Web Self-Service: The Cornerstone of Multi-Channel Customer Experience Management.

1. IR Knowl E dgE S ERIES
Web Self-Service:
The Cornerstone of Multi-Channel
Customer Experience Management
A Blueprint for Enhancing
Multi-Channel Engagement
In today’s highly competitive economic climate,
there is no margin for error when it comes to
attracting and retaining customers.
Businesses must now offer more channels
of communication, more customer options,
and faster responses than ever before.

2. Web Self-Service: 1
The Cornerstone of Multi-Channel Customer Experience Management
A Blueprint for Enhancing Multi-Channel Engagement
This knowledge paper examines and explores
the key elements that will allow organizations
of all types to continue to evolve their
approach to addressing the questions and
concerns of an evolving and increasingly
web-centric customer base. Perhaps now more
than ever, one of the best ways to differentiate The Web as the Lynchpin of a Multi-Channel
your organization in the competitive landscape is Customer Experience
through exceptional customer service, beginning To say that the web has become an important
with your online properties, and extending out to tool for customer interaction would be more
include assisted channels, mobile and new media as than just a “minor” understatement. According to
part of a next generation, multi-channel approach recent market studies, over 90% of all consumer
to managing the customer experience. purchasing decisions begin onlinei and 83% of
consumers indicate that their primary source for
Whether the journey begins on a smartphone, non-technical service information is company web
via a new social media channel, directly on your sites.ii Figure 1 below itemizes the top reasons why
corporate web site, or via a direct call to your customers are leaving web sites – four of the top
contact center, best practices demand speed, five reasons for abandoning a site relate to
consistency and a truly uniformed approach to “couldn’t find information”!
managing customer interaction.
Figure 1
Why Visitors Leave Sites Prematurely - Poor Site Design and Service Flaws
I was convinced the info I sought wasn’t available on the site 28%
I just didn’t care to look on the site anymore 28%
I had difficulty navigating the web site 27%
I couldn’t find contact info for the appropriate person(s) at the company 20%
There was just too much content for me to review,
just to find what I was looking for 19%
I was interrupted by some one/thing unrelated to the web site 16%
I have never left a site without first finding the information I was seeking 13%
I couldn’t reach a customer service representative
over email/text chat to answer my question 12%
The number of site search results I found were too overwhelming 11%
I wanted to visit the web site of another company 10%
other 2%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Percentage of Site Visitors
Source: Jupiter Research, 2008

3. Web Self-Service: 2
The Cornerstone of Multi-Channel Customer Experience Management
A Blueprint for Enhancing Multi-Channel Engagement
While the web may be usurping their place as
the universal first point of customer contact,
• Over 90% of all consumer agents remain on the front lines of the battle for
customer acquisition, satisfaction and loyalty. 85%
purchasing decisions begin of respondents in a recent study from Purdue
online University indicated that consumers formulate
their opinion of a company and its brand by the
• 83% of customers use contact center and the agent.
company web sites for
And so, the untold costs of an uninformed contact
service info center are expansive. In this same study from
Purdue, 63% of consumers said that they would
• 4 out of top 5 reasons for
become disloyal because of a bad experience with a
abandoning a site relate to contact center agent.iv
“Couldn’t Find Information”
“Just Good Business Practice”
For most businesses, increasing customer satisfaction
both online and through the contact center is
Chances are your customers would prefer to find just good business. Not only do such solutions
the answers to their questions online – the most and strategies promote a seamless, multi-channel
cost effective communication medium – without experience for the customer, they also provide the
ever having to engage in long conversations with business with the ability to improve both overall
your customer service staff. loyalty and bottom line savings by moving customers
to the most cost effective service channel.
Forrester Research notes in a 2009 customer
service report that “customers want nothing more Increasingly, company web sites of all types are
than to faithfully purchase from a company that having a substantive impact on the overall success
delights them time after time” and that “customer of the entire organization. Businesses can and
service (i.e. the contact center and eService) should strive to differentiate themselves on service
provides the most direct and influential contact that, more often than not, involves the web at some
with customers.”iii And with the web site factoring point during any sales or service engagement, and
so critically as the likely first point of contact – effectively create a “closed loop” information cycle
this highlights the importance of addressing your that covers both assisted and self-service channels
web properties within the overall multi-channel that may or may not be online. Overall, it remains
customer experience. critical that the experience be productive and be in
line with customer expectations.
What Role do Contact Centers Play? Satisfied customers are more profitable, more
In this competitive market, customer attrition loyal, and more likely to engage in positive word
is not only due to the increasing usage of the of mouth, and if they increase their use of the web
Internet to shop for products and services and site for informational and transactional service,
access information. Another significant factor of cost savings increase through the value of right-
customer loss can be attributed to poor contact channeling. Figures 2 and 3 (next page) illustrate
center customer service. In most cases, a sub-par the positive correlation that exists across a wide
experience at the contact center can be directly spectrum of industries between good customer
attributed to one of two major issues: experience and purchasing behavior and
customer loyalty.
i. Cumbersome technology resulting in
frustration (for both the customer and agent)
ii. An inability on the part of the agent to provide
concise, accurate information to customer
queries

