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How complete self-service models improve CX, boost revenue per customer and deliver on personalization
With over 130 million live answers served and counting, Zoomin is trusted by many accomplished brands worldwide to deliver stellar product content experiences
Customer self-service portals provide tremendous value to customers, and the numbers prove this. In fact, most customer self-service statistics show that users appreciate being able to find answers on their own. Rather than having to wait for assistance, self-service platforms enable customers to conduct independent research and get the help they need on their own time. Customer satisfaction statistics are increasingly pointing towards a collective preference for self-service options over traditional customer support channels.
This makes sense, considering the amount of time customers often have to spend waiting on the phone to speak with a live agent. Bad customer service statistics demonstrate customers’ frustration at having to wait for support, or finally getting in touch with live support and failing to resolve their issue. Businesses might also want to take a look at internal customer service statistics, which can give them a better idea of what companies can be doing internally to improve their customer support.
As the digital world has expanded and online users have been able to go through the motions at an accelerated pace, customers now expect to be able to find answers to their questions quickly and efficiently. Hindering the customer service process can negatively impact your business and drive customers away. This is why it’s important to implement a self-service portal or platform so that customers need only turn to live support as a last resort. Customer self-service can also help save your business time and money, allowing you to focus on more pressing business operations.
One of the best ways to facilitate customer self-service is by creating good web content. The Zoomin platform allows users to design intuitive content experiences, and great customer service statistics prove the impact of this type of content on self-service. Over half of customers believe that better content experiences could help reduce support cases, and 84% say that they would switch brands due to poor content experiences. As such, companies should invest in creating good content to enable customers to self-serve.
A customer self-service portal is a platform that allows customers to find the answers to their questions and resolve product issues. Self-service portals are increasingly replacing traditional customer service methods such as live chat and phone support.
This is in part due to the fact that more and more customers are conducting business online rather than in-person, and it can be difficult to receive live support through the internet. Self-service portals can also be more convenient, as they allow users to find answers faster.
Some of these platforms offer self-service portal login options, while others let anyone come and go, freely using the portal without having to create an account. These portals are generally more useful and attract more customers. The ultimate purpose of a self-service portal is to make customers’ lives easier, not harder. To get a better understanding of how these platforms work, you might consider browsing different customer self-service portal examples to see what has worked and what hasn’t for other businesses.
If you’ve taken a look at customer self-service statistics, you are likely well aware of the success and popularity of self-service portals. When designed with ease of use in mind, self-service methods can be even more helpful to customers than live support. Customer self-service examples vary, and some options may be better for certain businesses than others. Some are created to demonstrate the importance of self-service customer satisfaction and can help you get an idea of how quality content can improve the customer experience.
AI-powered chatbots are among the most common self-service examples. These tools are designed to make users feel that they’re talking to another human. Other popular self-service examples include FAQ pages, knowledge bases, and community forums. Community forums can be particularly helpful to those that desire human interaction, but don’t want to have to sit around waiting for a response in real time. They can seek answers from other users that have experienced the same kind of problems. While these are some of the most widely-used self-service options, there are others that you may consider implementing as well.
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Digital self-service options can be particularly beneficial for large companies, as they’re regularly responsible for serving the needs of several customers. Online self-service is useful for a number of reasons, but perhaps more than anything, it allows companies to take a step back and focus their efforts elsewhere. While customer support is an integral part of running a business, it can be incredibly time-consuming. Thankfully, online customer self-service can make the process easier for everyone involved.
A customer self-service website can take many forms. You may choose to focus more on AI-powered support, leaving most customer inquiries to a chatbot, or you might decide to invest more in a community forum, where users can gather to discuss their questions and concerns. It can also be helpful to gauge customer satisfaction to determine the best self-service options for your business. Try to get a sense of what customers find most useful and what they’re struggling with. Be open and receptive to feedback, taking note of the pros and cons of each self-service method.
From a business POV, the self-service model just makes sense. It’s a win-win solution for all parties involved, because customers get easy access to support whenever and wherever they need it, and businesses can reduce the time and money they would have otherwise spent utilizing human support staff. Customer experience trends are showing a strong preference for ease and accessibility, both of which are encompassed by quality self-service platforms. Forrester customer experience statistics further demonstrate the importance of paying attention to customer needs and wants, especially in relation to support.
Forrester’s 2021 Customer Experience Index found that 21% of brands saw their rankings improve compared to 2020. These brands were those that adapted to evolving customer service expectations and were able to efficiently meet customer needs. Going forward, one of the best ways that businesses can improve their customer satisfaction scores is by implementing the self-service model. While they may not choose to ditch traditional support entirely—and it can be counterproductive to do so—there are many areas in which self-service can be used to improve the customer experience and help create a more effective business model overall. Offering customers the best of both worlds is truly the way to go.
Having a self-service strategy can better equip you to come up with meaningful solutions to improve the customer experience. In order to take full advantage of the benefits of customer self-service, it’s important to understand why it works and how it can be most helpful to customers. Seeing things from the customer’s perspective is a great way to identify pain points and work to resolve those issues so that customers can have a better experience using the portal. There are many different customer self-service strategies you might employ, depending on your business model and how you typically go about serving customers, but it’s important to get an idea of what kinds of tools your customers actually enjoy using.
Zoomin helps users create exceptional content that allows customers to get the help they need when they need it. Considering that 90% of customers would recommend a brand after having a good content experience, investing in content that powers self-service tools can be incredibly worthwhile. Your goal should be to make the support process as easy as possible for customers, not add an additional layer of complexity to what might be an already frustrating situation.
Self-service content should be easy to access and understand, allowing customers to receive the support they need in a quick, efficient manner. By providing quality self-service options you not only help your customers, but help your own business, as the statistics show that customers are more likely to stick with and recommend brands that provide good content that allows them to self-serve.
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