What Is Cobrowsing? Definitions, Use Cases And Benefits.

Ever wondered what cobrowsing is? Customers and businesses need better ways of getting on the same page. And one of the best ways to do that — quite literally — is with cobrowsing.

During a cobrowsing session, two or more people can browse and interact with web content simultaneously with multi-cursor screen control. Think of it as the more advanced and interactive version of screen sharing.

Cobrowsing is a more advanced and interactive form of screen sharing.

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In this article, we'll explore: 

• What cobrowsing is
• What happens during a cobrowsing session
• Examples of cobrowsing
• Cobrowsing vs screen sharing
• How to use cobrowsing
• Whether or not cobrowsing is safe
• How cobrowsing is used in customer support and other business areas
• The benefits of cobrowsing
• How cobrowsing is used in different verticals
• What sets Fullview's cobrowsing apart from the rest

Cobrowsing 101

In this section, we'll cover: 

• What cobrowsing is
• How cobrowsing works
• What you can and can't do during a cobrowsing call
• How to use cobrowsing
• Examples of cobrowsing in action
• The differences between cobrowsing and screen sharing
• Different cobrowsing use cases
• Different verticals and industries that use cobrowsing

What is cobrowsing?

Cobrowsing or collaborative browsing refers to a video conferencing feature that allows two or more people to browse the same screen while on a video call together.

While most people have some experience with screen sharing, collaborative browsing is a very different technology. With screen sharing, one participant on an online conference call shares their browser window so everyone else on the call can follow along with that they are doing on screen. However, none of the other participants on the call can use a cursor to navigate, click on links or interact with other elements on the screen being shared.

With cobrowsing, on the other hand, they would be able to do just that, which means it is a much more collaborative way to get stuff done — whether that's making a presentation with a coworker or helping one of your customers use a new feature.

Cobrowsing is most commonly used as a tool by customer service and customer support teams to make it easier to show users how to solve an issue or use a software. With cobrowsing, a support agent can instantly view what is on a customer's screen and can interact with that screen using their own independent mouse cursor.

Cobrowsing also have uses outside of customer support, for example, in marketing and product management.

Cobrowsing is often used by customer support and service teams to guide users and solve complicated support tickets quickly.

How does cobrowsing work? 

Most modern cobrowsing technology is based on either WebRTC or rrWeb. These technologies were created to allow for seamless peer-to-peer communication over the internet and require no downloads or plugins.

Here is how a typical cobrowsing session works: 

1. Establishing a connection: To cobrowse, you'll need to use a software or platform that supports that functionality. With Fullview, companies can install a few lines of code in their software to enable cobrowsing directly within their app. Support agents can then look up specific customers and initiate a cobrowsing call with any who are currently online directly from within their app, which eliminates the need to send Zoom links or schedule meetings.
2. Initiating a cobrowsing session: A cobrowsing session can either be initiated by sharing a unique session ID or URL with other participants. Or, as in the case of Fullview, directly from within whatever web app cobrowsing has been installed in.
3. Joining the session: Once the other participants have received the URL or session ID, they can click through to join the call. In the case of using Fullview for cobrowsing, the customer you initiate a call with will see an 'Accept Call' pop up in your web app and can click 'Accept' to start the cobrowsing call.
4. Synchronizing the browsing: Once all participants are connected, the cobrowsing platform synchronizes their browsers. This ensures that everyone sees the same web page or application interface simultaneously.
5. Navigation and interaction: Participants can then take turns navigating the web page or application. When one user interacts with the content—such as scrolling, clicking links, filling out forms, or submitting data—the changes are replicated and instantly displayed on the screens of all participants.
6. Collaboration features: Cobrowsing platforms often include additional collaboration features to enhance the experience. These may include live chat, audio or video communication, annotation tools, or the ability to highlight specific elements on the screen. Fullview's cobrowsing has all these features.
7. Session termination: Once the cobrowsing session is complete, participants can choose to end the session. The platform terminates the connection, and users can continue browsing independently.

What can you do during a cobrowsing session?

As we've already mentioned above, collaborative browsing is a more advanced form of screen sharing with many more capabilities.

During a cobrowsing session, you can:

• Browse a website or web app together with someone else while controlling your own cursor
• See what the other person is seeing on their screen
• Control your own independent cursor to interact with their screen
• Use annotation tools to highlight important sections or draw on the screen when necessary 
• Click buttons on the screen
• Navigate to different pages on the website or web app
• Fill fields and submit forms together
• Create things together with other people, for example presentations or designs.

Cobrowsing vendors typically take GDPR and data privacy very seriously, meaning cobrowsing is often a more secure way to view the same screen in comparison to something like screen sharing, for example.

However, this also means that cobrowsing has some constraints: 

• You cannot control all windows or entire systems using cobrowsing. You’ll only have access to the window or tabs in which cobrowsing is taking place.

