Digital self-service: how to develop the customer journey?

In a market where customer experience is the primary driver of business success and prosperity, investing in digital self-service can be a significant competitive differentiator for your company. After all, in addition to providing greater convenience and practicality for all parties involved, it will enhance the efficiency of this journey, as well as buyer satisfaction and loyalty – benefits that directly depend on a careful balance of several factors to achieve this purpose.

Although no technology can fully replace human work, it is a fact that there are certain tasks many of us prefer to carry out on our own, in a faster and more automated manner. As proof of this, Salesforce data shows that 81% of customers prefer to resolve issues on their own before contacting a representative. Furthermore, 73% feel more confident in addressing their needs with this option, according to another study by Forrester Research.

There is no shortage of reasons to justify such a preference, ranging from greater speed and effectiveness in service – without the need to wait in queues or for an available agent – to 24/7 availability, a factor that increases customer satisfaction and convenience. This is without even mentioning the reduction in operational expenses related to required human intervention.

Even though it may seem extremely sophisticated in technological terms, its scalability is also a favorable point worth highlighting, as any business entity, regardless of its size or industry, has the possibility to embark on digital self-service. After all, even for those that do not have significant resources to invest in this technology, there are simpler and more economical alternatives that can be pursued first, expanding investments into more sophisticated systems as operations grow and adherence to the model is validated.

This breadth of options even includes the possibilities of tools that can ensure digital self-service internally. Various technologies are capable of providing advantages to digital self-service, such as voice and chatbots, which, through AI, emulate human dialogues and can be integrated into various channels, from telephony (active or receptive) to websites, mobile applications, platforms, or messaging channels, answering common questions, assisting with user navigation, or even performing automated transactions such as sales, appointment confirmations/rescheduling, plan renewals/subscriptions, and even negotiating outstanding debts.

Still within this resource, we can highlight generative AI, a technology that is constantly evolving and aims to offer the ability to autonomously create various types of content, such as texts, images, and videos. In the context of digital self-service, it can be used to produce more complex and personalized responses, making interactions with customers smoother and more natural.

There are also the famous service kiosks, which allow customers to perform transactions and request information without the need for human interaction, as well as mobile applications themselves, which are powerful tools that enable customers to access services, make purchases, and interact with the company in an agile and practical manner, directly from their devices. All these options are truly powerful for revolutionizing customer service satisfaction and ROI, but they must be carefully implemented considering certain points of attention.

For your company to successfully invest in digital self-service and achieve excellent results, certain precautions must be taken when incorporating the chosen technological resource.

An important tip is to ensure that the solution is developed in a customized manner, so that it serves users with responses contextualized to their needs and with maximum accuracy – thus avoiding generic messages that could cause dissatisfaction in their experience. Adjust responses, conversation flows, and functionalities based on customer feedback and performance data.

The solution will also need to be integrated with the company's other internal systems, ensuring that the tool's content is constantly updated and relevant, while prioritizing maximum transparency regarding its capabilities and limitations. This, without forgetting to implement real-time monitoring mechanisms to prevent errors and ensure timely and precise adjustments.

Another important tip that will contribute to the good performance of digital self-service is to conduct frequent tests to identify potential failures and opportunities for improvement. All of this should be supported by an omnichannel support system, which will ensure the effectiveness of digital self-service solutions, guarantee consistency in the responses provided, maximize resolution power, and ensure a positive customer experience.

There is no doubt about the benefits that companies and customers themselves will gain from this strategy, and if your business has not yet embraced this trend, know that you are missing a huge opportunity to leverage a more optimized, effective, and secure solution to enhance your customer's satisfaction and experience throughout the purchase journey.