Research by the Aberdeen Group found that 75% of 150 companies surveyed have added a self-service option into their contact centers.This was last year. At the time a third were considering adding or expanding the option within 2 years.

As you can see, self service is the must have solution in customer service and support circles. But it won't do any good if it isn't done right. Well done self service retains customers and increases loyalty. Poorly done self service will lose a customer just as quickly as shoddy telephone support. And it has been said that when a customer is happy he will tell a few people about the experience. If a customer is made unhappy, he tells everyone he possibly can. And these days that could be a vast number if the unhappiness makes it into cyberspace. Not only is it disseminated more quickly, it will live forever.

It behooves you to offer well done self service.

Make the portal easy to navigate. Make the information easily searchable and accessible. Give the customer the tools needed to do the job or resolve the problem. Give the customer convenience and try to give the customer what he doesn't even know he needs. Build a community of customers.

Have a useful self service center and the world will beat a path to your door.

For an example of a self service center go to the PhaseWare Self Service demo.

To find out more about PhaseWare Customer Service and Support products go to www.phaseware.com