In the click through demo we've designed below, you can experience exactly what it is like to be on a cobrowsing call step-by-step.

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How to implement and use cobrowsing

To start using cobrowsing, you'll first have to pick a cobrowsing solution to sign up for. We've covered a list of the best cobrowsing software for different use cases in 2023, so if you're confused, we've got you covered!

Once you've signed up for a platform, you should refer to their documentation on how to get started.

If you're a support agent looking for the best cobrowsing solution and you pick Fullview Cobrowsing, the process goes something like this:

• Sign up and install the Fullview cobrowsing API by copy pasting a few lines of code (typically a 15-minute process)
• Once you've installed Fullview, all you users will be pulled into your Fullview dashboard
• Look up the user you want to contact using the search function
• Optionally, view recordings of that users latest sessions in your app to see what they got up to and if they ran into any issues.
• Press ‘Cobrowse'
• The user sees a popup request asking if they want to accept the call
• Start a cobrowsing session to begin multi-cursor screen control with your user
• Once on a call, you can point to sections, highlight stuff and even draw on their screen to make solving support tickets so much faster
• You can even chat with a user while on a cobrowsing call in case you need to send links, for example.

Examples of cobrowsing in action

Cobrowsing is a truly versatile technology with plenty of applications in business. Here are some examples of situations in which cobrowsing is used:

• A customer writes to a company's support team because they have encountered a problem using their platform and they cannot figure out a solution. The agent reviews the ticket and quickly realizes that the solution to the support request is too complicated to explain over chat, so they initiate a cobrowsing call with the user, take control of their screen and solve the problem collaboratively and in real-time.
• You and your coworkers are making a presentation for a sales pitch. Using a presentation software that has a cobrowsing capability, you are able to quickly and collaboratively put the presentation together by working on it together in real-time.
• A customer success manager wants to show a customer how to get the most out of a platform to achieve certain goals and outcomes. Rather than just talking to them about what the platform can do, the success manager initiates a cobrowsing call with them to help them set up their account optimally and show them how to get the most out of the platform.

Cobrowsing vs screen sharing

While screen sharing and cobrowsing share some similarities, they share many more key differences. Some of these include: 

• While you can use multi-cursor screen control during cobrowsing so two or more people can control the same browser window, you cannot do the same during screen sharing.
• While two or more people can click on elements, submit forms, and draw on the screen simultaneously during cobrowsing, you cannot do the same during screen sharing.
• During cobrowsing, personal and sensitive data is automatically blurred out during the call. In screen sharing, however, it remains visible to everyone on the call.
• During cobrowsing, you're streaming code and not pixels, which makes it much more lightweight than screen sharing.

We've covered the differences between cobrowsing and screen sharing before, so check that out for more information.

Verticals and industries that use cobrowsing

There are a number of verticals across which cobrowsing is a key part of any good CX strategy: 

• SaaS
• Banking and Financial Services
• Hospitality and travel
• Insurance

SaaS

Customer retention is key in SaaS. It is both cheaper and more effective overall to retain customers by keeping them happy, than to court new customers through expensive marketing campaigns. In fact, acquiring a new customer can be as much as five times more expensive than retaining an existing one. A good onboarding, CX and customer support strategy is crucial when it comes to retaining existing users, and cobrowsing can help you perfect that by offering customized support that is instant, personable and scalable.

Banking and Financial Services

Banking is complex, and, in the grand scheme of things, online banking is still a relatively new way to engage in it. In fact, recent surveys suggest that only around 65% of US adults use online banking services. That number is large, but there's still room to grow. Cobrowsing can help by lessening some of the friction inherent in the setup phase. It can also be an invaluable tool for financial advisors to use when giving presentations to clients and advising them on different financial services and products.

Hospitality and travel

Helping customers through the process of choosing the right travel packages, booking airplane tickets and making hotel reservations would be a lot simpler if you could just point and click. With cobrowsing, you can do just that.

Insurance

Insurance is tricky and, in most situations, there are a plethora of plans to choose from. With cobrowsing, insurance agents have the tools to demonstrate each one, as well as guide users through the difficult business of signing up for them. It can also help ease friction during the claims process.

Common use cases of cobrowsing

While cobrowsing is applicable in a number of different situations, we find that, for SaaS companies, it is most relevant in the following ways:

• Customer service
• Sales and lead generation
• Cobrowsing for onboarding

Customer service

Diagnose issues faster, see exactly what your users are seeing and offer personalized customer support — all without leaving your app. Cobrowsing allows you to meet your users exactly where they are, as opposed to meandering through endless emails, chats and zoom calls with them.

