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Todays web-savvy modern student expects a high level of customer service when interacting with your institution online. When it comes to designing the best possible online experience for students, higher education institutions would be wise to take some guidance from the online behavior trends of consumers as a whole. Here are 8 reasons why we think online self-service needs to be a top priority for your school in 2012
In their February 2012 article for Forbes.com1, Harvard Business Review Press authors Frances Frei and Anne Morriss said it best:
72%
When it comes to online customer service, what people value most is the ability to selfserve for quick answers to their questions and move on. The preference for self-reliance is strong, and proven. Corporate Executive Board says 60.4% of surveyed customers attempt to use a companys web self-service as the first method for resolving their customer service issue.2 Forrester Research pegs the percentage even higher, at 72%.3
Up to 72% of consumers prefer to go online first to resolve customer service issues3
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You can seriously differentiate your institutions brand with great self-service
90% of organizations surveyed by Forrester Research say that customer service is important to their business, yet only 34% of brands deliver a good customer experience.4 The vast canyon between what organizations say versus what they actually do to provide a positive customer experience is a significant rhetoric gap. Its a tremendous opportunity for your institution to leverage online self-service as a differentiation play.
The Status Quo Sucks: Most online self-service features just dont cut it
Diane Clarkson, Analyst, eBusiness and Channel Strategy at Forrester Research, describes the typical online self-service experience as being too often a barrage of irrelevant information which website visitors are forced to navigate, begrudgingly. Clarkson says the information people are seeking is usually located somewhere on a website, but its not often easy to find. Case in point: traditional website FAQ and Help pages. Forrester Research indicates just 51% of consumers are ultimately satisfied when using these tools.4
51%
49%
Corporate Executive Boards position is that there are huge cost savings in building out web self-service. Its a position thats impossible to argue against, given the generally accepted numbers. On average, a web self-service transaction cost $0.10 per transaction, while a live support call to a staff member can cost $7.50 and beyond.2 In addition to the direct costs, however, is the opportunity cost of lost enrollment when your online self-service lets a potential student down.
$7.50
Web self-service Phone
Web self-service costs $0.10 per transaction versus $7.50 for a live support call2
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On the Internet, where alternatives and competitors are always just one click away, a poor self-service experience also impacts top line revenue and enrollment. A significant portion of customers as much as 25%, according to Forrester Research will simply abandon a website or find another solution if they cant find what they are looking for.5 1 in 4 frustrated customers abandon or defect5
Thanks to social media, people can publically expose your online service shortcomings in seconds
With social media, its now easy, tempting, and increasingly common for individuals to publically flame organizations that let them down. A survey conducted in 2011 by NM Incite (a Neilson/McKinsey company) found that 51% of social media users post negative feedback.6 Interestingly, social media expert Jay Baer points out that public gripes tend to be about the experience with the particular customer service channel. In almost every case, the people complaining on Twitter are doing so because your company already failed to satisfy them in one or more traditional customer service channels, Baer explains.
*#$!
51% of social media users post negative feedback6
A satisfied customer is more likely to be a loyal customer so its time to get self-service right
Kate Legget, Senior Analyst, Business Process at Forrester Research, says a satisfied customer correlates to a loyal customer, and this correlation can have a direct impact on your enrollment numbers. Loyal customers are more likely to stay true to your brand and more likely to recommend [you] to friends and colleagues, Legget explained in the March 29, 2012 IntelliResponse webinar, The New Way to Measure Online Self-Service. And a loyal customer ends up spending a larger wallet share over their engagement lifetime.
The rise of mobile devices means self-service is more important than ever to students
Consumer desire to stay connected has reached epic proportions. More than three quarters of the worlds population (5.3 Billion people) are mobile subscribers.7 Not surprisingly, students entering college are among the heaviest adopters of new mobile devices, having witnessed the smartphone become a commonplace tool for daily communication during their adolescent years. Whats more, the surging popularity of digital tablet devices are predicted to outpace PC sales by 2015.8 77% of the worlds population are mobile subscribers7
eval@intelliresponse.com
About IntelliResponse Systems IntelliResponse enhances the multi-channel sales and customer service capabilities of hundreds of enterprise businesses and financial institutions. The companys Answer Suite technology is an award-winning On Demand software platform that allows customers and service agents to ask questions in natural language, and get one right answer - regardless of the hundreds of ways the question may be asked. With more than 500 live customer-facing implementations answering 100 million+ questions, IntelliResponse is the gold standard in first line customer experience management. With the IntelliResponse Answer Suite, your company web site, mobile application, social media channels and agent desktop can all be transformed by an engaging virtual concierge, empowering customers to ask questions using normal, conversational language. The correct and complete answer is then instantly served to them in a variety of engaging ways. For more information about IntelliResponse, visit www.IntelliResponse.com. Twitter.com/IntelliResponse Facebook.com/IntelliResponseInc YouTube.com/IntelliResponseInc To learn more about taking online self service to the next level for your customers, visit www.IntelliResponse.com.