The document discusses shifting customer service interactions to lower-cost channels through a "shift left" model. It outlines common support options from lowest to highest cost, and suggests analyzing the cost and likelihood of success for different contact reasons across channels. While cost is a factor, value also matters - factors like retention, customer satisfaction, upsell opportunities, and failure costs should be considered. The conclusion recommends clearly defining contact drivers, measuring success and utilization, shifting high-volume issues left without harming quality, using high-touch channels when failure costs are high, and coordinating channels to improve outcomes. Questions are provided to guide this analysis.

1. Shifting the Cost of Service

2. Common Support Options
Many companies offer a combination of the following resources.
• Issue avoidance
• Product/software update
• Self-Help
• Social Media
• Community Forum
• Chat
• Email
• Phone
• Video Conference
• In-Person
• Field Service / Engineering Engagement / Concession

3. Shift Left Model
The shift left model helps you analyze the cost of
having an interaction at each support type and
determine which contact reasons to “shift left.”
Self Help (Online
Banking)
Self Help
(ATM)
Remote Support
(Contact Center)
On Site Retail Support
(Live Teller)
On Site Retail Support
(Retail Banker)
Types of Transactions:
• Cash Withdrawal
• Resolve a billing charge question

4. Determining Value
It is important that you think about the value of
an interaction, not just the cost.
• Impact on retention
• Impact on CSAT/NPS
• Opportunity for upsell
• Potential PR cost
• Impact on Success Rate

5. Conclusion
• Prerequisite: You must be able to clearly define
contact drivers, and consistently measure success
and utilization for each support channel.
• Can you shift the highest-volume issues left
without sacrificing quality?
• Can you identify use cases where the cost of
failure is so high that high-touch channels are
appropriate?
• Can you identify situations where coordination of
multiple channels can improve outcomes?

6. Shift Left Worksheet
Lowest Cost
Channel
Highest Cost
Channel
Use Case /
Call Driver
Volume
Likelihood
of Success
Cost of (or
Benefit
from)
Success
Cost of
Failure
It is important that you think about the value
of an interaction, not just the cost.
• Impact on retention
• Impact on CSAT/NPS
• Opportunity for upsell
• Potential PR cost
• Impact on Success Rate
Questions to ask yourself:
1. Can you shift the highest-volume issues left without sacrificing
quality?
2. Can you identify use cases where the cost of failure is so high that
high-touch channels are appropriate?
3. Can you identify situations where coordination of multiple
channels can improve outcomes?

7. Discussion Questions
What are your least and most expensive
channels?
What are your highest volume issues and which
channels do they go through?
What’s an example of a contact type that you
have or thought of shifting left?
What’s an example of one something you
shifted left that was not as successful?