Sales and lead generation

Good deals are DOA without great demos. With cobrowsing, you can get potential clients on a call and show them around your app without any friction. Sales reps can demonstrate features, highlight USPs and close deals faster. Cobrowsing shortens the sales cycle by cutting to the chase and showing clients exactly what they’re signing up for and why.

Cobrowsing for onboarding

Right now, onboarding is very much a self-service kind of deal. If that’s done wrong, it can really turn potential customers off and negatively affect your adoption rates. Cobrowsing can step in when necessary to bridge this gap and make the onboarding experience smoother for users who need a helping hand.

Want to learn more about different cobrowsing use cases? Read our article about cobrowsing examples.

Is cobrowsing safe?

Given the fact that cobrowsing involves giving someone permission to view and interact with your screen, it's not surprising that many people are concerned about whether or not it is safe.

The short answer is yes, cobrowsing is much safer than screen sharing or remote access because unlike those, cobrowsing does not grant people control over viewing and interacting with each other's systems. It only works where the code is installed, i.e., in the web application or website that the cobrowsing session is taking place in.

In addition to that, using a trusted cobrowsing vendor can mitigate any concerns that you have over the security and safety of using it for your business. If you’re considering adding cobrowsing to your support arsenal, the most important thing to do is to make sure you are using a cobrowsing solution that is reputable and takes data privacy seriously.

We’ll talk a little more about some of the most common concerns when it comes to cobrowsing and how Fullview’s cobrowsing solution addresses them in the following sections. 

Data privacy concerns

One of the primary concerns when it comes to cobrowsing is data privacy and GDPR. When you use cobrowsing, the person or people you are cobrowsing with essentially have access to all of the data visible on your screen. 

And this isn’t just a concern for individuals: companies are often hesitant to offer cobrowsing because of concerns around GDPR. 

So, what can companies and individuals do to mitigate the risk? 

The best thing to do here is to use a cobrowsing solution that takes privacy and GDPR compliance seriously. And one that is transparent about how it protects and processes your data — like Fullview, for example. As one of the only cobrowsing solutions based in the EU, all user data is stored on EU servers, making Fullview 100% compliant with GDPR regulations. We also utilize the highest levels of encryption and security. 

Companies are completely in control of the data they choose to collect and censor during cobrowsing calls. GDPR-sensitive information (like passwords, emails, payment information, addresses and phone numbers) is automatically censored. Additionally, we’ve made it very easy for companies to customize other types of data they would like to censor during cobrowsing calls.

With Fullview, companies are in complete control over the data that is visible during a cobrowsing call.

That’s what makes cobrowsing much safer than screen sharing over tools like Zoom or Google Meet, where it isn’t possible to censor any data. 

Remote access scams

Another risk people have concerns about is the possibility of malicious actors trying to gain access to sensitive information. While this is more a concern with traditional remote access software, we’ve covered some best practices companies and individuals should keep in mind when giving someone access to their systems: 

• Never give access to someone you don't know and always verify the identity of whomever it is that is requesting access. 
• Don't share login or password information. And never ask for it during cobrowsing calls. 
• Trust your gut: if a situation feels off, it’s probably best to exercise caution.  
• Train your support agents in cyber security best practices. 
• Keep the lines of communication with your users open and educate them on how to spot remote access scams. 

Although remote access scams are something you should take very seriously, here is something to ease your mind: 

Unlike remote access software, which grants someone control over your entire system, with a cobrowsing solution like Fullview, agents only have access within their own web app. 

What that means is that if an agent from XYZ company initiates a cobrowsing call with a user, that call takes place within the XYZ app and agents only have control in the XYZ app. They are locked out of other parts of the user’s system. 

This significantly mitigates the risks associated with traditional remote access software — for both companies and end users. 

Additionally, with a cobrowsing solution like Fullview, your users will not be sent links they have to click on or downloads they have to install in order to cobrowse with you, which also makes the process a whole lot safer. 

Once you have implemented Fullview, cobrowsing calls are initiated within your app and your user doesn’t have to download anything: they only have to click accept to start the cobrowsing session. 

While people understandably have some concerns around cobrowsing, given how remote access software has run into tricky territory recently, companies and individuals can rest assured that, unlike traditional remote access and screen sharing, cobrowsing is by far the safest choice when looking for collaboration tools in customer support. 

Just make sure to choose a reputable vendor that is fully GDPR compliant, takes data protection seriously, and is transparent about its security policies — like Fullview!

Benefits of cobrowsing

We’ve all had the experience of working in an app and then coming across a bug or a problem we can’t figure out how to solve immediately. If the process of getting help is filled to the brim with friction and pain points, it really sours you on the entire platform, decreases your willingness to try fixing things, and increases the likelihood of frustration and churn.

In fact, 33% of customers will leave a brand they love after just one bad experience.

