Self service customer care – According to Gartner, 56% of organizations respond to customer needs by increasing the number of contact channels available.
Gartner research shows that increasing the number of channels results in an increasing number of inbound requests.
In fact, the increased availability of channels does not simplify the service, but adds complexity to the user experience.
For this reason it is necessary to shift the focus on reducing the number of calls, favoring the resolution of the greatest number of critical issues in self-service mode, to devote the attention of telephone operators to the management of more complex problems, in order to improve the quality of the service and user satisfaction.
As showed in the following image, the customer journey takes the form of a spider’s web, where customers move from one channel to another.
Self service customer care – Gartner’s imperative is to establish a self-service strategy focused on “resolution” and not on the channels’ choice, in order to focus the attention of call center operators on urgent and complicated problems and encourage better user experience.
The strategy recommended by Gartner also takes into account the behavior of customers in recent years: most users first consult external sources such as Google, Facebook, blogs, friends and family, because they try to solve problems on their own before trying to speak to an operator.
From Gartner surveys on a sample of 8,000 user experiences, 70% of customers end up using self-service channels in solving problems. The percentage of those who need direct contact with the company is reduced to 9%.
Furthermore, the research reports that 40% of live interactions could be resolved through self-service channels, significantly reducing costs per contact, as showed from the price comparison between the two channels.
self service Customer care in customers’ “resolution journey”
According to Gartner, the attention of customer service managers should focus on customers’ “resolution job” and not on the choice of contact channel.
With “resolution job” we mean the work that the customer must do to reach a solution for his/her problem. In particular Gartner identifies 6 types of “resolution jobs” and related contact channels.
Customers often choose the wrong channel, which leads to a channel change and more effort to get a solution, which results in a bad user experience.
Rather than allowing customers to use any channel to solve problems, companies need to be able to direct customers to the channel optimized for their specific resolution job.
As part of an effective customer care strategy, virtual agents are the “self service contact channel” that provide customers with instant answers, but also guide users through the “resolution journey” by routing requests to the most suitable channel.
This does not mean limiting the resolution options to self-service methods, but to reduce the volume of incoming calls and focus the attention of operators on the most complicated and urgent issues.
“ While there will always be live service, that type of service should be treated like a precious resource ”
Gartner
As direct contact is a “precious resource”, the integration of the handover functionality allows to transfer the conversation anytime to the operator, in a perfect combination for the benefit of the customer’s “resolution job” and satisfaction.
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