How to Create a Human-Centric Self-Service Experience

Customer service calls, messages, and self-service usage are on the rise. A recent Gartner poll revealed that "more than 40% of customer service and support leaders have experienced increased service contact volumes," and 46% of executives who reported an increase found it "was equal across self-service and live service." 

Likewise, 86% of Microsoft's Global State of Customer Service respondents expect a self-service option, and two-thirds try self-service first before contacting a live agent. Unfortunately, many customers don't receive the level of care they want when using digital self-service tools. Finding the answer they need can frustrate users and force them to pick up the phone. 

According to Gartner, customers often abandon the self-service customer care channel for a live agent out of frustration, anxiety, or doubt. However, their confidence is boosted by user-friendly interfaces, mobile-optimized solutions, and clear communication. Adding human-centric chatbot software can help consumers feel like they're not alone when searching for answers.

The pitfalls of relying on AI alone

AI for contact centers, including AI chatbots, agent automation tools, and self-service help desk software, enables customer support agents to more effectively and efficiently deliver personalized experiences for each caller. 

The challenge? Many contact center AI solutions feel impersonal. Simply offering convenience isn't enough to differentiate your support options from the competition. So how can you ensure that your AI call center technology and help desk software live up to your customers’ high expectations? In this article, we’ll explore what consumers want in a customer self-service platform and how to update your tools accordingly.

Contact center AI: How it works and what it does

AI-based contact centers use artificial intelligence, machine learning (ML), and business intelligence (BI) tools to assist customers and connect them to suitable agents. The backend delivers real-time data to your call center representatives, eliminating the need to ask customers to repeat themselves. 

Advanced natural language processing (NLP) models enable intelligent agent bot software to provide human-like interactions. By analyzing customer intent and sentiment in real-time, AI customer support bots determine the type of service your clients need and seamlessly connect them to it, whether that's a live agent or a customer self-service platform.

There are so many invaluable things contact center AI can do, including:

• Detect customer sentiment and intent
• Handle straightforward and complex tasks typically provided by a live agent 
• Capture information, such as an account number or a screenshot of the problem
• Decide when to direct a user to a live agent based on sentiment data
• Provide call center agents with context from the customer's journey
• Save shared media and multi-channel conversations to the customer record

Advantages of self-service technology

Contact center AI benefits your clients and organization when paired with simple self-service customer support options. It can't completely replace your live agents, but it can provide better experiences and reduce call volumes. 

Service leaders indicate that 20% to 40% of live volume can be resolved using existing self-service functionalities, according to Gartner. In a 2020 Vanilla survey, respondents indicate that they'll attempt to solve support issues on their own before contacting customer support.

Contact center AI solutions with self-service tools offer a range of benefits. They can:

• Reduce call center costs: You'll see significant savings when you help customers help themselves. Gartner reports that self-service channels cost about $0.10 per contact versus an average of $8.01 per contact on live channels. 
• Enhance customer experiences: Positive interactions with contact center AI chatbots and self-service channels enable consumers to resolve issues quickly. Friction-free moments can drive loyalty. 
• Decrease resolution time: Self-service platforms and live chat services are complementary technologies. When you combine them, you eliminate the need for customers to repeat themselves and reduce the time your agents and customers spend looking for a solution. 
• Improve your reputation: Self-service tools increase your company's credibility. Vanilla reported that 77% of respondents look more favorably on organizations that offer self-service customer support options.
• Leverage data for insights: Each interaction collects data about users, whether using your FAQ search bar or engaging with a conversational AI chatbot. You can use this information to improve your customer self-service platform, map the customer journey, and inform product development. 

Tips for improving your customer self-service platform

A company's success depends largely on a positive customer experience, so you can't afford to upset self-service users. Omnichannel contact center AI software and custom AI chatbots can turn every interaction into a positive one. You can continually improve and update your offerings when you follow self-service best practices. Let's look at ways you can effectively support your customers.

• Choose the best contact center AI software.

AI-based contact center platforms analyze customer interactions and use this data to route callers to the right agent based on skills or location. It can detect emotions in a caller's voice while responding to automated questions. 

Contact center AI software also ensures consistency across multiple support channels. It allows customers to seamlessly move from a live or virtual chat to a voice or video call without switching devices or platforms. 

• Use intelligent AI chatbots.

Conversational AI bots like UJET's Virtual Agent detect customer sentiment. The Virtual Agent senses when a user is frustrated and can quickly transfer them to a live agent. This capability is significant since many responders previously found chatbots to be ineffective. 

• Follow customer self-service best practices.

Your customer self-service platform isn't a one-and-done deal. Instead, you need to tweak it to reflect consumer behavior continually. Your overall goal is to resolve customer problems as quickly and efficiently as possible. Contact center AI tools should work together across customer support channels.

Use these tips to improve your self-service tools: 

• Provide a path of least resistance by eliminating unnecessary steps
• Understand the customer journey by tracking how people use your support channels
• Optimize for mobile users to ensure consistency across devices and channels
• Update self-service FAQs and knowledge bases frequently
• Track chat conversations and website searches and use the data to fill content gaps

Design a human-centric self-service experience

When equipped with the right tools, your company can drive cost-effective client behaviors, decrease average call handle times, and deliver the experience your customers demand. Consequently, incorporating contact center AI into your tech stack will improve your customers' end-to-end resolution journey. 

Ready to explore how contact center AI can help you improve customer experiences and reduce queue times? Schedule a demo to learn about UJET’s practical AI features and how they can augment your goals in 2022 and beyond.