Customer support is an integral part of any business. It is the backbone of any customer relationship. However, many companies are realizing that traditional customer support is not the best way to go.
The problem with traditional customer support is that it's reactive and it's not scalable. This can be frustrating for customers who are looking for a solution to their problem. To better meet customer expectations, the scope of customer support is expanding, and so are the ways in which it is delivered.
The traditional telephone-based support model has been supplemented with self-service options that customers can use on their own, such as FAQs and knowledge bases.
What is self-serve customer support?
Self-serve support is a great way to provide customers with the ability to solve their own problems without having to contact customer service. It's also a great way to offer customer service at scale and is more cost-effective for businesses because it does not require hiring additional staff members and eliminates the need for several call centers.
There are some additional reasons why companies should consider building self-serve support:
- It provides a better customer experience. With self-service support, customers can find what they need themselves and don't need to wait for an agent to answer their questions
- It increases efficiency as self-service tools can be accessed by customers 24/7 and it is usually automated
- It helps with the company's branding. Customers often leave reviews on social media about their experience with a company
How to build a self-serve customer support platform
There are many ways to build self-service support, but there are some best practices that you should follow.
The following are some best practices and tips for creating self-service customer support:
Content creation: The first step is to create a knowledge base with articles and videos that answer common questions. Use FAQs, videos, and other resources to answer common questions that customers might have about your product or service.
Accessibility: Make sure that your self-service content is easy to find and easy to understand. Which means you need a search function. And obviously, you should make sure that your self-service support is available 24/7 so customers can get help at any time of day or night.
User Experience: Create a user-friendly interface that is easy for customers to use and understand. You also need to provide clear instructions on how to use the self-serve platform.
Escalation: Provide customers with the option of contacting an agent if they need help or have questions that cannot be answered by the content on your site. Offering live chat could be an option for those who want immediate assistance.
You should also provide customers with the option of contacting you via social media channels like Facebook Messenger or Twitter DM if they need help or have questions that cannot be answered by the content on your site.
How Guidde can help develop self-serve customer support
The only way to build and maintain a successful self-serve customer support portal is to have a fresh supply of relevant content for users. This can be time consuming and costly as you scale considering the breadth and depth a given organization needs to cover. That’s where Guidde can help.
Guidde helps our customers develop step-by-step videos and documents in just a few clicks. Literally anyone in your company can use it. We also help you share your content as soon as it's ready via email, Slack, Salesforce, Zendesk, Intercom and more!
Guidde is completely FREE, start by clicking this link and installing our browser extension.
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