Client portal or 4 key tasks of the service business
The goal of any business (besides making the world a better place) is to make money. At the top level, in order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to solve tasks in 4 directions (about them according to the cut).
Unfortunately, the relatively "fat" last 10-12 years shifted the focus exclusively to sales, attracting new customers and increasing the average check. Other tasks, including automating service processes (introducing HelpDesk ) and increasing transparency, virtually all medium and small businesses were doing a residual.
Let's fix it (read as "announce a series of articles"), the more "fat" seems to be over.
')
If you are engaged in the provision of services by:
So, what are these areas that need to be addressed by anyone, including small and medium-sized service businesses?
All 4 areas need to be dealt with simultaneously and systematically, while maintaining a balance - solving one task should not complicate (or make it impossible) solving another. For example, you can reduce maintenance costs by drastically reducing quality. In this case, the costs will fall, but all existing customers are likely to start “building relationships” with your competitors. At the same time, new sales will fall due to the reputation corrupted in the market.
There are many techniques and tools to help you follow the path of solving these problems. For service companies, one of them is Service Desk or Help Desk system. Today we offer to talk only about one of the components of this class of systems - the customer portal (known as “self-service portal”, “personal account”, etc.).
How does this tool help in the implementation of the tasks described? What features should it have to make it as efficiently as possible?
The choice of service provider is based on a variety of criteria. In addition to the cost of services, the professional level of the company, its reliability, stability, reviews on the market or on the Internet, etc. are important for the end user. In many ways, these criteria are subjective, and the client forms its attitude at the level of impressions.
The presence of certificates with confirmation of the qualifications of employees, partner statuses from well-known manufacturers, reviews - all this is undoubtedly important for creating a positive impression of the company at the sales stage. However, no less important is the organization of the processes and tools that are used in the provision of their services.
The use of modern automation tools, such as the Service Desk system with the customer portal, is one of the signs of process maturity. It is also obvious that, other things being equal, the presence of opportunities that increase the transparency of all interactions between the customer and the contractor is an indisputable competitive advantage!
Thus, the presence of a personal account is one of the evidence of the high level of quality of services provided .
By the way, in the requirements of tenders for the provision of IT services posted on the website of State Procurement ( http://zakupki.gov.ru ), there is almost always a mandatory requirement for Service Desk with the function of the self-service portal.
The customer thinks about breaking the relationship if he understands that the quality of the service does not match the cost. If there are “players” on the market whose services are better and cheaper, the continuation of relations with your company is a big question. But the final decision to refuse to cooperate is made when the process of changing suppliers is not associated with costs that exceed the benefits of cost savings (time costs, changing the interaction process, possible capital costs, and so on).
Simply put - customers will be with you if you provide quality services at an affordable price, and switching to another supplier is fraught with significant difficulties (the last part sounds cynical - but such is life).
We will discuss lower service costs (and, consequently, the ability to provide more competitive prices) below. How can the portal help in improving the quality and “binding” of a client to your company?
We have already noted above that the quality of services is in many ways a subjective parameter. Therefore, it is important, in addition to honest and professional service, to create positive feelings for consumers from interacting with you. Personal account - an additional channel of communication with the customer service. With its use, it is possible not only to register new applications, but also to correspond with the employees of the supplier company on previously submitted applications. It contains the entire history of interaction, the entire history of correspondence on previously filed applications, news are published, etc. In addition, if the knowledge portal containing a detailed description of solving typical problems is implemented in the client portal, the user will be able to independently and quickly solve problems (enjoying the independent work :).
That is, such a module in the Help Desk system is an effective tool that creates positive impressions of interaction with a service company.
Of course, the personal account will not replace the rest of the communication channels - a phone call to the customer service, email correspondence, filing an application by filling out a Web form on the site (we recently published the results of a study of the Help Desk channels among Russian IT outsourcing companies ). Therefore, a functional Service Desk system , such as Okdesk, combines communications with a client across all channels in a single database with the ability to view the communications history in the portal.
Do not forget about the "binding" effect. If your company has a ticketing system with a similar module, customers' employees get used to create applications, search for problems in the knowledge base, correspond with service personnel, and view the history of requests. Changing the service provider will be similar to changing habits - it’s not a fact that the new provider implements this communication channel, and if it is there, the interface will seem unusual and inconvenient. Therefore, if your company has a customer portal , then you have an additional tool for retention .
The greater the average revenue per customer, the better for business. In most cases, this is an axiom. How will access to the client system help in this issue?
We have already dealt with the answer to this question earlier. Namely, the presence of a modern Service Desk solution with a functional self-service portal is a practically obligatory requirement for large and solvent customers. Thus, this tool will help you not only to attract large, and therefore more monetary customers, but also to participate in contests and tenders .
Reducing maintenance costs is not only a way to increase business profitability, but also the ability to compete in a “price” where the potential of other competitive criteria has been exhausted. So, this task should be paid close attention. As the name implies, the self-service portal will help save time for service personnel on those operations that customer employees will be able to perform independently. We repeat them once again in passing:
Thus, the client portal will help relieve a significant part of the burden on support service staff - which means you will need fewer employees to provide the same amount of services as before .
As we see, the self-service portal in the Help Desk system of a service company can be not only a “software function”, but also an effective tool that solves business problems. The main thing is to find a suitable and functional System Service Desk with the appropriate capabilities and implement this functionality into the work.
Unfortunately, the relatively "fat" last 10-12 years shifted the focus exclusively to sales, attracting new customers and increasing the average check. Other tasks, including automating service processes (introducing HelpDesk ) and increasing transparency, virtually all medium and small businesses were doing a residual.
Let's fix it (read as "announce a series of articles"), the more "fat" seems to be over.
