Self Service: how and why to teach users autonomy
27 minutes - so much time on average passes between the incident request and the collection of the team to handle it. During this time, companies can lose more than $ 230 thousand. For business, you need a modern solution. It is possible to give a quick answer by automating processes and early preparation.
Steven Van Belleghem, a client support specialist, found that self-service is the only long-term solution that deliberately meets customer expectations. Moreover, employees of companies can also act as these “clients” when it comes to the Self Service platform for internal corporate use.
In the article we will talk about how the self-service service should look and how to teach users to “choose a fishing rod instead of a fish.”
')
/ Flickr / david goehring / cc
Let's start with the obvious - saving money. A couple of years ago, HDI calculated that self-service is the cheapest way to process an application ($ 10). The convenience of self-help portals is that they do not require a team of trained specialists. Such services need to be invested in three stages - during creation, implementation and maintenance. Over time, the self-service portal will be able to resolve more and more issues, and the number of staff will remain the same.
However, cost savings are not the only motive for companies and not even the most important advantage. Do not forget about the increase in the effectiveness of the support department. Self-service portals, as a rule, do not replace other customer support channels, but reduce the burden on employees.
Automated tools solve common problems and deal with low-level applications. Thus, there is a "natural selection" of tickets. The support service can focus on helping customers with serious issues requiring a non-trivial solution and top priority.
Another advantage is that self-service increases support availability. Three-quarters of all support departments are not working around the clock. In this case, if the problem occurred on a day off, it will remain unresolved until Monday. Self-service portals are available at any time of the day. In addition, users are accustomed to receiving an answer to their question in a few minutes and are willing to pay money for it.
Self-service eliminates all the factors of delay and minimizes the processing time of the application. To the same advantage, you can add an expansion of geography support. The preparation of a portal for self-solving problems in several languages ​​replaces the need to hire their speakers.
These tools are based on two assumptions: what a particular user should know and what he wants to know in the future. The company anticipates possible scenarios based on previously created applications and frequently asked questions. From the perspective of ITSM, this could be a base of best practices that employees should follow.
This is a tool that works in semi-automatic mode. It provides the possibility of forming an application with an intelligent system for selecting a response from the knowledge base. An example is a corporate self-service portal on the ServiceNow platform. The main advantage of this tool is centralization.
When all services are located in a single library, it becomes much easier for users to find the answer to their question. The section with frequently asked questions can also be dynamic. Adding a semantic search for answers helped start-up Farmgirl Flowers to get rid of the daily analysis of letters and increase sales by 15%.
71% of consumers prefer a virtual assistant to search for information. Giant companies invest millions in chat bots. Computer agents replace personnel in servicing simple tasks, drawing on information from the knowledge base. If the bot can not find a solution to the incident, it automatically creates a request based on the details of the conversation with the user.
/ Pexels / John Jackson / PD
Sometimes a client’s application should be accepted even before the chat bot has reached an impasse. In such cases, the technology is useful hybrid chat. It allows you to instantly switch users to a live person and continue the conversation from the place where the bot ended.
A group of enthusiasts do in a matter of minutes what one employee can sometimes take several days. This proves the experience of the online store SquadRun, which has reduced costs by 90% and increased the speed of work five times, giving feedback on moderation to the community.
Another effective self-service channel is a portal on which groups of interested people sit. These are forums, social networks, channels in messengers, etc. For example, ServiceNow Communities unites platform users from all over the world and helps them find answers to their questions on their own.
The first step is to adapt the portal to user requests. To do this, all sections and each menu item should have intuitive names. Self-service requires a high level of human involvement, but if he does not find the answer in the frequently asked questions section for more than 30 minutes, he will most likely quit searching. Need easy navigation, intelligent search and structured results.
Service of the same application can be made simple and understandable for the user, and you can spoil everything with unnecessary wording and details. The terminology should be simplified - discard “tickets” and “incidents”, as is the case with the simplification of ITSM .
Involve users in creating a portal. So, they will appreciate the self-service service more and will turn to it more often. Explain the benefits of the self-service portal to users. People need arguments to stop contacting support with their problems.
