“People don’t buy products, they buy experiences.” This quote is fundamental in commerce. Whether it comes to clothing or online shopping, experience has become a competitive product businesses offer.
Customer experience is a rather broad topic, encompassing various aspects. Επομένως, providing a great customer experience is a multidimensional effort. One way to get closer to it is by ensuring your customers can swiftly and effortlessly resolve their issues.
Great customer support means a lot of things: fast responses, proactive agents, εκπτώσεις, κι αλλα. It also entails allowing customers to solve their problems on their own, anytime they want.
Scaling Customer Service
The problem with scaling customer service is that it usually increases spending for a business.
Εκπαίδευση, εργαλεία, and tech must be spot-on to keep up with the demand. You want to make sure every customer’s voice is heard and every issue is quickly resolved, αλλα ΤΑΥΤΟΧΡΟΝΑ, you don’t want to hire an army of support agents.
Cost-effective scaling is a delicate dance between quality and not going broke. A good way to start with it is to optimize existing processes and reasonably invest in automation, making sure the human touch isn’t lost in the shuffle.
One way to scale your support is to implement self-service.
By providing customers with the tools and resources they need to find answers to their questions independently, businesses can improve their support without investing much into expanding the team’s headcount.
Με άλλα λόγια, you help your customers help themselves.
Self-service options, such as knowledge bases, Συχνές ερωτήσεις, chatbots, and interactive tutorials, προσφορά 24/7 support so customers can access information at their convenience and avoid all the fuss connected to interactions with a support team.
Consumers want to be able to solve their problems on their own (Πηγή: Deloitte’s Customer Service Excellence Report)
Self-service is not just a tool or a set of tools. It should be a part of your customer service strategy as it aligns with the customer-centricity of business.
What Is Self-Service?
Self-service is about empowering customers to find solutions to their problems at their convenience.
Self-service provides customers access to various tools and resources, such as knowledge bases, Συχνές ερωτήσεις, chatbots, and instructional guides. This approach enables customers to find solutions and answers to their queries without needing direct assistance from support agents.
The Advantages of Self-Service
Self-service offers many benefits for both customers and businesses.
Για πελάτες, it means convenience, as they can find answers and resolve issues quickly and independently, often 24/7. It also empowers them with control over their interactions and reduces the frustration of waiting for assistance.
On the business side, self-service enhances operational efficiency, reduces support costs, and frees up human resources to focus on more complex tasks. It also fosters data collection and insights, helping companies better understand customer needs.
τελικά, self-service is a win-win, improving customer satisfaction while optimizing business operations.
Let’s have a closer look at the benefits of self-service.
Εξοικονόμηση κόστους
As mentioned earlier, self-service options are cost-effective. They reduce the volume of incoming support inquiries and the need for a large customer support team, resulting in significant cost savings over time.
Improved Availability
Unlike support agents, customer self-service is there to help day and night.
Self-service options are available 24/7, allowing customers to access information and get help at any time that suits them. This convenience is especially valuable for global products or services that operate in different time zones or with busy schedules.
Faster Problem Resolution
Since self-service empowers customers to resolve issues on their own, often faster than waiting for assistance from a support agent, it leads to quicker problem resolution and increased customer satisfaction.
Waiting for an answer and not being able to resolve an issue are some of the most frustrating things for consumers (Πηγή: HubSpot)
Reduced Customer Effort
Customer effort is the level of difficulty or the amount of effort a customer needs to put in to achieve a desired outcome when, για παράδειγμα, seeking help.
Self-service reduces the effort of finding information and getting help. Customers can easily navigate knowledge bases and FAQs or use chatbots, eliminating various obstacles.
Επεκτασιμότητα
Self-service tools can easily scale to accommodate a growing customer base. As a business expands, self-service remains a consistent and efficient support option, unlike hiring and training additional support staff.
Data-Driven Insights
Whether it comes to a knowledge base software or a chatbot tool, such tools generate valuable data about your customers: their behavior, προτιμήσεις, ανάγκες των, the most common problems, κι αλλα. This data can later influence business and product improvements.
Consistency
Automated self-service ensures consistent information. Whether it comes to a knowledge base or a chatbot, knowledge management encourages agents to unify information.
Unlike human agents whose responses may differ, self-service organizes information and serves as the only source of information.
Reduced Support Load
By handling repetitive queries, self-service reduces the workload of support agents. This allows them to focus on more complex issues, improving their overall productivity and job satisfaction.
24/7 Διαθεσιμότητα
The tools are available around-the-clock, ensuring customers can access assistance at any time, including outside of regular business hours.
