Finding the Right Self-service Mix in Your Contact Center

Self-service is an important facet for creating a seamless customer experience. From a customer’s perspective they want to receive timely and error-free service in the channel of their choice. For contact centres we know there are cost savings opportunities, as a chat with a live agent can cost $6-12 per interaction, compared to self-service which can cost as little as 25 cents. (Forrester). If it has win-win potential, how do you ensure the right blend of self-service and agent-assisted options into your existing channel offerings to keep your customers happy and your costs in check?

As you are developing your plan, keep in mind there is no one-size-fits-all solution to placing and perfecting self-service options. Organisations must consider the unique needs of their business, customers, and employees when designing their self-service strategy. However; there a few things you should consider to develop the right mix:

• Don’t leave it to guesswork, conduct an exercise that uncovers the specifics of customer expectations across your touch points to find the right mix of channels for your unique client base.
• Apply self-service to situations that can be easily predicted -- and designed with a precise awareness of its shortcomings and inabilities.
• Include self-service solutions to the channels and locations where your consumers are naturally and intuitively going to look for it.

The last important thing to remember is that customers expect you to guide them to the channel that will give them the fastest possible resolution.

What do your customers really think about self-service?

Our latest research on Customer Experience reveals what business think of self-service vs. customers, along with many other important benchmark stats. To learn more about self-service and its importance in creating a seamless experience, register for our upcoming webinar “What do your customers really think about you?” This webinar is a can’t-miss event for any contact centre leaders looking for ways to close the customer service gap and start offering the seamless experience their customer expects. For some cutting-edge insights on self-service and the customer experience, please register to join me.