How To Optimize Self-Service Options For Your Customers

These days, brands are challenged to deliver customer service with a personal touch while also saving customers time.Some customers wish to speak to live agents for complex issues, yet reaching an agent can be a time-consuming process. Others wish to bypass agents altogether and seek answers on their own, but the information they find can be inadequate. So how can brands engage with customers with varied preferences to deliver time-efficient, quality customer experiences? Self-service just may be the key.

Self-service is in high demand in customer service, and brands are taking note of its potential for greater customer satisfaction. According to the 2015 Global State of Multichannel Customer Service Report, 90% of consumers expect a brand or organization to offer a self-service customer support portal, while 60% of consumers have a more positive view of the brand if their self-service options are mobile-friendly. What’s more, customers emphasize a need for time-saving service: Forrester research found that 77% of US online adults say that valuing their time is the most vital thing a brand can do to provide them with good service. Here are five ways your brand can optimize self-service options for customer satisfaction.

1. Offer IVR menus for faster service

Interactive voice response menus, also known as IVR, allow customers to connectto the most appropriate live agent with greater efficiency. Speech recognition or touch-tone technology are typically used to enable identification, segmentation, and eventual routing of callers to the most qualified agent, saving time and the need to speak to multiple agents. In addition, visual IVR menus further streamline the process by allowing customers to click or touch their way through an IVR system by using a visual, menu-driven interface. Visual IVR essentially enables customers to select options quickly without needing to listen to long audio options.

2. Use video tutorials to engage customers

Video is a prime medium for customer engagement, as it allows customers to retain information better than text while simultaneously personalizing the customer experience. Use catchy video tutorials to educate customers on how products or services work, and offer technical support through videos with detailed visuals that guide the support process. Consider using animation to liven up such videos, or perhaps enlist actual company employees to further personalize the experience with people who truly understand your brand.

3. Use customer and employee feedback to improve FAQs

Every company website should feature a list of frequently asked questions to truly enable a self-service experience. Customer feedback is vital to understanding what issues arise the most, and customer service representatives can provide additional comments based on their service interactions. Use such feedback to address common issues and empower your customers to find information on their own.

4. Update your channels regularly

Keeping your customers informed proactively is another way to enable self-service. If your brand embraces an omni channel approach, all channels should be optimized with skilled agents ready to respond when needed. In addition, the content found on these channels—from social media platforms to SMS marketing offers to your company website—should always be updated. Information such as new products or services, promotional offers, contests, product recalls, and even scheduled web maintenance should be communicated clearly and consistently across all channels. The more you inform your customers, the less they will need to reach out for information. They will appreciate such proactive consideration of their time.

5. Optimize for your mobile users

Smartphone use is on the rise, so your customers not only want but also need to stay connected on the go. Engage your mobile customers by offering a website optimized for mobile or even a separate mobile app. Make it easy for customers to obtain service with features such as IVR menus, click-to-call or click-to-chat buttons, easy checkout options for purchases, and easily accessible links to FAQs. Make your mobile customer experience as optimized as any other channel.

Offering your customers self-service options empowers them to find resources on their own while showing your brand’s commitment to proactive customer service. By saving customers time without sacrificing quality, your brand can strike a perfect balance between true digital customer experience and the power of a personal touch.