This is the final post in a 4-part series.
Self-service websites and mobile support are nothing new. Neither are forums, or communities, where customers answer each other’s questions. They’re all an important part of any support offering and have become the preferred way for an ever-increasing number of people to find answers to their support questions. This shift from phone support to digital support channels is even more prevalent among the younger generation of Millennials and Gen Z.
RightAnswers raises the bar in customer support communities by introducing several innovations:
1. Combining web/mobile self-service and the customer community
Many companies have one site for self-service and another for their online forums/communities.
To give a really great customer experience, offer a unified self-service experience that returns all related knowledge articles and community discussions when people search, browse and post discussions. This gives self-service users the best of both worlds in one consistent user experience.
2. Democratizing knowledge creation so support agents can do their job better
Combining communities with traditional self-service not only helps customers find answers but also helps your support agents. You can crowdsource and democratize the continued evolution of your knowledge base by turning accepted community answers into knowledge articles. Your support agents can verify the articles and use them when customers call.
And by making community discussions searchable from the support agents’ system, they can find the best answer regardless of whether it comes from the knowledge base or the community.
3. Making escalations a seamless experience
Not all customers will find what they are looking for on their own and may need to open a ticket. RightAnswers passes along, within the ticket, previous searches, viewed solutions and posted community questions. Giving the support agent the customer’s entire search history leads to faster issue resolution and is an effortless experience for the customer.
Key to a great customer experience: An integrated approach
When all your support channels – such as web self-service, communities, chat, agent-assisted support, etc. – are interconnected and searchable, your customers and agents will more quickly find the right answers and resolve their issues.
Read the other blog posts in this series:
- Part One: Customers Prefer to Find the Answers Themselves
- Part Two: The Next Frontier in Self-Service: Peer-to-Peer Support Communities
- Part Three: 5 Pitfalls to Avoid When Creating a Customer Support Community
Author: Peter Chmiel