| | January 20169CIOReviewHere are some valuable lessons we've learned in the past two years: · Train Employees­At first, the thought of using video can be terrifying for contact center employees. Yet one of our early learning was that trained properly, agents actually like being on camera.· Have candid talks with your IT group­Video used to be horribly expensive because of bandwidth costs, so IT depart-ments typically discouraged it. But technology has advanced dramatically; high definition, low bandwidth solutions are now available, providing suitable return on investment. · Make it two-way for customers­We started with two-way video in our contact centers, and some of our clients weren't ready to be seen, and they didn't know how to act on video. Now we give them a choice between one-way and two-way video, and we're finding that repeat customers are getting used to the whole video experience, so they tend to ask for a two-way connection.· Develop an HR policy that reflects the corporate image­Tattoos and nose rings may not be appropriate in a video cus-tomer service setting. If an HR policy regarding proper dress and grooming doesn't already exist, work with your HR de-partment to devise one initially, and then refine it over time as your experience grows.· Think about the environment­Just as the background be-hind an agent is important, so is the area the agent sits in. Is it professional and appropriate for your particular industry or company culture? Is the workplace formal or business casual? Is uniformity necessary? · Consider local customs­Given today's global business en-vironment, be sure to check into local-country regulations and work council rules for customers and employees that relate to audio/video recordings and business operations.Cost efficiencies made possible by advancements in tech-nology are making ubiquitous video possible in retail and hos-pitality settings, contact centers, health care and field services operations, among others. These efficiencies will drive further adoption across industries, making video an even greater com-petitive differentiator in coming years. The six leading prac-tices shared above can help your organization make a smooth transition to video in the contact center and field services. Have you considered how many different ways video can cre-ate a wow factor across your organization's value chain? As video becomes a regular part of daily life, there is growing interest in video chat for customer service and engagement
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