Robust web self service with a personal touch

No two self-service processes are the same. With online self service and self-help systems, extra prudence is paramount. Every customer has a different type of question and finds himself in a different phase of the customer life cycle. Moreover, market research repeatedly reveals that the practicality of web self-service implementations is the deciding factor in achieving success.

With Livecom 6G Self Service, organisations provide dynamic web-based self-service solutions that give access to the central data banks. 6G Self Service is an integral part of the 6G CIM platform, the most innovative and complete customer service and contact centre software in the Benelux.

Dynamic self service with 6G
Livecom 6G Self Service is different from many common self-service systems in two important ways:

• The web self-service solutions of Livecom were developed on the basis of a dynamic structure. This means that the whole system is configurable at a multi-channel level. All components can disclose information in different ways, including dynamic FAQs, queries, browses, guided help and virtual assistance (also called chatbot or auto-chat).
• The self-service system of Livecom automatically recognises user problems. This comes about by analysing the users’ self-service usage and feedback. Alerts and review tasks are automatically linked to relevant content owners. As soon as a customer uses a form of self service, his activities are analysed. This way, both content and access are continually improved.

What to look out for when implementing a decent self-service solution.

• It isn’t just about reducing or rerouting phone traffic. The self-service experience should at least equal and preferably excel calling the contact centre.
• It is a misconception that the interaction time should be kept to a minimum. It is important to encourage customers to stay put, especially when they have several questions.
• On the Internet, people often look for information they would never call about. Take that into account. You can use telephone conversations, e-mail correspondence and chats as a guideline, but you can never anticipate all of your customers’ questions.
• One specific structure or approach can by no means satisfy every type of customer. Indeed, one and the same customer can easily end up in different situations that require different types of guidance.
• Once your self-service system is operational, you cannot let it run its course. Information changes quickly, customers ask their questions in sundry ways, and the profile of their questions continually evolves.
• As customers increasingly ask their questions using different channels, you should make sure the self-service solution provides the answer that your customers would normally expect via e-mail, fax, chat or telephone.

Proven self-service solutions
If keeping your customers is a main business aim of your company, you need a web self-service solution with proven technology. Livecom offers innovative customer service solutions, resulting from years of experience. Furthermore, Livecom excels in the areas of help scripts (also known as guided help) and virtual assistance, presented in a chat or dialogue window. In this window, customers can ask questions in plain language. The virtual assistant guides customers and gives them the information they need. Our web self-service solutions have proven their worth in the market, with Return On Investment rates of up to 3 months.

Wide acceptation by users
A web self-service application is successful only if users widely embrace it. Every company needs specific combinations of self-service applications to seamlessly meet customer demands and existing company processes. For the integration of the ‘best practice self-service’, Livecom offers a broad range of applications and templates. These can easily be configured and attuned to your specific business needs.

For example, a retail bank with non-technical customers can choose to have a virtual staff member greet all visitors. After a pleasant conversation in plain language, this virtual employee can guide visitors to the right web page. On the other hand, a company that offers sophisticated products often requiring a complex support may opt for guided help by means of help scripts on the basis of a tree structure. By doing so, you automate processes for making diagnoses and you offer solutions that normally only specialists can provide. Alternatively, a website that focuses more on follow-up service after a purchase may prefer a dynamic FAQ section and a search option to disclose its central knowledge bank.

At your service
Your customers do not always want self-service. To make sure customers are not left behind unattended during self-service moments, it is imperative to be able to quickly and simply switch to a real staff member. Livecom’s 6G Self Service commands powerful context-analysis technology. This adds the customer’s self-service session to his or her customer profile. Upon switching, the log is immediately sent along. Furthermore, the most suitable staff member is pushed forward on the basis of knowledge groups, to prevent the customer from being sent from pillar to post. Research shows that customers use self-service applications more promptly if they know a flesh-and-blood employee is standing by.