How customer success can navigate a recession using video guides

As businesses navigate through tough economic times, customer success teams are often the ones who have to work harder to maintain customer satisfaction and retention.

The recession may result in decreased budgets, staff reduction, and even cancellations of services or products, which can put customer success teams under intense pressure. To avoid this, customer success teams need to adapt to the changing economic conditions and remain efficient while retaining customers. One of the ways to do it is by having the right set of tools.

In this article we're going to explore:

Why are video guides useful?

Every person is unique and has their preferred way of consuming information and knowledge. Some people prefer to listen to audio, others prefer to read text, and, others prefer to watch videos. This diversity in learning styles makes it important for knowledge solutions to be flexible and cater to the needs of all individuals.

By offering a variety of formats, including step-by-step videos, audio voiceovers, and written materials, Customer Success Managers (CSMs) can provide a more comprehensive and inclusive learning experience. This helps to ensure that everyone can access and understand the information they need, regardless of their preferred learning style.

Guidde lets anyone in your team create how-to videos and visual documentation in seconds. Guidde’s format combines short, instructional videos that walk customers through specific processes, new functionality, or tasks. 'Guiddes' (AKA how-to guides) can be used in various ways by customer success managers to improve the customer experience and drive engagement.

How to use 'how-to' videos to improve your customer success strategy

Economic uncertainty, in any form, has a knock-on effect on every business process. You might hear whispers of 'cutbacks' and 'lay-offs', or perhaps 'downsizing'. And this isn't an issue that's solely affecting your company. Your customers will be feeling the sting, too.

That's why it's vital customer success teams double down on their efforts to prevent increased rates of churn. A simple way to do this is to ensure your company has the best resources at its fingertips.

Over at Guidde, we champion the use of personalized video content which has been found to have a direct impact on improving customer satisfaction and retention. By using visual documentation, customer success teams can create visuals that demonstrate how to use product features and resolve specific issues for each customer. The ability to create and distribute instructional content quickly and easily allows the team to focus on more complex customer issues or provide strategic guidance.

Here are some of the ways Customer Success Managers can use visual demonstrations to enhance their customers' experience:

1. Customer onboarding

One of the first ways Customer Success Managers can utilize combined video and document guides is for onboarding new customers. This can help ensure that customers are correctly set up and have a clear understanding of how to use your product or service. By providing customers with a visual demonstration of how to complete specific tasks, you can reduce confusion and increase adoption.

Visual demos also provide a consistent onboarding experience for all customers, ensuring that everyone receives the same level of training and understanding of the product or service. This consistency can lead to improved customer satisfaction and retention rates.

Onboarding can be a very time-consuming process, especially for complex products or services. Video guides, or 'how-to' videos, can help to reduce the time it takes to onboard customers by providing a self-paced, easily accessible resource that customers can refer to at any time.

2. Troubleshooting

When customers experience issues with a product or service, they often turn to customer support for help. CSMs can use video demonstration software (demo videos) to create troubleshooting videos that provide solutions to common issues.

Rather than having customers struggle to understand written instructions or trying to explain a complex issue over the phone, Customer Success Managers can send 'Guiddes' that contain step-by-step instructions that clearly and concisely demonstrate the solution to the problem, often going beyond the how and into the why as well.

3. Feedback

You can use Guidde to gather feedback from customers in a streamlined, easy-to-use way. By asking customers to watch a video and provide feedback on specific aspects, CSMs can get a more accurate understanding of customer needs and preferences. This can help drive product development and improvement. This can be used as preparation for quarterly business reviews (QBRs) as well as periodic engagement with customers.

4. Post-onboarding support

Just because the onboarding period is over, doesn't mean the customer's education is over.

When customers experience issues with a product or service, they often turn to customer support for help. CSMs can use demo videos to create support videos that provide solutions to common issues. These videos can be used to reduce the number of support tickets that need to be handled manually, freeing up time for the CSM to focus on more pressing issues.

Guidde offers post-onboarding support by providing customers with a visual demonstration of how to perform specific tasks, allowing CSMs to ensure their customers continue to get the most out of their product or service.

How can video guides be useful in a recession?

Reduced costs

Tightening the purse strings is the first port of call for any business facing the possibility of a recession, and even more so in the midst of one!

One key advantage of combining video and documentation is that they can help CSMs save time and avoid repeating the same explanations over and over again.

When customers have questions or need assistance, CSMs can simply share links to relevant step-by-step videos. This allows customers to self-serve and access the information they need on their own time, without requiring the customer success manager to explain things multiple times.

Traditional customer support methods, such as in-person meetings or phone calls/Zoom, can be expensive, especially in times of recession when budgets are tight.

Improved scalability

As the number of customers using the product or service grows, it can become increasingly challenging for customer success teams to handle all support requests manually. By using video demonstration software, businesses can create troubleshooting videos that can be shared with customers, allowing them to resolve common issues on their own. This makes the support process more scalable and reduces the need for additional customer success staff.

Better communication

Demo videos can help to improve communication between customer success teams and customers. By providing visual demonstrations of solutions, customer success teams can reduce misunderstandings and improve the accuracy of solutions provided, leading to increased customer satisfaction and retention.

Tried-and-tested examples of visual documentation in onboarding

Using demo videos is a crucial asset to any customer success strategy. It's the differentiator between a customer staying or churning. But don't just take our word for it, the proof is in the pudding!

Here's an example of Guidde's visual demonstration software. 👇

All in all...

Without a doubt, video guides are a dynamic addition to your customer success toolkit, helping streamline and clarify your communication with customers.

Guidde can be a valuable tool for customer success teams in times of economic uncertainty. With the platform, the team can quickly and easily create customized, high-quality instructional content, providing support to customers and improving communication while lowering costs. With Guidde, your customer success team can navigate the challenges of recession and emerge stronger.

Start using Guidde today