British law firm Trowers and Hamlins conducted a four-step implementation of the self-service portal, which reduced the number of support calls from company employees by 25% in two weeks. It began with the promotion of the portal through visual aids. There were even posters in the office kitchen with the announcement of the imminent launch of a new service.
Another British company, Barnardo's, turned to gamification and modern forms of communication to prepare its employees for innovation. Before launching the self-service portal, messages in the form of memes began to appear on the company's network. This has helped increase customer engagement with service implementation. A competition was timed to launch the portal: every employee who applied to the service for a month participated in the prize draw.
It is important to combine this central “knowledge base” with other corporate tools. For example, ServiceNow helped Automic Software redirect more than 80% of requests from customers to the self-service portal, integrating it with Automic CRM. So the sales department always knew the current status of applications.
Do not forget about the development of the community. For crowdsourcing to work, people must sit on the forums. The owner of the project management application Trello shares his experience in creating a platform for sharing knowledge. The first step is to “seed” the section with your own questions. The second step is to attract experts from among the staff to answer these questions. When the portal is ready, it's time to promote it via email or blog. After that, it remains to follow up that all questions are answered and to redirect users to the self-service system.
In 2011, the Canadian operator Koodo Mobile launched a self-service portal based on crowdsourcing, and now 99% of requests are processed by users. Actively advising participants are rewarded with badges and points. In two months, the percentage of clients accessing the self-service portal increased by 15%, while the number of active consultants increased by 72%. The average response time to a client’s question was set at 12 minutes.
/ Maxpixel / Hands Team Spirit Community CC
So, a detailed approach to creating a self-service portal allows you to solve the problems of users, companies and support. To instill in users a desire to access the self service portals, you should:
PS A few more materials on the topic from our blog:
Steven Van Belleghem, a client support specialist, found that self-service is the only long-term solution that deliberately meets customer expectations. Moreover, employees of companies can also act as these “clients” when it comes to the Self Service platform for internal corporate use.
In the article we will talk about how the self-service service should look and how to teach users to “choose a fishing rod instead of a fish.”
')
/ Flickr / david goehring / cc
Why do companies need self-service
Let's start with the obvious - saving money. A couple of years ago, HDI calculated that self-service is the cheapest way to process an application ($ 10). The convenience of self-help portals is that they do not require a team of trained specialists. Such services need to be invested in three stages - during creation, implementation and maintenance. Over time, the self-service portal will be able to resolve more and more issues, and the number of staff will remain the same.
However, cost savings are not the only motive for companies and not even the most important advantage. Do not forget about the increase in the effectiveness of the support department. Self-service portals, as a rule, do not replace other customer support channels, but reduce the burden on employees.
Automated tools solve common problems and deal with low-level applications. Thus, there is a "natural selection" of tickets. The support service can focus on helping customers with serious issues requiring a non-trivial solution and top priority.
Another advantage is that self-service increases support availability. Three-quarters of all support departments are not working around the clock. In this case, if the problem occurred on a day off, it will remain unresolved until Monday. Self-service portals are available at any time of the day. In addition, users are accustomed to receiving an answer to their question in a few minutes and are willing to pay money for it.
Self-service eliminates all the factors of delay and minimizes the processing time of the application. To the same advantage, you can add an expansion of geography support. The preparation of a portal for self-solving problems in several languages ​​replaces the need to hire their speakers.
What could be a self-service system
Static knowledge base and FAQ
These tools are based on two assumptions: what a particular user should know and what he wants to know in the future. The company anticipates possible scenarios based on previously created applications and frequently asked questions. From the perspective of ITSM, this could be a base of best practices that employees should follow.
Dynamic portal
This is a tool that works in semi-automatic mode. It provides the possibility of forming an application with an intelligent system for selecting a response from the knowledge base. An example is a corporate self-service portal on the ServiceNow platform. The main advantage of this tool is centralization.
