Screen sharing is the technology that allows to share image of your screen with other users on their displays in real time. Most popular messengers have already implemented this feature, so most computer owners have already seen it in action at least once.

Pandemic lockdowns have made videocall communication more relevant than ever. Instead of being a curious novelty for tech enthusiasts, the online format of video conferences is now yet another part of daily life for many people. And while several years ago videocalls were seen as an inefficient method of manager-to-customer communication, they became prominent in the era of active online sales, going all the way from uncomfortable necessity to reliable business tool.

No one would deny the benefits of screen sharing when it comes to organizing remote work, but does it hold the ground when it comes to managing clients? Should you install a proper video widget on your business website? Will it affect sales in any way? To answer all these questions, let’s take a closer look at the phenomenon.

The basics of screen sharing

The technology of screen sharing isn’t all that new; in fact, it was developed and implemented about 15 years ago. The process of sharing a screen is just what you would expect: every action of the user is broadcasted as a video stream to an unlimited number of other devices. There are no limitations to the directions on the stream: your employees can choose to share a screen with a customer, or ask the client to turn on screen sharing on their side and show what’s going on.

While screen sharing wasn’t very popular when it was first introduced, it became more prominent with the development of technology and the growth of internet speed. Nowadays everything you need for a video call with screen sharing is a stable internet connection and a screen to share.

Screensharing is used for many purposes:

File demonstration. Graphic files, complicated documents and presentations can be shown directly to viewers, with no need to send files on e-mail. Live presentations help greatly with establishing contacts and managing direct sales, because the host can answer any questions right away, making the case even stronger.
Live instructions and studying. IT companies commonly use screen sharing to introduce clients and valuable business partners to the specifications of their software products, net products etc.
Inside education. Corporative instructions, PC set-ups, help with interface problems: screen sharing makes many complicated daily tasks so much easier.
Quick navigation. The more complex is the data structure, the more use you will find in screen sharing.

These are the most common ways of implementing screen sharing. But it can be used for many other tasks, as well. This technology helps to simplify and speed up basic work processes greatly, especially for IT and sales. With a properly installed screen share widget you will be getting more sales as soon as your customers begin to use it.

How does it work?

In the not-so-recent past, screen sharing was only available within installable video call software. If the company wanted to use the technology to communicate with clients, it had to convince them to download and install a third-party program, and then create an account for the single purpose of the call. Understandably, this approach didn’t sit well with many customers. For a long time screen sharing remained something that companies used to organize inner work more effectively, and not to communicate with clients.

Nowadays it is possible to decrease the total number of steps for the client to its absolute minimum. With the VideoForce widget, the user simply has to click on a single button to start up a call. This is because instead of being an installable program, VideoForce acts as a part of the website.

It’s just as simple for business with VideoForce, too. Your employees won’t have to install numerous copies of third-party software manually and set them up. Instead, you’ll only have to create a corporate VideoForce account, pick your membership type, and then copy and paste the complete code to your business website. After that, an effective virtual consultant will always be just one click away from every potential customer.

Increasing conversion with screen sharing

Research shows that the effectiveness of information perception varies greatly depending on the source. We only get about 20% of all the information with listening; up to 30% – with looking. However, when audio and video channels are combined, perception increases to 70%. This makes video officially the most effective channel for sharing information.

In marketing video format is in the lead. Moving objects grab attention, and the combination of video and sound helps to promote the product, even if it’s completely new to the audience. You can step up your game even further, introducing video chat for site communications. Instead of passively absorbing video content, your visitors will become active participants. Engaging activities are great for live sales: even if the user only wants to ask a trivial question, your sales manager will get an opportunity to properly introduce the project to somebody who already has a certain interest in it.

Using screen sharing in client communication

There is no end of creative ways to use screen sharing in video chats with clients. If you are just starting out, make sure to try some of these valuable techniques:

Showing off your IT products. Whether it is an installable software product, a web platform or a complicated professional tool, it will benefit from live presentations. A properly trained online consultant will be able to make sales just from demonstrating the main features of your products and services.
Helping with website navigation. You may have the most user-friendly site structure ever created, but if your website is big enough, users will still find their ways to get lost. Save their time and make it easier for them to choose between your various products and services. Whether it is a brief catalog introduction or order placement assistance, make sure that your client feels welcome.
If your business website works as a virtual showcase, then it is necessary to train your staff to act as professional sales assistants. Just like with live sales in offline shops, your sales team will be able to recommend products and services, answer upcoming questions and work with objections.
Tech support. Instead of trying to explain the complicated method of solving the problem to the client with text and images, let your support staff demonstrate the algorithm on screen in real time, while properly explaining every action and making sure that the user is able to follow through.

You can invent even more methods of using screen sharing once you put your mind to it. Take a good look at your client communication processes: is there something that would benefit from the ability to share the screen image?

Screen sharing vs. Cobrowsing

Cobrowsing is a technology that makes it possible for the operator to browse website with the user and guide their path by highlighting the right links and buttons. In a way, it works like screen sharing, because the consultant gets to see cursor movement and page scrolling in real time. At the same time, all the personal data like passwords and bank card numbers is hidden to protect the customer’s privacy.

While this method is good for web page guidance, it doesn’t give both sides much to work with when it comes to solving other tasks, like documents sharing or broadcasting software. Cobrowsing cannot completely replace screen sharing, as it limits the broadcast source severely, and doesn’t show anything that happens outside of the browser.

If you find that cobrowsing is necessary for your business, it is strongly recommended to use it along with screen sharing. This way you will have both tech support and sales figured out.

How to use screen sharing

Live presentation, going over complex documents, order assistance, online consulting – these are just a few ways to use screen sharing to increase your sales.

Install the VideoForce screen sharing widget to your website to begin reaping the benefits of screen sharing today.

Screen Sharing: is it that good for business?