Businesses across a range of industries are interested in reaping the benefits remote first service offers. But first, what is remote first service, exactly? Well, in a nutshell it’s a smart technology that entails leveraging augmented reality enabled software. It allows you to easily (and effectively) accomplish a series of tasks in a shorter period of time. Some popular use cases might include using remote first service to fix an electricity outage more quickly. It can also include training and onboarding engineers and reducing the number of in-person calls required on site.
From decreased overhead costs, to easy scalability, to increased customer satisfaction rates and undeniable environmental-friendliness, remote visual assistance technology seems to offer something for all service-based businesses.
So is it the right fit for your business? That’s the question we’ll be exploring today.
In this article, we’ll be diving into: 1) the high-level benefits of remote first service, 2) whether your company could benefit from this technology, and 3) facts to consider when choosing a remote first service partner.
High-level benefits of virtual first service
The benefits remote first service offer businesses fall under the following main categories:
Time Savings
- On average, remote first service (RFS) customers see a 30% reduction in time to solution.
When technicians and other experts don’t have to spend precious business hours driving to and from different sites, they’re able to dedicate that time to what they do best: problem-solving for customers.
By removing commute times and reducing the overall hours necessary for a site technician to get up to speed on the issue at hand, you’re also saving your customer time: they don’t have to wait very long to get help, and they enjoy immediate access to the right person. That means increased first-time fix rates, quick assistance for all your key accounts, and happy customers. It’s a win-win.
Capital Savings
- Remote first services average a 35% uptick in first-time fix rates across all industries
We just talked about time savings for your expert personnel, and as you might guess, capital savings are tied up in this benefit. By removing commute time from your specialist workers’ timesheets, you can instead put them toward more productive tasks. That means higher labor-efficiency ratios across the board, which translates to better ROI for your labor spend.
Not to mention, when you remove the number of service calls that can be carried out via virtual assistance software, you reduce outgoings associated with van repairs, maintenance, and gas.
These are all savings that can now all go toward your bottom line, or be applied to better, more productive spend areas that generate higher ROI for your business.
Improved Customer Satisfaction
- See an average of 30% increase in customer satisfaction (check out our 2021 Buyer’s Guide for more information).
Remote first service reduces customer wait times and, in some cases, allows them to fix their own problems immediately, without having to wait for any boots-on-the-ground assistance. On top of this, remote first service also improves a company’s first-time fix rate.
These two benefits can be key differentiating factors when it comes to customer satisfaction rates (and customer retention rates too), since Salesforce reports that most customers prefer a quick, ineffective response to a slow, ineffective response. This surprising finding may not be that surprising, if we consider the fact that most people just want to feel that their problem takes precedence, and that it’s important to their service provider.
Indeed, the cost of not making customers feel heard can be expensive in more ways than one. According to the same Salesforce report, 91% of customers will leave a brand without complaining, rendering this process of “quiet abandonment” a silent killer for the profitability of most companies.
What businesses can benefit from remote first service?
Need to to answer in-depth customer questions or troubleshoot technical issues with your customer base? Put simply, any business that relies on customer service or in-person service calls will benefit from remote first service.
Saying that, remote first service isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution: every business, depending on their customer service model, internal procedures, and target market will want to integrate this technology across their company slightly differently. That’s why we’re breaking down the use cases for remote first service by industry, so you can see exactly how remote service might slot into (and optimize) your operations.
Find your industry below and jot down ‘yes’ or no’.
Learn if remote first technology is something you should look into further.
Utilities & Energy
| In-person customer service calls Y / N |
| Scheduled maintenance calls Y / N |
| Reliance on specialist knowledge/experts Y / N |
| In-person training and onboarding of new employees Y / N |
| Routine equipment inspections Y / N |
| Interest in improving first-time fix rates Y / N |
| Frequent equipment installations Y / N |
| Carbon neutral goals/reduction in carbon emissions Y / N |
Multi-Family Real Estate
| In person maintenance calls (to fix appliances and smart technologies) Y / N |
| Reliance on specialist knowledge/experts Y / N |
| Routine safety inspections Y / N |
| Interest in improving tenant satisfaction rates Y / N |
| Interest in improving first-time fix rates or extending fix rates outside of business hours Y / N |
Medical Device/Scientific Equipment
| In-person training of certain medical devices and equipment Y / N |
| In-person onboarding of new staff Y / N |
| Cross-collaboration between physicians, specialists, sales personnel in using and calibrating equipment Y / N |
| Interest in access to immediate assistance in high-stakes circumstances Y / N |
| Interest in improving first-time fix rates or extending fix rates outside of business hours Y / N |
Manufacturing
| In-person training and onboarding of new employees Y / N |
| Routine or regular equipment inspections/installations Y / N |
| Carbon neutral goals/reduction in carbon emissions Y / N |
| Need for real-time transfer of information Y / N |
| Interest in production line optimization Y / N |
Transportation
| In-person training and onboarding of new employees Y / N |
| Routine vehicle/plane inspections and maintenance Y / N |
| Reliance on specialist knowledge/experts Y / N |
| Routine safety/quality assurance inspections Y / N |
| Interest in production line optimization or enhanced communication during planned shutdown maintenance Y / N |
Logistics
| In-person training and onboarding of new employees Y / N |
| Routine equipment/vehicle inspections Y / N |
| Carbon neutral goals/reduction in carbon emissions Y / N |
| Interest in access to immediate assistance or inter-department collaboration in high-stakes circumstances Y / N |
| Need for real-time transfer of information Y / N |
If you put down ‘Yes’ to 50% or more of the boxes in your industry’s checklist, then you should seriously consider looking into remote first service. Doing so, helps you capitalize on the money, time, and resource saving benefits we discussed in the last section of this article.
What benefits to look for in a remote first service provider
Not all remote first service providers are created equal. That’s why we created this quick checklist for you to use as you begin vetting vendors of this type of customer support software.
This way, you can ensure you’re investing in a solution that’s going to deliver excellent return on investment, month in, month out.
We’ve broken down the primary key features and placed them into one of the following three categories:
Collaboration Capabilities
- 3D Annotation: Participants can draw within the 3D environment to provide instructions or guideance.
- Merged Reality: Experts can virtually reach into the field of view to give direction using hand gestures and tools.
- Role Switching: Allow the giver and receiver of help to switch roles to view each other’s work environments.
- Photo/Document Sharing: Introduce documents and photos into the help session as needed.
- Face-To-Face: Video chat provides personal communication.
Access And Communication
- Call Recording: Record help sessions for future reference and training purposes.
- Freeze/Pause Video: Freeze live video to capture a hi-resolution still image and work hands-free.
- Invite Customers: Launch a remote first service session with customers on their device through text or email.
- Multi-Party Calls: Bring multiple participants into a help session for training and observation.
User and Group Management
- User Management: System administrators set up and control user access and track call histories.
- Call Reporting: Analyze and customer service effectiveness through in-depth analytics.
- Platform Integration: Integrate your remote first service technology with your chosen CRM systems.
Now, keep in mind that we’ve chosen the most important features for this checklist. If you want a comprehensive guide to choosing and getting the benefits of a remote first service technology solution – then download our 2021 Buyer’s Guide!
We go really in depth as to what features will give your business the best opportunities for scalability and long-term growth from a wide-angle perspective.
Alternatively, get in touch to request a free, no obligation demo to learn about how Help Lightning’s remote first service technology could drive results for your business.
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