Enhanced Customer Experience
A well-implemented self-service strategy enhances the overall customer experience. It aligns with the preferences of modern customers who value convenience and autonomy.
Customer satisfaction greatly influences the chance of a customer recommending a brand or buying from it again (Πηγή: Gladly)
Παραδείγματα εργαλείων αυτοεξυπηρέτησης
Υπάρχουν μερικοί τρόποι με τους οποίους μπορείτε να κάνετε γρήγορα τη ζωή των πελατών σας χωρίς προβλήματα.
Βάση γνώσεων
Μια βάση γνώσεων είναι μια αποθήκη πληροφοριών που χρησιμεύει ως εργαλείο αναφοράς για άτομα που αναζητούν απαντήσεις σε συγκεκριμένες ερωτήσεις ή λύσεις. Συνήθως περιέχει άρθρα, οδηγοί, Συχνές ερωτήσεις, και άλλα έγγραφα που έχουν σχεδιαστεί για να παρέχουν πληροφορίες για ένα συγκεκριμένο θέμα, προϊόν, ή υπηρεσία.
Οι βάσεις γνώσεων έχουν σχεδιαστεί για εύκολη πλοήγηση και για γρήγορη πρόσβαση των χρηστών στις πληροφορίες που χρειάζονται. Είτε αντιμετώπιση προβλημάτων, ή να μάθετε πώς να χρησιμοποιείτε ένα προϊόν, ή την κατανόηση μιας σύνθετης έννοιας, μια βάση γνώσεων τα έχει όλα.
Οι οργανισμοί που χρησιμοποιούν αυτά τα εργαλεία μπορούν να ενεργοποιήσουν τους πελάτες, υπαλλήλους, και να υποστηρίξουν τις ομάδες να έχουν πρόσβαση σε πληροφορίες από μόνες τους, anytime they want, μειώνοντας την ανάγκη για ατομική βοήθεια.
Φανταστείτε ποτέ να μην χρειάζεται να εξηγείτε το ίδιο πράγμα ξανά και ξανά στους νέους υπαλλήλους. Με βάση γνώσεων, όλες οι πληροφορίες είναι καλά οργανωμένες, από τις πολιτικές της εταιρείας έως τις βέλτιστες πρακτικές και το υλικό ενσωμάτωσης. Ανακοινώσεις της εταιρείας, ενημερώσεις, και οι αναφορές διατηρούνται πλέον σε ένα μέρος, available to all employees at their convenience.
When it comes to customers, they don’t have to wait on hold forever or send a gazillion emails to get answers. Quick fixes, Συχνές ερωτήσεις, or in-depth guides can be quickly found in a βάση γνώσεων. Συν, it’s open 24/7, so they can solve their problems immediately and at any time, even on Saturday at 2 AM.
An example of a knowledge base by Nike
Interactive Tutorials and Guides
Interactive tutorials and guides walk you through everything you need to know, βήμα βήμα. Είναι φανταστικά εργαλεία που παίρνουν έναν πελάτη, ή χρήστη, από “δεν έχω ιδέα” προς το “Το έχω” σε χρόνο μηδέν.
Χρησιμοποιούν οπτικά, κινούμενα σχέδια, και σαφείς οδηγίες για να βοηθήσουν τους χρήστες να βρουν το δρόμο τους για κάτι. Είτε αυτά είναι τα πρώτα βήματα σε ένα λογισμικό επεξεργασίας φωτογραφιών είτε σε ένα εργαλείο SaaS, Τα διαδραστικά σεμινάρια είναι ο καλύτερος τρόπος για να διδάξετε στους χρήστες πώς να χρησιμοποιούν ένα εργαλείο.
Είναι κυρίως επειδή προσφέρουν έναν ελκυστικό τρόπο για να βοηθήσουν τους πελάτες να λύσουν προβλήματα ή να αποκτήσουν νέες δεξιότητες. Σε αντίθεση με τις γραπτές οδηγίες, τα διαδραστικά σεμινάρια συνδυάζουν κείμενο με γραφικά, κινούμενα σχέδια, and sometimes even quizzes to create a more immersive learning experience. This multimedia approach uses various learning styles, letting users absorb information effectively.
CeraVe offers customers a quiz that serves as an interactive guide to their products
Chatbots
Chatbots are another tool worth considering when investing in self-service, whether it’s answering FAQs, providing product information, or guiding users through troubleshooting steps.
Chatbots are computer programs designed to simulate human conversation and interaction with users. They use artificial intelligence and natural language processing to understand and respond to text or voice inputs in a conversational manner.
They can be integrated into websites, messaging apps, or other digital platforms, providing an efficient way for customers to get answers to their questions, resolve issues, or access information.
