Self-Service is not void of interaction. Often we think that customer self-service means you subtract any type of human interaction and that the customer relationship and brand loyalty will be lost. Yet, customers want to feel empowered to search for solutions themselves. 

For example, consider yourself when you need to pay a bill. Do you go into your bank's physical location to pay the bill? Stand in line and wait for those in front of you to be helped first. Likely you go onto your bank account mobile banking app and scan your bill to pay digitally. Why?

It is easier and faster to complete the task yourself first than having to wait for someone to assist you. We’ve all felt the pain of long wait lines, Call Centres, or a glitchy Help Centre with a Chatbot that is less than helpful. The advent and widespread adoption of technology have made Customers incredibly digitally savvy and comfortable using tools to assist in their everyday. Additionally, the digital world has impacted the speed at which customers expect service; if something can be done at the click of a button so should be paying the bill at their bank. 

In 2021, over 95% of companies reported customers requesting more self-service options for increased speed and convenience. NICE released its 2022 Digital-First Customer Experience Report, displaying that 81% of consumers want more self-service options. Consequently, only 15% of consumers are satisfied with the self-service tools provided, whereas businesses believe 53% of consumers are satisfied with their self-service tools. 

Top 5 Self-Service Insights

We have compiled the top five self-service insights from the NICE 2022 Digital-First Customer Experience Report to highlight the essentials of what is important to customers and what should be important to you when developing your self-service tool belt. 

Customer Demands for Self-Service 

Businesses and customers share differing viewpoints on what self-service improvements are important, yet 34% of customers demand a smarter service. What does this mean:

1. Digital tools are able to handle more complex tasks
2. Technology that is easier to use and understand requests faster
3. Less contact with customer support

Customers who want a smarter self-service correlate with those who had to contact a Customer Support Agent. Evidently, customers want to avoid having to phone a Call Center. 

Benefits of Self-Service 

Consumers and businesses agree that the top benefit of self-service is faster resolution. Customers want answers fast, and companies want to give them solutions quickly to retain customers and save time and money. Yet, poor self-service with low accuracy decreases resolution times leading to customers churn. 

With Raffle Site Search, Quooker reached 76% resolution, krifa increased by 86%, IFMetalls rose to 80%, and Codan by a stunning 96%. Customers can find accurate information on their terms, while businesses retain customers by giving them what they want. 

For Businesses and consumers, convenience is equally important. Customers want a 24/7 self-service that can be accessed on any device, whereas businesses do not want a service that adds more work. Raffle Site Search solves both- allowing customers to search instantly on any device and in any language for accurate solutions. Businesses enjoy no code and no maintenance needed. 

Are Search Engines Valued?

Almost half of consumers use Googles Search to solve service issues. Over 68% of businesses are unsatisfied with their search engine, and if customers turn to Google, it must be a sign of a poor search. But even Google can’t always answer customer-specific questions that only relate to your company. 

Consumers are demanding a better search engine, and businesses need to build a search engine strategy to develop a well-rounded self-service experience. Else, customers will be lost to competitors. 

Customer Churn due to poor Self-Service Experience

Poor interaction with a brand leads close to 95% of consumers to churn. Typically, it can take an average of two negative interactions for customers to switch to a competitor. For businesses, the customer experience is vital; thus, understanding what your customers expect of your self-service is necessary. Consistency in experience across digital and non-digital services is crucial as all interactions impact brand loyalty. 

Age Across Self-Service

You may be surprised to learn that age does not significantly affect self-service or the use of digital tools to assist in self-service experiences. Gen X, or those between the ages of 42-57 years, are slightly less satisfied with self-service tools. This age group has more spending power, yet also a small influence on the future of technology. 

If you are still not convinced that self-service is vital for customer service moving forward, then see 14 stats from Harvard Business Review, Garter, and Microsoft that support the future of self-service.

Building your Self-Service Tool Belt

Self-service tools will differ across industries and companies as every brand, and every loyal customer is different. The insights above can help guide you in what customers are generally seeking;

1. Smarter
2. Faster resolutions
3. Better search engine

Raffle Site Search is the best search engine on the market that is smarter, offers faster resolutions, and much more. Instead of us saying what we can do, see for yourself how we’ve impacted our customer's self-service experience. 

Codan

Codan reduced Live Chats going through to their more than 120 Customer Service Agents by a stunning 42% within five weeks. Across Live chats, Calls, and emails, they had an impressive 34% reduction. With the implementation of Raffle Site Search, Customer Service Agents could quickly get answers to customers, the Search time decreased by 96%, customers got 24/7 service, and the onboarding time for new hires decreased by 50%! Codan saves tens of thousands of dollars every month utilizing Raffle Site Search.

KRIFA

KRIFA experienced a resolution rate of 86% overnight, and via Insights in the Raffle Platform, KRIFA identified vital Content Gaps after only a week in production! Insights on Trending Questions and Member usage illustrates Member needs and gives KRIFA the ability to be proactive in their offerings and services, increasing NPS and reducing churn.

Dansk Sundhedssikring

Dansk Sundhedssikring experienced a significant reduction in incoming queries because Raffle eliminated most of the general questions they used to receive. 75% of visitors find what they need using Raffle on their website. Fewer customer support queries mean more time and energy to address the more complex questions.

Read more about how our customers are seeing improvements within their search and self-service with Raffle Site Search. Learn how you can become a customer and unlock a turnkey solution to customer service like never seen before. 

Give your customers what they want- answers to their questions instantly while gathering data with Raffle Insights. Raffle Insights tells you precisely what your customers are asking and provides you with knowledge gaps, aka areas where information is lacking, allowing you to peek into the future of customer trends and create high-value content. Additionally, Raffle Insights displays graphs on resolution, productivity insight, time spent, and profits saved. Control the security of company data, and customize the search with no code or maintenance needed!

Raffle Site Search needs to be on your Self-Service tool built. Join our growing list of happy Rafflers today and see what we can do for you!