What is self-service?

Understanding users is key to building a quality self-service system. To do that, you should start tracking your current customer-support interactions. What are the most common questions your users are asking? What problems are they regularly needing solutions to?

Analyzing the cases your customer service team addresses will give you a clear idea of where you can provide reliable self-service, and what topics you will need to address. At the same time, keeping an eye on frequently searched terms related to customer pain points—not only in Google, but also on your own site—can give you further insight into your customers’ needs.

Once you’ve identified recurring questions and problems, you next need to provide the solutions. Have your top support personnel review the questions and create easy-to-understand answers. The goal here is to provide users with a quick, uncomplicated guide that they can follow without having to call your support line. When appropriate, include videos, screenshots, and other examples in your answers.

Creating accessible resources and setting up a knowledge base can be an effective approach to customer self-service, but it is not your only option. Other self-service channels may include creating chatbots, providing a service catalogue, and creating online communities.

Finally, create a place where users interact with software to search for solutions to their problems. This is called a self-service portal.

A self-service portal is a website that acts as a searchable database for self-service resources. Users can find information, search solutions, and—when necessary—reach out for further support. Self-service portals give users the opportunity to find their own answers without outside help.

From self-service portals, users can browse knowledgebase articles and review FAQ sections. They can visit service forums or talk to AI chat bots. They can access tools designed to help them find the right solutions to their issues, quickly and easily. And, in the event that a customer is still having trouble finding a solution, portals allow users to create cases and contact living support agents. Customers can schedule a time that works with a technician when in-person service is necessary.

Creating a self-service portal is not overly difficult; the ServiceNow® Service Portal provides tools and resources for building effective customer service portals. When creating a self-service portal, you’ll want to keep the following in mind:

Link to your Portal

Don’t expect users to be able to find your self-service portal if you don’t show them where it is. Include calls to action throughout your main site, linking to the self-service portal. Likewise, you can add links within your product or app and include it in your customer communications, so that when users encounter problems, they know exactly where they should go for help.

Finally, make sure your customer service agents know about the portal and how it works. As they interact with customers, they can introduce them to the self-service portal and show them how to use it. Be aware, however, that some agents may be reluctant to promote the self-service portal if they feel it might diminish the value of agents themselves.

During interactions with customers, they can suggest using the portal for self-service. Keep in mind that agents may be reluctant to suggest self-service because they perceive it could diminish the value of agents. Remind them that self-service will help customers get answers to the common and repetitive questions, freeing up agents to handle more interesting requests or interactions that truly need a personal touch.

Optimize your FAQs

Your FAQ pages should provide succinct answers to common questions. Optimized FAQ pages can also do so much more. Incorporating relevant links into FAQs can give users clear direction about what they should do next. Built-in search functionality improves usability and eliminates the frustration of having to search through answers one at a time. Links to relevant blog and product pages can further elaborate on your existing answers while also improving conversions through your site. And, for those who need more one-on-one assistance, consider including other contact options on the page.

Incorporate multimedia

Individuals learn differently, and a block of text isn’t always the best way to guide your audience. When creating your self-service portal, consider incorporating multimedia. These may include diagrams, videos, flowcharts, images, podcasts, or any other media that might benefit the user.

Improve self-service search

Search functionality is an important factor in self-service. When creating a search function for your self-service portal, make sure that you are focusing on user experience, first and foremost. Make the search bar easy to locate and large enough to fit longer queries. Include auto suggestions, and make sure to account for keyword-related issues, such as misspellings and synonyms. Include filtering and advanced search options.

Keep your content up to date

Change is inevitable; the answers and solutions you provide today may not be applicable tomorrow. Regularly review and update your self-service resources. Include the last updated date in the resources themselves, so users can see at a glance how recent the information is. Having a standardized workflow will help ensure consistency, tracking, and that the right people are participating in reviews and updates.

Optimize for mobile

The desktop computer is no longer the primary device for accessing information online; employees and customers often prefer to use mobile devices. As you establish your self-service portal and its underlying self-service channels, be sure not to skip over mobile usability. Optimizing your portals for mobile will make them more accessible, and thus more likely to be used.

In addition to giving users a central location from which to locate solutions and access self-service options, service portals can also be personalized to specific users across every channel. Users can review their previous cases, check on the progress of current cases, and open new cases, from any device and anywhere in the world.

Virtual agents offer a more personalized, intuitive experience than static resources. The best virtual agents are able to use natural language and respond to customers on their terms. For those issues that necessitate help from a living agent, the virtual-agent conversation and history can be seamlessly transferred over. Top self-service options include the ability to analyze and improve virtual-agent performance.

Effective self-service platforms use advanced search and personalization features to help users find relevant resources quickly. They also take things further, automatically identifying gaps and triggering workflows for creating new resources.

Built-in access to online forums and social communities gives users a place where they can workshop solutions together. It also gives you more insight into the problems, ideas, and experiences users are having. This lets you identify unsolved issues and assign them to agents.

One of the biggest differentiators of a top self-service platform is whether it includes a service catalogue option. The ServiceNow® Service Catalog application uses simple forms to give customers the opportunity to request solutions directly from relevant departments. Workflow allows you to monitor progress, analyze performance, and detour customers when needed.

Once you’ve decided on a self-service platform, the only thing left to do is roll it out. Most platforms will provide the guidance you need to ensure that your users can effectively access and navigate your self-service portals. Follow the steps outlined by the platform providers, and work with them to resolve any apparent issues before you present your portal to your users.

Click here to learn more about successfully rolling out your self-service platform.