4. Web Self-Service: 3
The Cornerstone of Multi-Channel Customer Experience Management
A Blueprint for Enhancing Multi-Channel Engagement
Figure 2
Consumers with Good Experiences Consider Purchasing More
Correlation between high customer experience index
and willingness to buy another purchase from provider
Banks 0.72
Cell phone service providers 0.69
TV service providers 0.68
Internet service providers 0.67
Insurance firms 0.67
Credit card providers 0.67
Retailers 0.66
Investment firms 0.64
Medical insurance providers 0.61
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
degree of correlation: low Medium High
Figure 3
Consumers with Good Experiences Don’t Switch Providers
Correlation between high customer experience index
and reluctance to switch business away from provider
Banks 0.5
Credit card providers 0.48
Cell phone service providers 0.47
Insurance firms 0.46
TV service providers 0.46
Internet service providers 0.46
Retailers 0.41
Investment firms 0.34
Medical insurance providers 0.31
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
degree of correlation: low Medium High
Source: North American Technographics Customer Experience
Online Survey, 2007

5. Web Self-Service: 4
The Cornerstone of Multi-Channel Customer Experience Management
A Blueprint for Enhancing Multi-Channel Engagement
With Opportunity comes Challenge: online, the Status Quo
the Multi-Channel Reality
The picture is not all rosy however. As more does not Suffice
and more transactions, sales and service
interactions continue to involve the Internet, your Damaging Effects of POOR SITE DESIGN
organization’s opportunity to influence customer Although the online growth trends for businesses
perceptions about brand, net promoter score, continue to trend upward, and multi-channel
loyalty and advocacy increasingly begins online. customer experience has taken on a new meaning
The new reality now demands that organizations in recent years, many web sites are not designed
of all types provide rapid, concise information to with a clear customer focused approach and as a
customers across a variety of self-service and assisted result struggle with navigational elements, layout,
channels, and this can be a daunting mandate. content that reads as collateral, site depth and
complexity, static FAQ’s, and the ubiquitous site
Businesses need to embrace online customer search that returns numerous links. In addition,
experience management, and adopt new and many businesses offer a ‘disjointed’ customer
innovative ways to manage the customer experience experience across assisted and self-serve channels,
in the emerging multi-channel environment. with information flow in the contact center often
With the web as a new channel, businesses will lacking continuity to web interaction.
be able to gain new insight into customer value.
They will be able to leverage this information by A recent Jupiter Consulting survey revealed that
tapping into the unique insights that are sometimes 54% of consumers visiting a web site came looking
only available via online interactions. This type for product and/or service information. Once on
of web to multi-channel customer experience the site, a third of customers had a difficult time
strategy is now readily found in many high touch finding the information they were looking for, and
customer markets, including financial services, the top three reasons that customers leave sites
telecommunications and utilities. early are directly linked to poor site design and
service flaws (see Figure 4 next page).
Site Search and FAQ’s Prove Inadequate
Many businesses are not able Most corporate search platforms often do little
to help the situation. Approximately 63% of
to provide a truly consistent
consumers continue to be frustrated with web
experience across multiple site search because it cannot understand the real
question and 57% believe search results are not
channels during any given related to their specific topic of interest.v As most
inquiry process. of us know from experience, web site users who
utilize search often have to hunt and peck through
large numbers of possible links to find answers
buried somewhere in the detailed content of
That said, many company web sites are not search results.
designed using a customer centric process and as
a consequence users cannot find relevant content Static FAQ systems, the other pervasive alternative,
and information quickly. In addition, many only deal with a subset of questions and require
businesses are not able to provide a truly consistent visitors to “find a question”. Many self-service
experience across multiple channels during any solutions today lack relevance, speed and accuracy.
given inquiry process. For example, providing Research indicates that approximately 47% of
customers with the ability to seamlessly transition customers are looking for a faster navigation path
between online and offline (self-service and assisted and 33% want a tool to provide a single accurate
channels) is often non-existent. The resulting response or advanced FAQ (see Figure 5 next page).
frustration causes consumers to either leave and go
to a competitor’s web site or re-connect in a more
expensive channel – such as email, phone or in
person for example.

