Comments on: Physical Self-Service http://www.serviceuntitled.com/physical-self-service/2008/04/01/ The blog about customer service and the customer service experience. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:35:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Service Untitled http://www.serviceuntitled.com/physical-self-service/2008/04/01/comment-page-1/#comment-529578 Service Untitled Sun, 06 Apr 2008 05:24:17 +0000 http://www.serviceuntitled.com/physical-self-service/2008/03/29/#comment-529578 Benjamin, I agree. One of the conditions of self-service should be that companies always make human, live help available. It isn't good to have just self-service when some customers may want (or need) help from a human. Benjamin,

I agree. One of the conditions of self-service should be that companies always make human, live help available. It isn’t good to have just self-service when some customers may want (or need) help from a human.

]]> By: Benjamin Myhre http://www.serviceuntitled.com/physical-self-service/2008/04/01/comment-page-1/#comment-522715 Benjamin Myhre Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:45:18 +0000 http://www.serviceuntitled.com/physical-self-service/2008/03/29/#comment-522715 I have noticed a trend in forced self services. Companies like WalMart and You Tube provide extensive online help, but make it so difficult to find a support email or support phone number that it feels almost like anti-customer service. I understand that it is an effort to save money, but unfortunately its frustrating and tears down the brands. I have noticed a trend in forced self services. Companies like WalMart and You Tube provide extensive online help, but make it so difficult to find a support email or support phone number that it feels almost like anti-customer service. I understand that it is an effort to save money, but unfortunately its frustrating and tears down the brands.

]]> By: Service Untitled » The Tools You Need - customer service and customer service experience blog http://www.serviceuntitled.com/physical-self-service/2008/04/01/comment-page-1/#comment-522668 Service Untitled » The Tools You Need - customer service and customer service experience blog Thu, 03 Apr 2008 02:00:15 +0000 http://www.serviceuntitled.com/physical-self-service/2008/03/29/#comment-522668 [...] I talk about tools occasionally, but not enough. Just like self-service, tools are becoming more and more important to great customer service. As the products and the solutions to inevitable problems with those products become more and more complicated, customer service will get more and more complicated. As a result of that, customer service representatives will start to need more and more powerful (not necessarily complicated) tools. Companies will obviously have to invest time and money into purchasing or developing these tools. And when companies have to invest time and money into getting something, they start to what is actually necessary versus what is completely superfluous. It’s important to look at the value of tools beyond their actual development or acquisition costs, though. If your company is a large company with 500 people providing service on a daily basis, spending $100,000 on developing an internal tool probably isn’t a huge deal. However, if that tools disrupts the flow of the service process, requires a lot of new training, etc., the costs will start to pileup elsewhere and in other forms. Tools are rarely a one time expense - they are almost always a recurring expense. [...] [...] I talk about tools occasionally, but not enough. Just like self-service, tools are becoming more and more important to great customer service. As the products and the solutions to inevitable problems with those products become more and more complicated, customer service will get more and more complicated. As a result of that, customer service representatives will start to need more and more powerful (not necessarily complicated) tools. Companies will obviously have to invest time and money into purchasing or developing these tools. And when companies have to invest time and money into getting something, they start to what is actually necessary versus what is completely superfluous. It’s important to look at the value of tools beyond their actual development or acquisition costs, though. If your company is a large company with 500 people providing service on a daily basis, spending $100,000 on developing an internal tool probably isn’t a huge deal. However, if that tools disrupts the flow of the service process, requires a lot of new training, etc., the costs will start to pileup elsewhere and in other forms. Tools are rarely a one time expense – they are almost always a recurring expense. [...]

]]> By: Service Untitled http://www.serviceuntitled.com/physical-self-service/2008/04/01/comment-page-1/#comment-522618 Service Untitled Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:42:22 +0000 http://www.serviceuntitled.com/physical-self-service/2008/03/29/#comment-522618 Steven, Check in, online florists, and booking cars all make a lot of sense. You can definitely get carried away with self-service. Steven,

Check in, online florists, and booking cars all make a lot of sense. You can definitely get carried away with self-service.

]]> By: Steven Di Pietro http://www.serviceuntitled.com/physical-self-service/2008/04/01/comment-page-1/#comment-521064 Steven Di Pietro Wed, 02 Apr 2008 05:44:36 +0000 http://www.serviceuntitled.com/physical-self-service/2008/03/29/#comment-521064 Yes I too saw the article. As to where else there are self serve opportunities, what about Hotel Check-in - do we really need to line up at the counter? What about booking my car for a service? What about on-line florists? The possibilities are seemingly endless. But beware! Providers of self-serve products and services should beware that they are there for when things go wrong. The momentS of Truth have become the MomenT of Truth. With less opportunities to impress but greater consequences of each interaction. Yes I too saw the article. As to where else there are self serve opportunities, what about Hotel Check-in – do we really need to line up at the counter? What about booking my car for a service? What about on-line florists?

The possibilities are seemingly endless. But beware!

Providers of self-serve products and services should beware that they are there for when things go wrong. The momentS of Truth have become the MomenT of Truth. With less opportunities to impress but greater consequences of each interaction.

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