Chatbots can handle a wide range of tasks, από την απάντηση σε συχνές ερωτήσεις έως τη βοήθεια με συστάσεις προϊόντων και ακόμη και τη διευκόλυνση των συναλλαγών.
Τα chatbot χρησιμοποιούν τεχνητή νοημοσύνη για να απαντήσουν σε πελάτες που αναζητούν βοήθεια. Chatbots συνομιλούν σε πραγματικό χρόνο, που είναι βολικό για τους πελάτες καθώς μπορούν να λάβουν βοήθεια όποτε τη χρειάζονται.
Τα chatbot ακολουθούν προκαθορισμένα σενάρια και αλγόριθμους, έτσι είναι συνεπείς στις απαντήσεις τους, και συνεχίζουν να μαθαίνουν από κάθε αλληλεπίδραση. Αυτό τους κάνει ακόμα πιο χρήσιμους με την πάροδο του χρόνου.
A chatbot on the Warber Parker website
What If Self-Service Is Not Enough?
Φυσικά, self-service will not be able to solve more complicated customer problems. At least not yet.
Εχοντας αυτό κατά νου, customers need to have an easy way of connecting with human agents. This brings us to offering a smooth transition between self-service and human support.
The sweet spot here is about two things: giving customers the autonomy to find answers on their own and offering a helping hand when they need it.
Offering readily accessible channels such as live chat with an agent, τηλεφωνική υποστήριξη, or email ensures that customers don’t get stuck in frustrating dead ends. αντι αυτου, they can seamlessly transition to human assistance, where trained experts can provide personalized solutions and navigate the complexities of their unique situations.
Everything in business these days is customer-centric, so an easy switch to human support recognizes consumers’ προτιμήσεις, ultimately leading to higher customer satisfaction.
There are a couple of aspects to keep in mind on this topic:
Clear Pathways
Πρωτα απο ολα, self-service options should be easily accessible and well-promoted to customers. This includes having a user-friendly website or app interface, visible self-service links, and clear instructions on how to utilize self-help resources.
Progressive Disclosure
Self-service tools should progressively disclose more personalized assistance options. Start with basic FAQs and knowledge bases, and then offer escalation paths to live chat, τηλεφωνική υποστήριξη, ή e-mail.
Starbucks offers customers to check out their FAQs before connecting with a support agent
Live Chat Integration
Some live chat tools can seamlessly transfer conversations from automated chatbots to human agents when needed. Customers should be able to request live assistance at any point during their interaction with a chatbot.
User Data
It’s good to collect user data such as history of interactions, ψώνια, and other bits. Making this data available to human agents when transitioning from self-service allows agents to understand the context of the customer’s inquiry and provide more personalized support.
Omnichannel Support
Use tools that enable customers to switch between self-service and various support channels without losing their data and context. This ensures that customers don’t have to repeat information when they switch from self-service to human support.
Feedback Loop
Collect customer feedback about their self-service experience and the transition to human support. Use this feedback to continuously improve the process and identify pain points.
Monitoring and Analytics
Use analytics to track customer journeys and identify patterns where customers frequently transition from self-service to human support. This data can inform improvements in self-service content and usability.
Πάνω σε εσάς
Customer experience is a product.
Crafting exceptional customer experiences is a big effort. One part of this effort is ensuring that customers can swiftly and effortlessly resolve their issues.
A great experience in customer support means not only rapid responses, proactive agents, or discounts but also empowering customers to find solutions at their convenience. Ωστόσο, the challenge is in scaling customer support without inflating expenses. Finding the right balance between quality and cost-effectiveness is a delicate dance. But this is where self-service emerges as a compelling solution.
By providing customers with tools to solve problems on their own, businesses can enhance their support without an expansion of their support team. Στην ουσία, self-service fosters customer self-empowerment, offering access to knowledge bases, Συχνές ερωτήσεις, chatbots, and interactive tutorials that provide 24/7 assistance.
It’s more than a tool—it should be an integral part of your customer service strategy designed to enhance customer satisfaction and streamline business operations.
- Customer Service in Ecommerce: The Best Practises
- Customer Satisfaction: Importance, Παραδείγματα, How to Measure
- Ecommerce Personalization: Συμβουλές, Tricks and Benefits
- Πώς να χειριστείτε Αρνητικές αξιολογήσεις
- Η τέχνη της θετικής επικοινωνίας στην Εξυπηρέτηση Πελατών
- How AI Is Changing Customer Service
- Self-Service: An Affordable Way to Scale Customer Support
- Building Strong Customer Relationships
- What Customer Success Software You Need for Business
