10 Self-Service Trends That Are Changing Customer Service

10 Self-Service Trends That Are Changing Customer Service

Self-service is one of the fast-growing niches across companies that are proving to save a lot of resources and time. Solving problems without having to call the customer support agent saves oodles of time and boosts customer satisfaction.  

But do customers actually prefer self-service?

Yes, about 40% of consumers choose self-service over human contact.

And according to Statista, “Eighty-nine percent of US consumers expect companies to have an online self-service support portal.”

So, with these statistics in place, we are also listing some customer self-service trends that will keep you informed about what self-service trends are catching up and what to do with a self-service portal.

Here are the 10 self-service trends and more explained in the blog to tell you all about self-service: (Source: B5 digital)

 

1. Better customer value and priority

A concerning human voice and a quick solution to the problem is what is expected when a customer approaches customer support.

So, with a self-service portal, the customer’s requests or problems are attended to faster and prioritized better than having to wait to connect to a concerned customer support agent.

Also, a self-service portal offers an approachable outlook to customers with conversational style messages and better designs that match the brand’s colors.

 

2. 24 Hour availability is the new normal

As we all know, for a company to have a  24/7 workforce on the job is just impossible. That’s where a digital self-serve portal comes to the rescue and assists in catering to customers in different time zones.

Companies can deploy and load the digital self-service portals on the website with FAQs and navigation buttons to lead the customers to the exact solution without needing an agent there.

On the other hand, a customer support agent will only be notified to attend the request or a problem only if the self-service portal runs out of questions to understand or can’t understand the request.

 

3. Humanized response with AI integration

According to Tidio, “Today, 27% of consumers are interested in artificial intelligence support tools”.

A response to a problem or request with empathy and personalization is the first step to successful customer support.

Analyzing solutions and offering auto responses based on the customer complaint status is a move that is appreciated by many.

For instance: Using a self-serve portal like a chatbot can lead the customer to solutions by auto-generating replies to their texts. Solutions like Kapture offer AI-integrated chatbots for businesses.

This cuts down on the need for a customer support agent on the job and saves a lot of time for the customer to receive a solution within minutes.

 

4. A boost in chatbot Integration

Smallbizgenius says that “Nearly 50% of businesses plan to spend more on chatbots than on mobile apps”.

One of the key trends in self-service sites now is chatbot integration.        

The growing number of businesses has fastened the need to prioritize customers by attending to their requests or problems as quickly as possible and being available at all times.

Quick replies and 24/7 availability are what the chatbots are built for, and acing their functionality with customizations according to the brand enhances customer satisfaction rate.

Moreover, chatbots are also used as a medium to sell products directly. So, investing in a chatbot with advanced features like AI integration and Machine Learning will be beneficial.

 

5. Governments introducing self-service platforms

Self-service platform utilization by different governments is one of the biggest changes that make a huge difference to people’s inaccessibility. 

A self-serve portal makes it easier for people to access information directly from the official site and can be guided to relevant departments for further details.

Implementing a self-serve portal on official government sites can save costs and lead to better reach with people as the information is available 24/7.

 

6. Mobile-First Communications

According to a blog on Cmswire, “79% of millennials are more inclined to purchase from brands that provide mobile-responsive customer support.”

With the growing popularity of mobile phones now, mobile-centric customer service support is vital. With this, an Omnichannel approach should be a part of a self-service tool to be available across different social media channels.

Reaching out to customers on different channels and leveraging a mobile-first to respond to customer requests or queries would be a great move for companies now.

 

7. A complete personalization

Based on the report from SmarterHQ, “80% of those who classify themselves as frequent shoppers say they only shop with brands who personalize their experience”.

So, with the above quote setting the prominence, personalizing customer’s messages, recording earlier visits, and offering relevant recommendations can get you the highest star rating.

As soon as the customer ID or a name is entered, the self-service portal directs them with tailored messages according to their name and offers recommendations based on popular choices.  

Ultimately, a customer-centered self-service with personalized messages, recommendations, and suggestions based on previous research, shows the care a brand has on a customer, increasing customer loyalty and satisfaction rates.

 

8. Utilization of videos

Videos are growing in popularity and are a great way to explain solutions to problems. On the self-service portal, responding to customers with videos to their queries would be great. 

There are tons of new tools like Invideo, Canva, loom, and cavalry for quickly creating powerful videos with customizable templates. Uploading a video on the knowledge base for FAQs can help attract good views and resolve issues better.

 

9. Integration of latest tech

Technologies like natural language processing and speech recognition can speed up things in the self-serve portal to receive relevant information. 

Also, machine learning and AI integrations can help a self-service portal get smarter over time and offer better solutions to customers. 

 

10. Self-service portals are growing

Reaching a customer support executive via calls, messages, and emails is being replaced as the go-to medium to report an issue.  

Instead, customers get on the website and interact with a self-service portal like chatbots to find solutions.

According to superoffice, website self-service portals are highest in use over others such as IVR, Social media channels, SMS, and live chat.

Also, the level of self-service portals offering solutions is improved every day by prioritizing user interface and design for ease of use and better accessibility.

 

Here’s what makes a good self-service portal

A good self-service portal is one that is available to a customer 24 hours a day, responds seamlessly to queries, and stays constant with the experience for all customers.

A study by Harvard Business Review says that “Across industries, about 81% of all customers attempt to take care of matters themselves before reaching out to a live representative.”

For a successful self-service portal, (Source: salesforce)

  • Let customers know that your business has a self-service option. (Ex: Social media promotions)
  • Curate the right content for self-service that directs customers to perfect solutions
  • Update your self-service knowledge base constantly with relevant FAQs
  • Optimize the content for SEO and website searches
  • Prioritize ease of use by adding a search bar or FAQ navigation buttons.
  • Ensure that the self-serve portal works on all devices and across relevant social media channels.

 

Future trends in self-service

According to Gartner self-service research,The trend of customers assigning their endless digital activities to their virtual personal assistants (VPAs), chatbots, and other self-service tools will grow over the next 10 years.”

Also IT ops times says that lesser calls and more messages will be the new norm in the years to come.

Usage of hyper-automation tools that take advantage of AI, machine learning, and predictive analysis can resolve most of the issues without having to make a customer wait for solutions.

For more information, you can find all about the future of self-service in our detailed coverage linked below.

SUGGESTED READING: https://www.kapturecrm.com/blog/the-future-of-self-service/

 

Looking for a Self-serve Platform for Your Businesses?

Kapture can help with setting up a self-help portal for customer support that can auto-generate messages in seconds to lessen the customer wait time.  

Our Self-service platform prioritizes quick solutions for repeated queries and guides customers to the relevant department saving customer’s time and increasing the number of issue resolvents.

Try us with a demo here.

 

About the Author

Sunith Ramachandra
Sunith Ramachandra
Sunith Ramachandra says, “Content writing is all about using the right words for the right audience”. At kapture he does exactly the same writing content to create conversations and conversions online.

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