6. Web Self-Service: 5
The Cornerstone of Multi-Channel Customer Experience Management
A Blueprint for Enhancing Multi-Channel Engagement
Figure 4
Site Visitor Frustration Can Lead to Devastating Results:
Lost Sales and/or Tarnished Brands
leave the website and go to a competitive website 45%
Be less likely to visit the site again 45%
Be less likely to buy from them online 40%
leave the website and give up 24%
Contact customer service via e-mail 24% Site visitors are
more likely to opt for
Have a more negative overall perception of the company 21% an alternative site
Contact customer service via phone regarding my experience 18% than bother to contact
Be less likely to buy from them offline 18% customer service.
Tell others about my negative experience 16%
I have never been dissatisfied 4%
Question: If you find yourself dissatisfied with your ability to find the 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
necessary information you sought when first arriving on a website or a
specific product/service page, which of the following are you likely to do?
Percentage of Site Visitors
(Select all that apply) Select responses shown.
Figure 5
Effective Navigation Tools Resonate with Site Visitors
Ability to easily navigate from home page and find what I seek 47%
The ability to send an e-mail to customer service 36%
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) web page 33%
Question box that enables you to enter a question
and get a single, accurate answer 33%
Search tool that offers a list of search results 30%
Text-based online chat 13%
Call back option, where I enter my information 47% of customers are
and phone number and customer service calls me back 13% looking for a faster
navigation path
A link to information About US that is easily found 12%
and 33% want a tool
none of these would be helpful 8% to provide a single
The ability to make a phone call to the company via my PC, cllicking a accurate response or
button and talking through my computer’s microphone (VoIP) 5% advanced FAQ.
other 2%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Percentage of Site Visitors
Source: Jupiter Research (6/2008)

7. Web Self-Service: 6
The Cornerstone of Multi-Channel Customer Experience Management
A Blueprint for Enhancing Multi-Channel Engagement
Your Customers are Goal Oriented 3. ASK: Relates to customers seeking assistance to
Customers come to interact with your business web correct or rectify a customer service problem – often
sites and service agents armed with a goal in mind, caused by a failure to meet customer needs and
and usually they have a specific context associated expectations in the DO and BUY categories.
to their visit or inquiry. We can group these key Example: ASK (Goal Oriented) - a customer has
objectives into three major categories: DO, BUY a dispute with the timing of a bill payment
or ASK. The definition and an example of each of made online. A customer may have the
these three categories are as follows: following ways of asking the same question:
1. DO: Involves the desire to perform a task that leads • Can I report a bill payment problem online?
to the customer engaging in an assisted or self-service • How do I report a bill payment issue?
transaction online or started online and concluded in • How do I correct a billing error?
another channel.
• What action should I take to correct a
Example: DO (Goal Oriented) – when a customer
payment problem online?
wants to expand their cable service coverage
with a provider. During this process a customer
The DO, BUY and ASK goal categories help us
may have a simple question which can be
understand that there is a solid link between
phrased in numerous different ways:
customer intention and customer action,
often in the form of a question or search
• How do I expand my cable service coverage to
for information. More importantly we learn
cover Internet?
that while there is often only one common
• Can I also get Internet service through you? destination or piece of information that will
• Do you provide Internet service plans? allow customers to achieve their goal, they
• Who do I contact to extend my service often travel down a number of disparate
coverage? paths to get there.
2. BUY: Involves any task related to the intended
and/or final purchase of a product or service – this
may start and conclude online or in another
channel, and often requires multiple channels to
complete the process.
Example: BUY (Goal Oriented) – when a customer
wants to purchase travel insurance for an
upcoming vacation outside the country.
During this process the customer may have a
question which can be stated in many ways,
for example:
• How do I purchase travel insurance?
• Can I purchase insurance for travel?
• What do I need to buy travel insurance?
• Where can I buy travel insurance?

