As consumers gain scores of new ways to spend their entertainment dollars and free time, cable television providers have had to step up their game to compete. For the couch potato in all of us, this can be a good thing. In one compact remote control, our cable companies give us the power to pause live TV, record shows to watch later, view channel guides, select programming, order movies on demand and more. Viewers can access all of those options in a single handheld device – which contains many, many tiny buttons. It’s no wonder cable customer service representatives are busy.

This is a prime opportunity for real-time, multimedia chat. The confused consumer who opts in for text chat might ask a question such as, “Which button do I use to change the channel?” The customer service agent, trained to escalate text chat when necessary, might offer a product video or image of the remote control, which she annotates with arrows to point out specific features. Meanwhile, the customer tests out the rep.’s advice on his own TV while she waits to make sure he understands.

The result is not only a positive experience for the customer, but also a chance to upsell. With a happy user engaged in a video chat, the agent might offer a free three-month trial of a premium cable package. If the customer is receptive, the rep. sends a link to a promotions page on the website via text chat, which runs simultaneously with the other applications used during the session.

This is just one of many businesses challenges solved by enhanced chat. Want to see it in action? Check out the video here.