Do Customers Really Prefer Self-Service? [Infographic]

According to new research commissioned by cloud software provider Zendesk, customer-facing self-service technologies are all the rage. This infographic explains how more and more consumers are ditching call centres in favour of servicing themselves. After all, who needs the human touch when your hands can get the job done by themselves? (We mean on a keyboard, you grots.)

Self-service picture from Shutterstock

“Consumers want customer service on their own terms, and they expect to find immediate answers online,” explained Adrian McDermott, Zendesk’s senior vice president of product development.

According to the company’s survey findings, four times as many customers seek answers for themselves through self-service options than submit a request to a company for support. Similarly, two out of three consumers said they preferred finding their own answers over interacting with customer service representatives.

Not coincidentally, Zendesk is launching a self-service knowledge portal dubbed ‘Help Centre’ which businesses can use to indirectly connect with and assist customers.

“The new Help Centre makes self-service a first-class experience, both for companies customising it for their needs and for their customers seeking relevant content,” McDermott boasted. You can find out more about Zendesk’s Help Centre at the company’s website.

We think it’s worth pointing out that a customer’s desire for self-service usually has more to do with the company’s slipshod service and lengthy waiting times than a genuine desire to solve the issue unassisted. We’d recommend that companies work on those areas before trying to compete with Google Search.

Here’s the infographic of Zendesk’s findings: