms 👀
Curtain Call
Having got to know the various video software platforms, I created the ‘GoSquared Goldilocks Video Stack’, to combine their benefits and mitigate their shortcomings.
- For short-form Video Support, I use Loom videos directly embedded into GoSquared’s Live Chat. When I receive a support query, I can fire back a video for the client to click & play directly from the Live Chat feed. Super-simple for fixing problems, and our clients seem to like it!
- For long-form tutorials, I record & customise the full video in Screenflow; adding a voice-over and background music. I then upload the video into Wistia, and embed the Wistia link wherever I want the video displayed in-platform or in our Support Centre.
- This combines the power of Screenflow’s video production with Wistia’s viewer Analytics, so I can measure each tutorial’s impact on client engagement.
Suggestions?
So that’s how we run things here at GoSquared! How about you? If there are any hot new video software out there or any platforms you think I should check out, get in touch!
