Self-service Portal: what you need to know before launching your strategy
Today, it's counter-productive to continue managing interactions with your users in the traditional way. Indeed, customers have changed: better informed and accustomed to the immediacy of digital technology, they expect to benefit from a simple, personalized experience, which they can operate with complete autonomy. These demands are reflected in the widespread use of self-service, a system adopted by more and more companies. In this context, self-service portals are becoming essential. But what exactly is a self-service portal, and what are the key elements to consider before launching your strategy? That is what your are about to learn, along with how to deliver an optimal customer experience through an effective self-service strategy!
In this article:
- What is a self-service portal?
> Self-service portal as a customer assistance tool
> Give autonomous access to your online services thanks to an efficient web portal
> The best way to conceive automated personalization strategy - Why launch a self-service portal?
> Increase your teams' productivity
> Maximize customer satisfaction and loyalty
> Optimize your data management - How to successfully implement a self-service portal
> Key elements to consider in your self-service portal strategy
> The steps to take to implement your self-service
> The criteria for a successful self-service platform
What is a Self-Service Portal?
A self-service portal is an online platform that allows users to access information, services, and tools on their own, without the need for direct interaction with customer service or support teams. This type of web portal is often used by companies to provide customers, partners, or employees with easy access to resources such as documentation, account management, support tickets, and more.
Here are some more details about the three essential aspects behind the notion of digital self-service : customer problem-solving, online services, and personalized user experience.
A customer support tool
Self-service encompasses strategies that enable users to solve their own problems or answer their own questions via digital means, in an autonomous way.
For this reason, the most common way to implement a digital self-service strategy is to create a web portal. This is a unified platform that brings together resources and services that are easy to access and use, without any intervention on the part of the company.
Such an interface can offer a wide variety of digital content, tools and functions. When the aim is to provide answers to users, the most common features are :
- a knowledge base;
- FAQs;
- tutorials;
- a community forum;
- a chatbot;
- a ticket-opening tool.
The most obvious use case concerns customer support. A self-service portal is an effective substitute for call centers. Harvard Business estimates that 81% of users try to solve their problems on their own before contacting support.
That is how routine first- or second-level incidents are very often resolved. But for complex issues, the tool can provide a way of contacting support, or even scheduling a time slot with a technician.
However, self-service strategies have spread far beyond customer support desks, into all sectors and business units.
Autonomous access to your online services
A self-service strategy offers opportunities that go far beyond customer support. Indeed, many actions can be carried out directly by your prospects or buyers, without having to contact you. This is the case, for example, for completing administrative formalities, renewing a subscription, subscribing to or cancelling options, booking an appointment, etc.
These service offers should be defined vertically, according to your industry and your audience. For example, a supplier portal in the retail sector could usefully display applicable discounts, update available stock, enable online ordering and then track supply.
The options are numerous, offering you the opportunity to innovate and differentiate yourself from the competition. Above is a selection of examples of digital services managed via a self-service portal, according to each business sector.
An automated personalization strategy
Today, companies need to develop a complete customer experience, covering all interactions and offers. Particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, users have become more demanding when it comes to digital solutions, and one of their major expectations is that services should be personalized. To ensure customized customer experiences without jeopardizing the company's profitability, it is necessary to adopt technologies that automate this personalization.
For example, a self-service counter automatically ensures individualization based on session data:
- catalog available according to geographic location;
- suggestions for content and services selected on the basis of the caller's purchase history and job function;
- programmed alerts when certain products are restocked.
For a great example of a comprehensive self-service portal, download the Xerix customer story
Why Launch a Self-Service Portal?
Traditional methods of responding to buyers' needs no longer meet their expectations, nor do they provide the necessary efficiency for your teams. According to analyst firm Gartner, "self-service is becoming the norm, as customers increasingly expect to enjoy a seamless experience on a large scale". The benefits of this approach are numerous, for both your company and your customers.
Here are the 3 main reasons for implementing a self-service portal :
- Increased Efficiency: By automating repetitive tasks, companies can free up resources to focus on more complex issues.
- Improved Acquisition and Customer Experience: Users can find answers to their questions at any time, without waiting for customer service hours.
- Enhanced Data Collection: Portals can track user behavior and preferences, providing valuable insights for improving services.
Increase your teams' productivity
The implementation of a self-service support portal leads to a reduction in calls, thanks to the educational resources provided, such as the knowledge base and FAQs. What's more, the configuration of the contact tool generates a standardization of requests, reducing the time needed to follow them up.
