Self-service is the latest trend in customer service. Customer service is no more limited to answering customer queries through emails or phone calls. Customers today, long for instant solutions which are not possible through the traditional methods of customer service. So, that's where self-service comes into play. Self-service is all about providing the customers with the necessary tools that they'll require in solving their queries. It is a sure shot way of ensuring customer satisfaction, boosted sales and strengthened long-term customer relationships. This does not end here, read on to know what all it can do for your business:

Reduces costs:

Enabling a self-service portal eliminates the need for a large team of trained agents to attend the customers. They simply need a bit of maintenance once they've been established. Thus, a company can provide an exceptional customer service even with a smaller team if it makes use of self-service.

Increases agent efficiency:

Since a self-service portal eliminates the need for larger support teams, so, the support agents can actually invest the saved time and energy in helping the customers who have more advanced needs. Customers can get repetitive kind of questions resolved in the initial stages and that too, all by themselves. This further enables the agents to pay attention to more crucial customer requirements, hence increasing agent productivity.

Easy to use:

Self-service portals are easy to use. They are user-friendly as the customers do not have to wait for an agent to get their queries resolved. They can actually search through the FAQ pages and provided information to at their own pace.

Educates the customers:

Companies can offer self-service through how-to videos and step-by-step guides with diagrams and pictures so as to make it easy for the customers to solve their problems. So, it not only helps in resolving customer queries in real time but also educates the customers about the products and services they are interested in.

Easily accessible:

The greatest benefit provided by these portals is an easy access. They are accessible at any time and give customers the ability to engage with support as per their convenience.

Owing to all these benefits, self-service is undoubtedly the future of customer service!

Source : http://www.livechatagent.com/self-service-future-customer-service/