Customer experience (CX) has become table stakes, with 81% of B2B survey respondents claiming they compete primarily on CX (Gartner), and 85% of B2B buyers rank the experience they receive as important as the company’s products or services (Salesforce). 

Finding out what customers really think about your company and your offerings can provide invaluable insight to shape your business and product strategies. But in-person customer panels and roundtables can be challenging to schedule and costly to execute. Fortunately, virtual customer panels and roundtables have proven just as effective, with none of the costs and logistical challenges.

However, a virtual customer panel or roundtable still requires careful planning. You want to put your best foot forward with your customers and be sure you can make the best possible use of the time everyone invests.

Here are four best practices to consider that can help you optimize your video-powered customer panels for maximum business impact.

Make it relevant for your customers

Yes, your goal is to elicit feedback and get input from your customers. But you need to make sure they get something out of the event, as well. Look for ways to incorporate information that could be of value to your customer. Make sure they feel like they’re getting value, too.

Make it easy for your customers to participate

Choose a platform that is reliable and easy to use for all participants. Test for high-quality audio and video, using different platforms your participants are likely to use, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones.

Consider the day and time your participants are most likely to have available, and limit your session to one hour, if possible. Audience attention can be hard to keep if you go longer than an hour, and most everyone can commit to one hour without too much negative impact on already busy schedules.

Include relevant partners

If you have relevant channel partners that are important to your business, bring them into the fold during your panel or roundtable. You can work with partners to invite their customers, which may increase attendance and engagement while also creating referral opportunities. You could also invite partners to co-sponsor the event with you.

Make it interactive

If you’re livestreaming the event, make sure you’re using a platform that enables you to create interactive experiences with your customers. Consider how to incorporate Q&A and screen sharing to create more engagement. Even for recorded videos, focusing on audience interaction makes content more engaging.

Think outside the video conference box to uncover innovative ways to bring your customers along on the journey with you. Lastly, don’t forget to invite feedback on the event itself.

Make it moderated

To get the best feedback from your customer, the conversation requires thoughtful moderation from a senior leader in your company, in a partner company, or possibly even a well-respected thought leader from your industry. An independent moderator can attract higher participation and can elicit more candid feedback.

Create impactful virtual customer panels and roundtables with Socialive

Virtual customer panels and roundtables can prove to be a highly effective way to connect with your customers and uncover insights that shape your business. Socialive’s end-to-end video creation platform powers the enterprise to easily record, edit, and publish customer panel videos and produce professional-grade, branded livestreams with the team already in place:

  • Create dynamic and engaging customer panel livestreams with cloud video production, including preset workflows to mix and match live, pre-recorded and screen share video with dynamic layouts and branded graphics to keep everything professional and consistently branded
  • Record a single customer or a group of people and include them all in your panel from anywhere — straight from your phone, tablet or desktop browser — with Socialive’s remote recording capabilities to ensure the highest quality possible
  • Streamline content management with the ability to securely record, store, and access HD video in a cloud-based recordings library — automatically uploaded at the time of recording
  • Manage talent behind the scenes during the livestream or recording session, share talking points, and keep everyone on the same page through a Virtual Green Room
  • Create snackable clips from each recorded session or livestream in an instant

At Socialive, we believe that everyone, regardless of video expertise or skills, should be able to use video to easily feature customers in their video content. Discover how we can help you create virtual customer panels and roundtables that inspire your customers and impact your business.

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