8. Web Self-Service: 7
The Cornerstone of Multi-Channel Customer Experience Management
A Blueprint for Enhancing Multi-Channel Engagement
The Expanding
Interaction Ecosystem
Assisted and Self-Service Figure 6
There is a lot of confusion surrounding the key Customer Interaction Ecosystem
channels and interaction points that can most
effectively influence the customer experience. Self-Service Assisted Service
For many businesses, both the web and the contact
center must now deploy a variety of strategies and Internet Contact Center
technologies in order to service their multi-channel • Search • Agents
customer base. Defining the key elements of an • Contact Us / Ask Us • Email
effective customer interaction ecosystem will help • FAQ • Click-to-chat
• Virtual Assistant • Click-to-talk
bring some clarity to the situation. • Instant Answers Cross • Collaborative browsing
• Help Channel • Lead Generation
Most customer interaction platforms (see Figure 6) • Web Content • Call Center Platform
require the capability to manage customer queries • Databases • Enterprise Platform
• Secure site • CRM Platform
across two primary sub-categories:
• Applications, Tools • Virtual Assistant
and Calculators • Instant Answers
1. Assisted Service – Assisted service provides
or enables human interaction with customers via
phone or face-to-face interaction as well as the Intranet
Internet (email, chat or click-to-call). This type • Search
of service is generally best suited to the sort of • Ask Us
complex, multi-faceted interaction that can • FAQ
• Virtual Assistant Support
best be executed by trained customer • Instant Answers
interaction personnel. • Help
• Content
2. Self-Service – Self-service solutions offer • Databases
support via electronic means and allow customers
to access information quickly, or perform simple
transactions, often over the Internet. Self-service
solutions can include status quo offerings such as site
search or FAQ’s, or next generation solutions such
as virtual assistants or instant answer agents.
Part of the role of self-service is to transition qualified
sales and service leads to the most appropriate
assisted-service channels. It is worth noting that
employees and call center agents also have self-service
needs that function within the contact center,
branch platforms or Intranet.

9. Web Self-Service: 8
The Cornerstone of Multi-Channel Customer Experience Management
A Blueprint for Enhancing Multi-Channel Engagement
The Right Channel –
The Right Time
Customers want the option to be able to transition The Road toward Next Generation
easily from self-service to human assistance (via email, Customer Experience Capabilities
click-to-chat, click-to-call, etc.) to get help and advice Today’s leading businesses with multi-channel
for more complex products, services and transactions. customer service structures should deploy both
Ideally, this should and can be accomplished in a the technology and the customer engagement
single session with no loss of context or information. processes to allow them to:
For the business’ service channel management, the
goal is seamless cross-channel information delivery. • Identify the customer goal
For the customers, this translates into a positive Actively and intelligently determine the
customer experience. customer goal by engaging them online
(increasingly regarded as the seminal first
point of customer interaction)
A positive cross-channel • Equip the customer with access to quick,
experience can substantially consistent informationn
Provide customers with an effective solution
increase First Contact so that they may self-serve
Resolution rates • Connect the customer to service channels
Provide a natural and consistent cross-channel
escalation at the correct point in time relative
A positive cross-channel experience increases to the product or service complexity
the ability to achieve first contact resolution.
Understanding early stage web activity, customer • Provide consistent answers
queries or online information requests can allow Offer consistent information and overall
businesses to segment customers and move those experience throughout the interaction,
identified as key prospective customers to a across multiple touch-points and interaction
seamless cross-channel experience to complete platforms, including emerging channels such
the sales or service interaction that much quicker. as mobile text messaging and new social media
channels such as Twitter and Facebook
Multi-channel businesses must address their
customers’ needs as they progress through their
journey towards achieving their goals. Best practices
demand that businesses be equipped to manage the
customer experience via the preferred channel of
the customer – whether it’s online via self-service,
online via assisted service, or offline through a
phone or in person.
For some businesses, this process can be hindered by
silos of informational hierarchies – with marketing
owning the web site, contact center owning many
of the customer interactions and with neither
communicating effectively with the other. Or, silos
may exist with technology systems – each group has
all the information but getting the information out to
the customer is the roadblock.

