Hloni Motloung
22 July 2021
Customer service has evolved drastically over the years, from long waits in queues to instant assistance via chatbots. The evolution of customer service has led to support via phone, live chats, and social media.
Most people don’t like waiting for things, let alone for customer service. Having to wait on a call for hours only for the issue to be resolved in less than a minute is frustrating. That is why the importance of customer self-service cannot be understated.
Customer self-service links to customer-centric organisations. The benefit of customer-centric organisations is the unparalleled user experience, which results in customer retention. As the saying goes “it costs about five times more to attract new customers than to retain existing business.”
Many customers today want to resolve simple customer service issues on their own, without having to communicate with a support agent. Customers do not want to spend hours on the phone. Therefore, it is imperative for companies to offer self-service portals and frequently asked question pages on their websites or applications.
The importance of customer self-service
Self-service allows organisations to provide online support to customers without the need for interaction with a representative from your company. The most common types of customer self-service include FAQs, a knowledge base, and online discussion forums.
When a customer encounters a problem with a product or service, their first thought is no longer to pick up the phone. Instead of speaking with a support representative, they now want to find the answers online via an FAQ article, how-to video, or a knowledge base.
This kind of online behaviour has driven organisations to realise the importance of customer self-service solutions.
The benefits of customer self-service
Reduced costs
When customers can find answers to their problems on their own, the support needed will be reduced, and so will the expenses dedicated to managing that support. After all, it’s self-service because it involves customers doing the work for themselves instead of service specialists occupying paid hours to do the same.
Increased productivity
When a support team no longer caters to repetitive queries, the team is free to work on other issues. Support resources and time can be dedicated to other important projects. As a result, productivity rates will shoot up when customers are self-serving.
Increased customer experience
Modern life has led to people playing multiple roles at home and at work. It leaves little time for individuals to get to their administrative tasks. Self-service enables customers to complete their administrative tasks or solve their problems at their convenience, whether it be in between putting the kids to sleep and or doing the laundry. Self-service puts the customer back in the driver’s seat. It also allows them to develop new skills and understanding of the products or services available to them.
How to set up an effective self-service portal
To achieve an effective self-service portal, your customer service knowledge base and FAQs need to be easily accessible and up to date. Using visual images and explanatory videos can also enhance the customer experience. In addition, the organisation of the self-service portal is crucial. Organization comes through tagging pages so that search results return the most accurate answers.
Finally, all content within the self-service portal must be optimized for desktop, tablet, and mobile users.
Conclusion
Today’s customers are not just ready for self-service, they prefer to use it over other forms of support. However, a customer self-service portal is only effective if you make it intuitive and easy to use.
Self-service allows the customer to find information at the touch of a button. This can reduce the number of calls or emails your support team receives and will lead to an unparalleled customer experience. This is how you satisfy and retain your customers.
At Integrove we focus on enabling digital solutions in any enterprise. We can help you satisfy and retain customers with our years of experience across multiple industries and geographies. Our ability to architect and successfully deliver digital solutions ensures we can support our clients to drive real business value through the use of technology. Contact us today to find out how we can help you.