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 bringing greater convenience and practicality for all parties involved, it will enhance the efficiency of this journey, as well as buyer satisfaction and loyalty – benefits which 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 that many of us prefer to conduct independently, in a faster and more automated way. As proof of this, Salesforce data shows that 81% of customers prefer to solve problems 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 justifying 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 not to mention 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 that deserves emphasis, as any business entity, regardless of its size or industry, has the possibility to embark on the digital self-service endeavor. 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 targeted first, increasing investments in more sophisticated systems as operations grow and adherence to the model is validated.

This breadth of options even encompasses the possibilities of tools capable of ensuring digital self-service internally. Various technologies have the capacity to provide advantages to digital self-service, such as the voice and chatbots, which, through AI, emulate human dialogues and can be integrated from telephony channels (active or receptive), such as websites, mobile applications, platforms, or messaging channels, answering common questions, assisting user navigation, or even performing transactions automatically, such as sales, appointment confirmations/rescheduling, plan renewal/subscription, and even open debt negotiation.

Still within this feature, 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. Within the scope of digital self-service, it can be employed in producing more complex and personalized responses, making interactions with customers more fluid and natural.

There are also the famous service kiosks, which allow customers to perform transactions and request information without the need for human interaction, in addition to the mobile applications themselves, these being powerful tools that enable customers to access services, make purchases, and interact with the company in an agile and practical way, directly on their devices. All options are truly powerful for revolutionizing customer service satisfaction and ROI, but they need to 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 the 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, prioritizing maximum transparency regarding its capabilities and limitations. This, without forgetting to implement real-time monitoring mechanisms, avoiding mistakes and ensuring precise adjustments in a timely manner.

Another important tip that will contribute to the good performance of digital self-service is to apply frequent tests to identify potential failures and opportunities for improvement. All of this, backed by omnichannel support, which is what will ensure the effectiveness of digital self-service solutions, guaranteeing uniformity in the responses provided, maximizing resolution power, and ensuring a positive customer experience.

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