A smooth cobrowsing experience, where problems are solved collaboratively and in real-time, can go a long way toward ensuring that your users remain happy and loyal.

Some of the benefits and uses of cobrowsing include: 

• Increasing customer loyalty
• Decreasing customer support costs
• Improving efficiency
• Personalizing customer support
• Lower average time-to-resolution
• Real-time collaboration

Increase customer loyalty

Happy customers are loyal customers. Companies have the power to turn their users into brand evangelists. In fact, 89% of customers have switched to doing business with a competitor following a poor customer experience. Loyal customers are also much more likely to refer your product or service to their network. Companies just have to be willing to offer the best customer service. Having a top-notch cobrowsing setup is a huge piece of that puzzle. 

Decrease customer support costs

Time is money. Right now, we’re willing to bet that a large part of what your support agents spend their time doing is decrypting customer support tickets with no context. With a good cobrowsing setup, you can bypass all the misunderstandings and get to resolution faster.

Improve efficiency

Ping-ponging between customer support, product and development teams severely handicaps your ability to iterate and improve your product. Cobrowsing sessions help the various arms of your organization get on the same page about the issues that your users face, so they can deploy fixes quicker and more efficiently.

Personalize support experiences

72% of consumers say that, when contacting customer support, they expect the agent to ‘know who they are, what they have purchased and have insights into their previous engagements'. Cobrowsing should always be a top contender in your arsenal when it comes to solving tickets because each user — and therefore each support ticket — is unique and should be treated as such. 

Faster average time to resolution

So much of an agent’s time solving a customer support ticket is asking a user exactly what problem they’re facing. Right now, ART clocks in right around 3 days, which is no good. The reasons? Most support interactions typically devolve into long email chains, tedious back-and-forth exchanges, and many a screenshot and screen recording. All of this continues to increase the average resolution time of each ticket. Because it includes a lot of context and easy ways to collaborate to solve a problem together, cobrowsing is the fastest and most efficient way to decrease average time to resolution and increase productivity.

Real-time collaboration

Cobrowsing gives you all the tools you need to effectively collaborate with your users to solve problems. See exactly what your user sees when they are in-app, highlight or point to important sections, and draw or write on your user’s screen to put your heads together and problem solve collaboratively.

Increase first contact resolution rate

Because cobrowsing gives you instant context into what exactly your users are experiencing when they are in your app – and, therefore, the issues that crop up along the way – solving customer service tickets at first contact becomes a much more likely prospect. 

Lessen touchpoints

Having to wade through a sea of different points of contact is frustrating for users. Cobrowsing helps agents get to the root of the issue quicker. This also means that a user is less likely to reach out about the same issue more than once.

Fullview's cobrowsing advantage

We've worked with countless thought leaders and agents within the customer support space to hone our co browsing feature and make it the best on the market. Every improvement we make is with the insight our network provides. We take their advice very seriously. Here are just some of what sets up apart.

• No downloads: With Fullview, you have the ability to initiate a call and cobrowsing session with any user at the click of a button — all without them having to leave your app. You don’t need to send them Zoom meeting links or ask them to download dedicated cobrowsing programs.
• Robust integrations: You can integrate Fullview's cobrowsing into the platforms you already use for support. We offer a ton of integrations with software such as Intercom, Salesforce and Zendesk.
• Multiplayer screen control: Fullview’s cobrowsing is a multiplayer screen control solution, which means that both you and your user can click on buttons, highlight important sections and draw on the screen together using annotation tools. We even have an in-call chat feature in case you need to send messages or links.
• GPDR compliant: Fullview is GDPR-compliant and ISO 27001 ready. All data is stored in the EU and fully encrypted.
• Privacy-first: Fullview’s cobrowsing solution is built with data privacy front of mind. You can only cobrowse with your user within your app — you do not have the ability to cobrowse other tabs or windows.
• Data masking: Apart from the privacy features mentioned above, you can also choose which information you’d like to blur out during cobrowsing calls.
• Affordable: Unlike a lot of cobrowsing solutions on the market, Fullview scales with you. We offer a free plan and a free trial on all paid plans when you are ready to level ip.

Wrapping things up

For all the reasons we've already laid out above — and many more besides, according to HubSpot — it's clear as day that customer support experiences are key to growing a successful and sustainable business. For reasons ranging from the cost of acquisition versus retention, to the importance of customer loyalty, to increased ROI and decreased support costs, cobrowsing needs to be viewed as an integral part of any CX strategy.

Fullview's cobrowsing feature has been developed in connection with hundreds of leading names in the CX field to give every company the best chance of taking their customer support interactions to the next level. Not only is it incredibly easy to use — requiring just two steps from customer lookup to multi-cursor cobrowsing — it also comes packed with features and is fully GPDR compliant.

If you're on your way to supercharging your customer support team, sign up or book a demo.