Does your knowledge bank resemble a bowl of alphabetti spaghetti? This is your sign to neglect it no longer.
What is self-service?
Put simply, self-service is when our customers solve their own queries using our touchpoints, without any human interaction. Introverts, rejoice!
The main resources we can offer are:
- FAQs
- Chatbots
- Portals
Demand is growing
These days, people expect quick, easy interactions in all aspects of life.
As we discovered recently, pizza vending machines are even a thing now. And we can confirm that pizza is somehow tastier when it magically appears at the push of a button.
And everyone wants a slice: these days, 75% of customers expect a fully self-service channel to answer their questions. (Emplifi)
Let’s keep our customers happy by delivering what they want: not pizza, but quick solutions.
What’s in it for contact centres?
Boosting self-service is a brilliant opportunity to improve CX and reduce cost, for 2 key reasons:
- Reduces workload
When supported by self-service channels, our agents have more time to solve complex problems, enjoy more meaningful interactions, and catch up on the latest water-cooler gossip.
And time is money: Forrester research found that a live agent call can cost between £4 to £10, while a self-service interaction can cost as little as 20p. (Less than a Freddo!)
In other words, self-service slashes customer service costs by up to 75%.
And the customers are doing all the work for us… we couldn’t make this up!
- Empowers customers
Through self-service, our customers can find answers more quickly and conveniently, and take control of their experience.
Self-service channels can be accessed any time, on any device.
Holding the line for what feels like days, being transferred from pillar to post, talking to humans… Such horrors are now easily avoidable.
The solution
So, we’re convinced that boosting self-service rates is a brilliant idea. But where to start?
First, we must resist the urge to throw money at a shiny new chatbot or create a whole new portal from scratch. Instead, let’s work with what we already have.
It turns out our existing self-service tools are shockingly inefficient, handling 20-40% less live volume than they should be. (Gartner)
This means we can save cost and dramatically boost self-service simply by overhauling the content and design of our existing channels… which just so happens to be the Adexchange speciality.
Because we’re feeling generous, here’s the secret…
- Right content
- Right place
- Right time
Right content
Here at Adexchange, we know the way content is presented makes all the difference.
While Tomasz in IT might have all the answers, is he the right person to communicate the instruction clearly to the non-expert?
Depending on the message we want to get across, a different form of media altogether might work best. Could a tired article be transformed into a punchy video or eye-catching infographic?
Some powerful and effective alternative formats include:
- Short videos
- Infographics
- Audio
- Screen walk-throughs
Remember: it’s all about showing, not telling. Rich media, especially video, achieves the best results.
Right place
Should all the content be bundled into one library, or distributed across the appropriate sections of the business or website? We should think like our customers – where would they look first?
Is it organised in a logical way? The most frequently asked questions about regular processes should be the easiest to find.
Right time
When is the best moment to place content in the journey?
Make sure the answer isn’t too early or too late. A poorly placed answer is about as helpful as a road sign after the turning. It’ll cause frustration and unnecessary contact.
Don’t be old-school
One day, we’ll tell our grandchildren tales about the olden days…
Like when all knowledge banks were crammed with written articles… Long, written by staff, out of date, and often difficult to follow.
Or the time when a few screenshots in a text-based article were thought good enough.
As the contact centre space evolves, it’s vital we stay ahead of the game, so future generations never have to experience the struggle of a poorly designed self-service journey.
The takeaway
There you have it, a strategy to transform our knowledge banks from spaghetti to customer-ready.
However, we know that executing it may not be so straightforward. In a busy contact centre, such projects can be pushed to the bottom of the to-do list. Busy staff rarely have the time or expertise to give our knowledge banks the TLC they need.
Cue Adexchange. We’re experts in crafting effective content: audio, video, written and visual… and we’re detail orientated enough to keep everything up to date: changing, evolving and reproducing content so it continues to be effective. Some would call us nerds, and they’re right. We’d love to help, so give us a call.