10. Web Self-Service: 9
The Cornerstone of Multi-Channel Customer Experience Management
A Blueprint for Enhancing Multi-Channel Engagement
6 Things You Can do now
1. Add Intelligent Self-Service Options 4. Test and Test Again!
If you haven’t already, look towards adding “Test” your new technologies and processes with
intelligent self-service options such as a virtual customers directly to confirm that they are “valued”
assistant to your web site or mobile platform. by the customers that use them.
These technologies are quickly becoming a key
component of the multi-channel customer 5. Right-Channeling
experience, and provide a number of strong Make sure you are channeling customers into the
benefits, including: right information funnel through intelligent
• Making it easy and convenient for customers escalation. For example, it may make more sense
to get the right answer to many of their to push certain inquiries to self-service, while
questions the first time, thereby increasing “triaging” high value or high issue customers to
first contact resolution assisted channels.
• Allowing customers to type their question and
get an immediate answer, with a high degree 6. Make Your Phone # Accessible
of accuracy The phone is not obsolete. Some customers will
come to your web site with the sole purpose of
• Allowing service agents to access the same
finding a phone number they can use to contact
knowledge base and capabilities above
you with – make sure that number is available
• Lowering your cost of interaction by to them. For example, large businesses with many
reducing call and email volume, increasing divisions should create self-service answers for
contact center efficiency and improving the customers seeking a phone number. A question
effectiveness of online channels like “How do I contact your help line in New York?”
• Improving key metrics such as net promoter could provide the number for the New York contact
(CEI/CSI) score, brand and customer loyalty – center rather than the global support line or the
while reducing re-connect costs and increasing number for head office.
sales/transactions
2. Overcome Silos of Information Bottlenecks
Strive to overcome silos of information “bottlenecks”
so that information about the customer and status
of their inquiry is shared across different channels.
For example, a call center operator should not
need to ask the same questions that have already
been answered online.
3. Include Customer Feedback (VoC Program)
Incorporate customer feedback opportunities
at each touch point, including online and via
assisted channels. Ensure that your web site’s
self-service answers improve and build over time
to become the self-service channel of choice for
more users. Not only is self-service important
for customer service improvement, but tapping
into self-service analytics as a keystone for a
voice-of-the-customer (VoC) program allows
for continuous improvement of the customer
experience based on customer feedback.

11. Web Self-Service:
The Cornerstone of Multi-Channel Customer Experience Management
A Blueprint for Enhancing Multi-Channel Engagement
For More Information
For more information on cost effective ways to enhance
the customer experience at your organization contact:
Mike Hennessy
IntelliResponse
mike.hennessy@intelliresponse.com
About IntelliResponse
IntelliResponse enhances the multi-channel customer experience for
businesses and educational institutions via its Instant Answer Agent, a
question-and-answer software platform that allows web site visitors and
service agents to ask questions in natural language, and get the “One Right
Answer”, regardless of the hundreds of ways the question may be asked.
This industry leading On Demand software platform is used by both
consumers and contact center agents. With more than 200 live, customer-
facing implementations answering 50 million+ questions with one right
answer, IntelliResponse is the gold standard in first line
customer experience management.
Some of the world’s most recognized corporate brands and higher
education institutions trust their customer experience management needs
to IntelliResponse - including ING Direct, TD Canada Trust, Scotiabank,
Penn State University, The Ohio State University, University of British
Columbia and Harvard University Extension School.
i
Forrester Research – Avenue A Razorfish, 2008
ii
Influencing the Online Experience –
Service Excellence Research Group, 2008
iii
Forrester Research, Customer Service Innovation Framework
and Self Assessment Report, 2009
iv
Forrester Research, Customer Service Innovation Framework
and Self Assessment Report, 2009
v
Jupiter Research, 2008
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