Self Service Technologies

Hi Evet,

I have not come across any websites giving information on specifically the concept of self-servicing, but generally speaking I think it all starts from the business idea and it is shaped by the capabilities and limitations of technologies and the resources available to it.

I'd be happy to provide some guidance if I can.  Feel free to contact me via email.

regards,

Denis
at naxtech dot com
www.naxtech.com

That is a very broad question. As Evet said, usually you would start by determining what you want to do and then look into the various options available to you.

I work for a US owned software company called ChannelAdvisor and we provide self-service software covering Paid Search, Comparison Shopping and Marketplaces (Ebay etc). Typically, businesses will have identified a need or problem area and find us because we can solve it.

Paid Search is a good example, most companies outsource to an agency but there are inherent problems with the agency model that our software can solve.

Hi Branden

Really useful websites for inspiration, which gets the old brain ticking and good advice in general to ponder over.

Yes the customer journey is important,so i will need to employ a tacitical strategy to train customers, with on going testing and evaluation.

Lots to consider.

Cheers

On 10:39:39 26 June 2008 BrandenFaulls wrote:

 

Online self service is a tricky area.  I don't know of any specific websites that relate to self service, but you should bear in mind all the key principles of user-centric design. 

Focus on the user's needs throughout and keep your approach simple.  Think of the banking websites that work and those that don't.  Self service sites are applications, instead of microsites, so you have to focus on delivering value to the customer, and therefore the business, through functionality.  Be sure to prototype and test as much as practical to make sure you have what works, even if it is informal, water-cooler testing.

Self service is not marketing, its retention.  So keep the upsell and cross-sell subtle and enhancing to the experience. 

Deploy the minimal functionality to make the site useful and then roll out functionality incrementally.  Consult your users/customers on the functionality that they need. Engagement is key.

Plan your journeys and scenarios and keep the steps to the minimum.

Look to the 37signals sites (Basecamp, Highrise, etc) for some inspiration. While their approach has fallen out of fashion recently, their focus on simplicity is what gained them so much popularity.

Good luck,

Branden Faulls
www.clockworkrobot.co.uk

 

Hi stephfox

Loads of useful information for me to read over and consider, thanks again  for the web links

cheers 

On 15:30:16 26 June 2008 stephfox wrote:

 

Hi Evet,
There are a couple of recent trends for customer support we've seen recently which stem from modern development techniques:

1) Q & A style websites: Users support users - often backed up with support representatives from your organisation. See:

http://answers.yahoo.com/
http://www.linkedin.com/answers

Creating a system like this is simple and easy BUT relies on a body of queries and a community of users.

2) Knowledge Management systems. Knowledge managment tools require a dedicated content management resource within your support team, however. See:

www.kana.com

3) Forums: And you can always go very Web 1.0 and have a standard message board/forum structure. People are used to these sorts of functions and forums can get very busy. Of course, if it's a support mechanism, you need your own support people to be part of the conversation on these forums to provide answers and support.

All of these solutions rely on a few things:
1) A critical mass of knowledge
- Work hard to produce a depth of knowledge based content, be honest about the short-comings of your products, acknowledge faults, propose work-arounds and solutions. Yes it's a competitive risk, but your customers will appreciate knowing that your company actively engage with the issues and are prepared to resolve them - If you DON'T do this, or have enough content then it's not self-help, it's a waste of your customer's time...
2) An active user base - You must allow customers to post issues and respond to others. Sending a complaint into the ether with no promise of a reply or a resolution is not customer service
3) Good customer communications, such as email or DM to let them know where to find support - Invite your customers to participate, they won't just stumble across it. This means you need good customer data, and they need to opt-in to participate

We have experience in developing these sorts of integrated campaigns tosupport online comminities and development, so if you need any assistance or advice, we'd be happy to help. Just get in touch via our website: www.bplmarketing.com

Good customer service online is not easy but should significantly boost your ecommerce returns...

Good luck with it,

Stephen Foxworthy
Digitial Director
BPL Marketing

Hi Nick

Thanks for the information and i look  forward to reading the other material that you will be forwarding me, which i am sure will be useful and helpful. I have come across the Ikea and the National Rail before but will certainly have a look at the other two websites.

Cheers

On 09:47:00 29 June 2008 nickwilson wrote:

 

Hi Evet

I have some material that you should find useful on online customer solutions including interactive virtual assistants and online chat  solutions, I will put it together and send it over.  It fits in well with the comments you have received from Stephen but the virtual assistants can be less labour intensive, from the internal teams point of view, than some of the other solutions you will come across e.g. chat and forums etc.

I have listed a few examples from different sectors using advanced online customer self service systems.  You can find their virtual assistants at www.nationalrail.co.uk (lisa), www.bmsolutions.co.uk/ (red), www.ikea.co.uk (anna) and www.support.philips.com/support/html/index_us_en.html

As mentioned I will gather some material together and send it across to you.

atb

Nick Wilson

Director

www.thevirtualzone.co.uk

On 17:40:08 28 June 2008 Evet wrote:

 

Hi stephfox

Loads of useful information for me to read over and consider, thanks again  for the web links

 

cheers 

 

On 15:30:16 26 June 2008 stephfox wrote:

 

Hi Evet,
There are a couple of recent trends for customer support we've seen recently which stem from modern development techniques:

1) Q & A style websites: Users support users - often backed up with support representatives from your organisation. See:

http://answers.yahoo.com/
http://www.linkedin.com/answers

Creating a system like this is simple and easy BUT relies on a body of queries and a community of users.

2) Knowledge Management systems. Knowledge managment tools require a dedicated content management resource within your support team, however. See:

www.kana.com

3) Forums: And you can always go very Web 1.0 and have a standard message board/forum structure. People are used to these sorts of functions and forums can get very busy. Of course, if it's a support mechanism, you need your own support people to be part of the conversation on these forums to provide answers and support.

All of these solutions rely on a few things:
1) A critical mass of knowledge
- Work hard to produce a depth of knowledge based content, be honest about the short-comings of your products, acknowledge faults, propose work-arounds and solutions. Yes it's a competitive risk, but your customers will appreciate knowing that your company actively engage with the issues and are prepared to resolve them - If you DON'T do this, or have enough content then it's not self-help, it's a waste of your customer's time...
2) An active user base - You must allow customers to post issues and respond to others. Sending a complaint into the ether with no promise of a reply or a resolution is not customer service
3) Good customer communications, such as email or DM to let them know where to find support - Invite your customers to participate, they won't just stumble across it. This means you need good customer data, and they need to opt-in to participate

We have experience in developing these sorts of integrated campaigns tosupport online comminities and development, so if you need any assistance or advice, we'd be happy to help. Just get in touch via our website: www.bplmarketing.com

Good customer service online is not easy but should significantly boost your ecommerce returns...

Good luck with it,

Stephen Foxworthy
Digitial Director
BPL Marketing