What is Customer Self Service?

Customer self service has become an important part of the modern customer experience. It refers to the practice of letting customers find answers and fix problems on their own. They can find answers, resolve issues, and complete transactions independently, without help from company representatives.

It encompasses various tools, resources, and technologies that empower customers to find answers at their convenience. This guide will explain what customer self service is, the benefits, and use cases.

Customer Self Service: Key Components

Customer self service solutions typically include:

Knowledge Base: This serves as a central collection of helpful articles and guides. It can include information such as instructions for common tasks, answers to customer problems, updates to new products and services, and more.
FAQs: Libraries of information that customers can search to find answers to common questions, troubleshooting guides, and product documentation. These resources are regularly updated with new information and emerging customer needs.
Simple Search: This helps guide customers to find exactly what they need. This feature understands what customers are looking for, suggests information on related topics, and continuously learns customer preferences based on search queries. Learn more about enterprise search here.
Chatbots and Virtual Assistants: AI-powered solutions that can understand and respond to customer queries in real-time, providing immediate assistance for routine inquiries and guiding users to relevant resources when needed.
Interactive Tools and Portals: Self service support platforms where customers can manage their accounts, update personal information, track orders, and perform various transactions without assistance. These portals often feature intuitive interfaces and personalized experiences based on customer preferences and history.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR): This system lets callers call and help themselves without waiting to talk to a person. They can check their account balance, make payments, or get updates about their orders just by pressing buttons or speaking simple commands. Learn about eGain’s SmartIVR™.

Customer Self Service: Why is it Important?

The importance of customer self service has grown exponentially in recent years, driven by changing consumer preferences and technological advancements. Here’s why it matters:

Changing Customer Expectations

Modern consumers expect instant gratification and 24/7 access to services. They prefer solving problems independently and value the convenience of self service options.

Customers prefer self service over other channels

70% of customers are using self service channels at some point in their resolution journey, per Gartner.
90% of consumers expect an online portal for customer service, according to Microsoft.
Web and mobile self service have overtaken all other customer service channels, according to Forrester.
More customers begin their interactions online, especially millennials and younger generations.
Consumers prefer to resolve easy transactional issues online.
Even among customers who start transactions on the phone, 4x more customers use IVR self service than those who talk to agents.

Business Imperative

Digital transformation has made self service capabilities essential for business survival and growth. Companies must adapt to:

The increasing demand for round-the-clock service availability
Rising customer service costs and the need for operational efficiency
Growing competition in the digital marketplace
The shift toward personalized customer experiences

For the business, it’s also the easiest way to cut costs.

Self service costs $0.10 per contact compared to $8.01 for an agent-assisted contact.

Customer Self Service: What are the use-cases?

Customer self service applications span various industries and scenarios. Here are some common use-cases:

Banking and Financial Services

Account management and balance checking
Fund transfers and bill payments
Investment portfolio monitoring
Loan application status tracking
Credit card management and dispute resolution

E-commerce and Retail

Order tracking and management
Return initiation and processing
Return policies and procedures
Product information and comparison
Inventory checking
Wishlist creation and management

Healthcare

Appointment scheduling and management
Medical record access
Prescription refill requests
Insurance claim status checking
Virtual health assessments

Technology and Software

Software installation and updates
Technical troubleshooting
Feature documentation
License management
Bug reporting and tracking

Customer Self Service: What are the benefits?

The implementation of customer self service solutions offers numerous advantages for both businesses and customers.

Benefits for Businesses

Cost Reduction: Self service options significantly lower operational costs by reducing the need for live customer service representatives. A single self service interaction can cost as little as $0.10 compared to $8 for a live agent interaction.
Increased Efficiency: Customer service teams can focus on complex issues while routine queries are handled through self service support channels, improving overall operational efficiency and resource allocation.
Scalability: Self service solutions can handle unlimited concurrent users, allowing businesses to scale their customer service capabilities without proportional increases in costs.
Data Collection: Self service platforms provide valuable insights into customer behavior, preferences, and common issues, enabling businesses to improve their products and services.

Benefits for Customers

Convenience: Customers can access support and complete transactions at any time, from any location, without waiting for business hours or agent availability.
Speed: Immediate access to information and solutions eliminates wait times and speeds up problem resolution.
Empowerment: Self service options give customers greater control over their experience and allow them to solve problems at their own pace.
Consistency: Automated solutions provide uniform information and experiences across all interactions, reducing confusion and frustration.

Customer Self Service: What are the Challenges?

1. Obsolete Self service Systems

In a survey sponsored by eGain and conducted by Call Centre Helper revealed that 20% of companies haven’t updated their self service system since installation, and 11% haven’t updated in the last three years.

The IVR customer experience survey report found that legacy Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems frustrate customers with:

Long hold times: Extended waiting periods in IVR queues significantly impact customer satisfaction and can lead to call or transaction abandonment.
Limited query resolution capabilities: Legacy IVR systems often lack the intelligence and up-to-date knowledge to understand complex queries or provide contextual responses, forcing customers to repeat information or transfer to live agents.

Forward-thinking companies are now:

Integrating IVR with messaging channels
Implementing customer web self service portal
Sending knowledge base content directly to customers’ smartphones
Creating smarter, more responsive interaction systems

Self service is not a static channel. Personalization, mobile apps, virtual assistants, AI, and machine learning are new features that have been added over time. With this, consumer expectation of customer service has also increased.