When all services are located in a single library, it becomes much easier for users to find the answer to their question. The section with frequently asked questions can also be dynamic. Adding a semantic search for answers helped start-up Farmgirl Flowers to get rid of the daily analysis of letters and increase sales by 15%.
Intellectual Assistant
71% of consumers prefer a virtual assistant to search for information. Giant companies invest millions in chat bots. Computer agents replace personnel in servicing simple tasks, drawing on information from the knowledge base. If the bot can not find a solution to the incident, it automatically creates a request based on the details of the conversation with the user.
/ Pexels / John Jackson / PD
Hybrid chat
Sometimes a client’s application should be accepted even before the chat bot has reached an impasse. In such cases, the technology is useful hybrid chat. It allows you to instantly switch users to a live person and continue the conversation from the place where the bot ended.
Crowdsourcing
A group of enthusiasts do in a matter of minutes what one employee can sometimes take several days. This proves the experience of the online store SquadRun, which has reduced costs by 90% and increased the speed of work five times, giving feedback on moderation to the community.
Another effective self-service channel is a portal on which groups of interested people sit. These are forums, social networks, channels in messengers, etc. For example, ServiceNow Communities unites platform users from all over the world and helps them find answers to their questions on their own.
How to make users love Self Service
The first step is to adapt the portal to user requests. To do this, all sections and each menu item should have intuitive names. Self-service requires a high level of human involvement, but if he does not find the answer in the frequently asked questions section for more than 30 minutes, he will most likely quit searching. Need easy navigation, intelligent search and structured results.
Service of the same application can be made simple and understandable for the user, and you can spoil everything with unnecessary wording and details. The terminology should be simplified - discard “tickets” and “incidents”, as is the case with the simplification of ITSM .
Involve users in creating a portal. So, they will appreciate the self-service service more and will turn to it more often. Explain the benefits of the self-service portal to users. People need arguments to stop contacting support with their problems.
British law firm Trowers and Hamlins conducted a four-step implementation of the self-service portal, which reduced the number of support calls from company employees by 25% in two weeks. It began with the promotion of the portal through visual aids. There were even posters in the office kitchen with the announcement of the imminent launch of a new service.
Another British company, Barnardo's, turned to gamification and modern forms of communication to prepare its employees for innovation. Before launching the self-service portal, messages in the form of memes began to appear on the company's network. This has helped increase customer engagement with service implementation. A competition was timed to launch the portal: every employee who applied to the service for a month participated in the prize draw.
It is important to combine this central “knowledge base” with other corporate tools. For example, ServiceNow helped Automic Software redirect more than 80% of requests from customers to the self-service portal, integrating it with Automic CRM. So the sales department always knew the current status of applications.
Do not forget about the development of the community. For crowdsourcing to work, people must sit on the forums. The owner of the project management application Trello shares his experience in creating a platform for sharing knowledge. The first step is to “seed” the section with your own questions. The second step is to attract experts from among the staff to answer these questions. When the portal is ready, it's time to promote it via email or blog. After that, it remains to follow up that all questions are answered and to redirect users to the self-service system.
In 2011, the Canadian operator Koodo Mobile launched a self-service portal based on crowdsourcing, and now 99% of requests are processed by users. Actively advising participants are rewarded with badges and points. In two months, the percentage of clients accessing the self-service portal increased by 15%, while the number of active consultants increased by 72%. The average response time to a client’s question was set at 12 minutes.
/ Maxpixel / Hands Team Spirit Community CC
So, a detailed approach to creating a self-service portal allows you to solve the problems of users, companies and support. To instill in users a desire to access the self service portals, you should:
- To make the portal user-friendly - remember the Microsoft Office Clip Assistant, he always spoke the same language with customers.
- Attract users to create a portal - the success of Atlassian corporate service is built on the enthusiasm of experts from among the company's employees.
- Promote the portal before launch - even offline advertising is useful (for example, posters in the dining room).
- Encourage customers to contact the self-service portal - Barnardo's has a prize raffle.
- Involve users in service requests - 99% of questions in Koodo Mobile are resolved by the community.
PS A few more materials on the topic from our blog:
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/341926/
All Articles