These benefits extend to your sales or back-office teams, when your self-service portal enables you to carry out actions previously handled by operational teams: transmitting receipts, registering a claim for reimbursement, renewing a subscription, etc.
And of course, a self-service portal is a cost-saver : it reduces the need for large customer service teams, which can lead to significant cost reductions.
Improve Acquisition and Customer Experience
Self-service portals gives you the means to educate your audience. If you offer multiple products or complex solutions, understanding and using them can be tricky. With a well-used web portal, you can teach yourself the basics without the need for assistance, and your customers will be able to handle similar situations in the future.
As a result, they'll be more inclined to use your services in the future, especially when your personalized interface suggests relevant additional services. What's more, the provision of well-developed, didactic documentation is a guarantee of seriousness, contributing to the trust that users place in your company.
Self-service also reduces the amount of frustration a user may experience, notably by cutting transaction times and waiting times for incident resolution. Frustration can even be transformed into satisfaction, if the buyer notices the company's involvement and availability. A final advantage for capitalizing on your actions: evaluate customer satisfaction with portal surveys, asking them to rate your services or recommend your brand.
Optimize your data management
Without the right tools, companies find it difficult to maintain their users' online experience, or to connect different sources of information.
With a unified self-service portal, you'll have an intuitive, scalable tool for updating your offerings and synchronizing your various infrastructures, as well as centralized, harmonized data for monitoring your quality approach. Your teams will have precise, segmented information on who their customers are, what problems they are encountering, and what needs need to be addressed.
How do you set up a successful self-service portal?
Implementing an effective self-service strategy can run into difficulties if certain best practices are ignored.
Buy or Build: find the best way to get your web portal
Key elements to consider in your self-service portal strategy
Before launching a self-service portal, it's important to consider several factors to ensure its success:
1. User Experience
The portal should be intuitive and easy to use. A well-designed user interface is essential for encouraging adoption and satisfaction.
2. Integration Capabilities
Your portal should integrate seamlessly with existing systems, such as CRM, ERP, and customer support tools. This ensures that users have access to the most up-to-date information.
3. Security
Security is a top priority, especially when dealing with sensitive customer data. Ensure that your portal complies with relevant data protection regulations, such as GDPR.
4. Personalization
Personalization enhances the user experience by providing content and services tailored to individual needs and preferences.
5. Scalability
Your portal should be able to grow with your company, accommodating increasing numbers of users and new features over time.
The steps you need to take to implement your self-service
Here are 3 steps we advise you to follow if you want to build a self-service portal for your company.
Engage your entire organization
Ask your departments about the issues a self-service portal should address. For example, analyze the tickets handled by customer service: what are the most frequent questions and response times?
Map the user experience
Make sure you understand your users' navigation paths, and check that they don't include any dead ends or unaddressed questions. Good knowledge of the context of each issue is essential to organize your content in a harmonious way for your prospects and buyers.
Choose a modern, adapted web portal solution
The multiplication of heterogeneous technologies, used in silos, is a frequent pitfall. Indeed, it creates a fragmented and inconsistent customer experience.
For these reasons, a DXP (Digital Experience Platform) is a particularly appropriate choice: it includes all the necessary components, and offers extensive customization and connectivity capabilities.
Send your audience to your platform
The success of your self-service will depend on its adoption by users. So the first step is to make sure they know about it and can find it easily. Place identifiable calls to action on your website, applications and communications. Your employees can also present them during their interactions with customers.
The criteria for a successful self-service platform
A powerful search engine
The search bar should be immediately visible, at the top of every page. In addition, choose a sophisticated search system. Favor a federated search function, which makes it possible to retrieve information from scattered sources, without creating silos that hamper the customer experience.
Customization by audience
Your self-service strategy will be more effective if you offer a tailored experience. This could mean translating resources into several languages, removing products from the catalog that aren't offered in a region, displaying specific prices, a contact tool connected to the relevant department, or cross-selling suggestions tailored to the customer's needs based on their purchase history.
A seamless experience
If you have many different sites and portals, make sure this doesn't have a negative impact on the user journey: different visuals and functionalities, having to log in several times. To achieve this, choose portal management software that enables you to create consistent digital services, whatever the technological architecture.
Self-service holds no secrets for you! Would you like to boost your self-service strategy with the right platform? Jahia's web portal solution could help you move up a gear.