2. Inadequate Knowledge Management

Customer support portals frequently fail when they cannot provide precise, consistent answers. Common issues include:

Outdated FAQs: Knowledge bases often contain obsolete information that doesn’t reflect current products, services, or policies. FAQs may reference discontinued features or outdated procedures, leading customers to take incorrect actions.
Incomplete information: Knowledge articles frequently lack critical details, steps, or context needed for full issue resolution. This gap forces customers to contact support for clarification, defeating the purpose of self service.
Inconsistent knowledge base responses: Different sections of the knowledge base may provide contradicting information about the same topic. When multiple articles cover similar issues but offer different solutions, customers lose trust in the self service system.

These failures dramatically increase customer effort and frustration, directly impacting Net Promoter Score (NPS) and overall customer satisfaction.

3. Channel Integration Challenges

Proper integration significantly improves issue resolution rates and overall customer satisfaction. The goal is a frictionless, adaptive support ecosystem that anticipates and resolves customer needs efficiently.

Poor integration between channels can lead to:

Data Synchronization Issues: Ensuring real-time data synchronization across multiple channels can be challenging, leading to inconsistencies in customer interactions. Without proper integration, customers may have to repeat information when switching between channels, causing frustration.
Technology and System Compatibility: Many businesses rely on legacy systems that may not easily integrate with modern digital channels. Incompatibility between platforms can hinder smooth transitions and create gaps in the customer experience.
Security and Compliance Concerns: Integrating multiple channels requires handling sensitive customer data securely while adhering to industry regulations. A lack of robust security measures can lead to data breaches or compliance violations, undermining customer trust.

Effective self service requires seamless multi-channel capabilities. When initial self service attempts fail, businesses must:

Offer escalation to assisted channels (email, chat, phone)
Transfer existing session details to support agents
Enable true omnichannel customer experiences

Read more about multichannel customer service best practices here.

See one such scenario play out in this video where a customer is seamlessly transferred to a contact center agent when self service cannot resolve his issue. Watch how self service can transform customer experience!

Customer Self Service: What are the best practices?

To maximize the effectiveness of customer self service initiatives, organizations should follow these best practices:

Design and User Experience

Effective self service platforms prioritize user-friendly interfaces that make information access intuitive and straightforward. A well-designed experience can significantly reduce customer frustration and increase platform adoption.

Create intuitive navigation and search functionality
Implement mobile-responsive design for all self service platforms
Use clear, concise language and avoid technical jargon
Provide visual aids and step-by-step guides where appropriate
Ensure accessibility for users with disabilities

Content Management

Maintaining a robust and current knowledge base is critical to successful self service strategies. High-quality, well-organized content empowers users to find solutions quickly and independently.

Visit this page to learn more about knowledge base tools and management. To keep knowledge organized and up-to-date, businesses should:

Regularly update and maintain knowledge base articles and content
Organize information in logical categories and hierarchies
Use customer feedback to identify and fill content gaps
Implement version control for documentation
Provide multilingual support when necessary

Integration and Technology

Modern self service platforms must seamlessly connect with existing customer service infrastructure while maintaining high security and performance standards. The right technological approach can transform customer support from reactive to proactive.

Ensure seamless integration with existing customer service channels
Implement robust security measures to protect customer data
Use analytics tools to track usage and identify improvement areas
Maintain system uptime and performance
Regular testing and optimization of self service tools

Customer Self Service: Powered by Knowledge Self service

eGain Knowledge for Self-Service™ enables organizations to provide distinctive, productive, and brand-aligned self-service experiences that enable breakthrough improvements in customer self-service effectiveness and adoption, while allowing seamless, context-aware escalations to live customer service or sales agents.

Learn more about eGain Knowledge for Self-Service

Transformational Customer Self service Experiences: Case Studies

U.S. Window and Patio Door Manufacturer

This was a century-old manufacturer of windows and patio doors with unique problems. With the help of a knowledge hub, they were able to transform online self service experiences with AI guidance and consistent knowledge.

It had a product lineup of thousands of items, including hundreds of vintage products that were older than 20 years. The company was still receiving calls from customers about them, which were challenging to address.

Its customer self service site used terms that only people who knew industry lingo would understand.

To give agents and customers easy access to accurate knowledge, the company implemented eGain AI Knowledge Hub™. eGain’s knowledge solutions for contact centers and for self service are powered by eGain Guided Help™, a patented Artificial Intelligence reasoning capability. AI-powered knowledge transformed the brand’s customer service.

After implementing the knowledge hub platform, they were able to see significant results from self service experiences:

40,000 visits to the customer self service portal and articles per month.
Customers are calling into the contact center less due to finding the knowledge they need independently.
The company’s online parts store has made 1400 sales from leads from the self-help website.
Received fabulous customer feedback that users love the video guides and the image-based guidance in self service.

Read the full case study!

European Tax Organization

The European Tax Organization handles a large amount of government transactions. They implemented a virtual assistant for self-serving customers to become more digitally advanced and encourage the use of digital channels. A year after implementation, the virtual assistant had:

Handled 257,000 interactions
Helped reduce paper consumption by 21% along with other channels such as integrated chat. This was a tremendous saving when considering that print costs previously ran to €96 million.

There’s more in this 10-minute video.

The Next Generation of Customer Self service

Customer self service has transformed with advanced knowledge management systems. These platforms combine enterprise search, AI assistance, and content management into one solution. By using intelligent knowledge tools, businesses can improve customer service and meet regulatory requirements.

Modern knowledge platforms help organizations improve customer satisfaction. They guide user searches, support intelligent conversations, improve decision-making, and power virtual assistants. The primary goal is to provide customers and employees with quick, accurate information.

eGain offers an “Innovation in 30 days” program that provides companies with a risk-free way to try out the eGain AI Knowledge Management Hub. This no-cost pilot lets businesses explore AI-driven solutions and upgrade their approach to customer interactions.