')
If you are engaged in the provision of services by:
- the creation and further support of Internet sites;
- maintenance of software and hardware;
- software development and support;
- repair of office equipment and other specialized equipment from elevators to barriers and air conditioners;
- service of shopping centers and commercial real estate
4 directions for achieving business goals
So, what are these areas that need to be addressed by anyone, including small and medium-sized service businesses?
- Attracting new customers (i.e. new sales).
- Preserving current customers (excluding or minimizing care to competitors).
- Increased income (the so-called increase in the "average check").
- Reduced maintenance costs (including through increased efficiency of internal processes).
All 4 areas need to be dealt with simultaneously and systematically, while maintaining a balance - solving one task should not complicate (or make it impossible) solving another. For example, you can reduce maintenance costs by drastically reducing quality. In this case, the costs will fall, but all existing customers are likely to start “building relationships” with your competitors. At the same time, new sales will fall due to the reputation corrupted in the market.
There are many techniques and tools to help you follow the path of solving these problems. For service companies, one of them is Service Desk or Help Desk system. Today we offer to talk only about one of the components of this class of systems - the customer portal (known as “self-service portal”, “personal account”, etc.).
How does this tool help in the implementation of the tasks described? What features should it have to make it as efficiently as possible?
Attraction of new clients
The choice of service provider is based on a variety of criteria. In addition to the cost of services, the professional level of the company, its reliability, stability, reviews on the market or on the Internet, etc. are important for the end user. In many ways, these criteria are subjective, and the client forms its attitude at the level of impressions.
The presence of certificates with confirmation of the qualifications of employees, partner statuses from well-known manufacturers, reviews - all this is undoubtedly important for creating a positive impression of the company at the sales stage. However, no less important is the organization of the processes and tools that are used in the provision of their services.
The use of modern automation tools, such as the Service Desk system with the customer portal, is one of the signs of process maturity. It is also obvious that, other things being equal, the presence of opportunities that increase the transparency of all interactions between the customer and the contractor is an indisputable competitive advantage!
Thus, the presence of a personal account is one of the evidence of the high level of quality of services provided .
By the way, in the requirements of tenders for the provision of IT services posted on the website of State Procurement ( http://zakupki.gov.ru ), there is almost always a mandatory requirement for Service Desk with the function of the self-service portal.
Churn reduction
The customer thinks about breaking the relationship if he understands that the quality of the service does not match the cost. If there are “players” on the market whose services are better and cheaper, the continuation of relations with your company is a big question. But the final decision to refuse to cooperate is made when the process of changing suppliers is not associated with costs that exceed the benefits of cost savings (time costs, changing the interaction process, possible capital costs, and so on).
Simply put - customers will be with you if you provide quality services at an affordable price, and switching to another supplier is fraught with significant difficulties (the last part sounds cynical - but such is life).
We will discuss lower service costs (and, consequently, the ability to provide more competitive prices) below. How can the portal help in improving the quality and “binding” of a client to your company?
We have already noted above that the quality of services is in many ways a subjective parameter. Therefore, it is important, in addition to honest and professional service, to create positive feelings for consumers from interacting with you. Personal account - an additional channel of communication with the customer service. With its use, it is possible not only to register new applications, but also to correspond with the employees of the supplier company on previously submitted applications. It contains the entire history of interaction, the entire history of correspondence on previously filed applications, news are published, etc. In addition, if the knowledge portal containing a detailed description of solving typical problems is implemented in the client portal, the user will be able to independently and quickly solve problems (enjoying the independent work :).
That is, such a module in the Help Desk system is an effective tool that creates positive impressions of interaction with a service company.
Of course, the personal account will not replace the rest of the communication channels - a phone call to the customer service, email correspondence, filing an application by filling out a Web form on the site (we recently published the results of a study of the Help Desk channels among Russian IT outsourcing companies ). Therefore, a functional Service Desk system , such as Okdesk, combines communications with a client across all channels in a single database with the ability to view the communications history in the portal.
Do not forget about the "binding" effect. If your company has a ticketing system with a similar module, customers' employees get used to create applications, search for problems in the knowledge base, correspond with service personnel, and view the history of requests. Changing the service provider will be similar to changing habits - it’s not a fact that the new provider implements this communication channel, and if it is there, the interface will seem unusual and inconvenient. Therefore, if your company has a customer portal , then you have an additional tool for retention .
Yield increase and average check
The greater the average revenue per customer, the better for business. In most cases, this is an axiom. How will access to the client system help in this issue?
We have already dealt with the answer to this question earlier. Namely, the presence of a modern Service Desk solution with a functional self-service portal is a practically obligatory requirement for large and solvent customers. Thus, this tool will help you not only to attract large, and therefore more monetary customers, but also to participate in contests and tenders .
Reduced maintenance costs
Reducing maintenance costs is not only a way to increase business profitability, but also the ability to compete in a “price” where the potential of other competitive criteria has been exhausted. So, this task should be paid close attention. As the name implies, the self-service portal will help save time for service personnel on those operations that customer employees will be able to perform independently. We repeat them once again in passing:
- simple and convenient registration of applications and requests for service;
- obtaining background information and supplement, including, on previously filed applications and requests;
- assessment of the quality of requests;
- storing information on service contracts and service provision parameters (SLA);
- the possibility of independent solution of typical problems in the presence of a knowledge base of solving typical problems.
Thus, the client portal will help relieve a significant part of the burden on support service staff - which means you will need fewer employees to provide the same amount of services as before .
Conclusion
As we see, the self-service portal in the Help Desk system of a service company can be not only a “software function”, but also an effective tool that solves business problems. The main thing is to find a suitable and functional System Service Desk with the appropriate capabilities and implement this functionality into the work.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/300212/
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