Is Web Self-Service Right For You? 6 Tell Tale Signs

According to Forrester Research, 72% of U.S. online consumers prefer to use a company’s Web site to get answers to their questions rather than contact companies via telephone or email. Clearly, the web (and this term now firmly includes the increasingly important mobile and social media channels) has become the primary first point of contact between many organizations and their stakeholders. Despite this fact, frustration and inefficiency abounds online, resulting in unsatisfied customers and increases in escalations to expensive contact center mainstays like phone callsand e-mails.

For many organizations, the "answer" to next generation customer service includes deploying the latest multi-channel self-service tools now available. Often described as answer agents, virtual assistants or "smart FAQ’s", this new breed of technology, when delivered effectively – has significant impact on key business measurements such as Customer Satisfaction, Inbound Call Volumes, Inbound Email Volumes and Corporate Brand Identity.

But how do you know when you and your organization are ready for web self-service? Where do you begin, in terms of diagnosing whether or not it makes sense for you to explore a web self-service strategy for your organization?