Improving the Customer Experience
White Paper Summary
Through Self-Service
Improving the Customer Experience Through Self-Service
Somewhat taken for granted in the past, service and support are becoming an increasingly important part of the
overall customer experience, and can be a key differentiator in the expansion or contraction of a company’s cli-
ent base. At the same time, with customers increasingly relying on web-based information sources, demand for
self-service is increasing. Using enterprise search solutions, companies can improve the customer experience,
reduce overhead and expenses, and provide clients and customer service representatives with rapid self-service
access to comprehensive product and service information.
Self-Service
In today’s economy, companies are looking to manage more efficiently and cut expenses in virtually all areas –
in other words, do more with less. One area of difficulty is managing expenses while continuing to provide high
quality support and responding to the needs of customers, as less service results in decreased levels of custom-
er satisfaction, leading to customer churn and ultimately, diminished brand value.
By providing a strong self-service platform, made up from a comprehensive knowledge base and an enterprise
search solution, product and service information can be located in less time, which increases customer satisfac-
tion, while companies are able to reduce costs by increasing the first-call resolution rating and decreasing the
deflection of support inquiries to more expensive channels, such as phone and email.
Self-Service for Contact Center Employees
Throughout most industries, customer loyalty serves as a driver for sustainable profit growth, as existing clients
entail no acquisition costs and are the most likely source for future sales. Using enterprise search solutions as a
self-service tool for contact center employees, companies are able to better retain clients by ensuring their satis-
faction, not only in the products or services they deliver, but also through delivering optimal customer service.
Enterprise search solutions provide CSRs with rapid access to comprehensive information, which decreases the
time needed to respond to a customer and resolve their issue, while ensuring the completeness of the resolution.
With an enterprise search solution, call times are reduced, which drives down operating costs, while metrics such
as first-call resolution improve.
Self-Service for Customers
When a customer encounters a problem with a product or service, rapid resolution is often required to ensure
customer satisfaction. Self-service empowers customers by providing them the means to discover the information
they need in the shortest timeframe, whether it is for making a purchase or resolving an issue, without the over-
head of waiting for or involving a contact center representative.
With an enterprise search solution, customers can access the information they need 24 hours a day, at a time
convenient for them, regardless of whether or not the help desk is open. This quick, flexible access allows cus-
tomers to be more productive as the “wait time” to obtain required information is virtually eliminated.
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