The Importance of Empathy in Streaming User Support

Technology has impacted the way media and entertainment providers establish trust, rapport, and connection among users. With emerging entrants and technology innovations, the human touch has become critically important in helping customers feel valued.

"Many providers are looking to pair technology with people - effectively putting the human touch back into support - to keep users happy."

Despite a digital-first model, consuming media content is becoming increasingly more complex, particularly when users need to communicate issues with the company. Immersive experiences along the customer journey are emerging as a top trend for the entertainment industry. But that's not always easy. And with always-on expectations, customer demands are on the rise. That's why many providers are looking to pair technology with people - effectively putting the human touch back into customer support - to keep users happy. This is just one of several industry trends we've been monitoring.

Reliability

Reliability is a crucial factor for any media platform. Glitches and endless spinning are common frustrations for end users. And with so many options available, an unreliable service offering is a sure way to lose customers.

When a streaming platform is reliable, users trust they'll be able to access content without interruptions or outages. This is especially important for users paying a subscription fee. The more they pay in fees, the less tolerant they are to reliability problems.

Prioritizing reliability involves infrastructure investment, robust auditing, and continuous monitoring - all of which can be expensive. The good news is that the boost in industry reputation and subsequent growth in paying customers will make it worthwhile.

User Support

When problems do arise, user support becomes a key enabler of your success. First and foremost, it is important for support agents to be responsive and timely. Customers should be able to get the help they need when they need it whether through live chat, email, app, or phone. The quicker an issue is resolved, the sooner the customer can return to the content.

Empathy plays a big role in customer experiences today. Frustration levels run high for many people, so unexpected problems when a user is trying to relax can have a doubly negative impact. For this reason, support staff need to be well-trained in how to address concerns in a compassionate and understanding way. They should clearly and effectively communicate with customers, whether through written or verbal formats, to provide clear and helpful guidance.

"Support staff need to be well-trained in how to address concerns in a compassionate and understanding way."

Agents also need to be knowledgeable. Not only should support staff be trained in resolving common issues and presenting solutions, they also need to understand your content platform and features. This combined skillset ensures customer problems are fully resolved the first time.

Customer Centricity

Gary Roth at Contentsquare recently noted, “In the next five years, it’ll not only be about customer journeys, it’ll be about life journeys.” He gives the example of Lululemon acquiring Mirror, an in-home smart fitness mirror. Roth feels the combination of both brands shows that, “they’re going from an internally-centered strategy to a more customer-centered strategy, thus creating positive change in the lives of their customers.”

Customer-centric organizations design all products, features, and services around the user experience. Knowing what can happen, and where, is immensely useful in issue prevention. This focus is especially critical post-sale. Positive customer experiences help to keep users engaged in the platform which in turn drives higher retention. Implementing ongoing usability testing followed by rapid process improvement is proven to be highly effective in positive user experiences.

What You Can Do

Media and entertainment is a highly innovative industry. Ongoing innovations challenge each provider to stay current. One way to do this is by making customer experience (CX) a top priority.

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