One of the most common topics discussed at SDI events and Service Desk Manager courses is that of self-service.
The technology is nothing new, it’s already in use in a significant portion of the industry, and undoubtedly it will need to be used more in the future to meet customer demand.
The business benefits can be significant in terms of reduced cost of support, improved IT utilization, creating capacity for growth and staff efficiency. So why, in this age of online retail and service delivery, is the biggest challenge getting customers to use it and use it effectively at work?
Reasons include:
“IT is your job not mine, why should I do your job for you?”
“Self-service just makes life easier for IT”
“I have to jump through hoops to get what I should have been given in the first place”
“There’s a self-service portal?”
An organisation launching any new product would conduct market research and analyse usage patterns to understand it’s potential customer base and develop short and long-term marketing and communication strategies. The problem with so many IT self-service implementations is that they are built from the inside out. The purpose has been to meet an IT objective rather than a business one. The benefits are often so obvious to IT that they think everyone will see the need. This often leads to lack of engagement with the very customers who will be expected to use the interface.
So, how do you begin to tackle some of these issues? SDI have recently developed a one day workshop that focusses on the self-service customer experience. It uses a series of assessments, case studies and practical exercises to help delegates produce an action plan for maximizing customer adoption for both new and existing self-service implementations. Primarily aimed at those responsible for increasing efficiency and improving the return on investment from self-service and self-help tools, it includes techniques and methodologies relevant to improving all aspects of the customer experience.
