self service usability

Trent Mankelow

Self-service usabilityMaking it easy for people to help themselves

Agenda

• What is self-service?

• Channels– Kiosks

– Phone

– Online

• Self-service strategy

• Self-service usability tips

• Backlash

• Conclusion: the future of self-service

What is self-service?

• Automating routine transactions so that citizens can help themselves

• Saves an organisation money

• Offers the citizen choice and convenience

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An analysis of 1,687 government web sites in 198 countries in 2007 revealed the following common services:

From www.insidepolitics.org

Common e-government services

• Visa application• Passport application and renewal• Voter registration• License application and renewal • Job listings and application• Electronic document filing (including filing taxes)• Ordering publications and statistical reports• Complaint forms

“Thinking about how your company typically interacts with customers, what change (if any) do you expect to see in the

volume of interactions over the next two years?”

Web

Phone self-service

Email

Kiosks

Retail outlets

Call centres

Source: March 15, 2005, Forrester Big Idea “The Customer Experience Value Chain”

Base: Survey of 140 North American firms with annual revenues of US$500 million or more

Self-service strategy

• Which transactions should be automated?

• What transactions should be offered on what

channel?

• How are you going to measure?

• How are you going to shift citizens?

“How effective have these tactics been in shifting customers to self-service channels?”

Very effective Somewhat effective Ineffective Didn’t use or don’t know

Use email to drive customers to self-service

Improve usability

Offer monetary incentive to use self-service

Have phone agents train customers in self-service

Proactively market benefits of self-service

Advertise self-service on phone when callers are on hold

Have retail agents train customers on self-service

Hide phone contact information of the Web

Source: March 15, 2005, Forrester Big Idea “The Customer Experience Value Chain”

Base: Survey of 140 North American firms with annual revenues of US$500 million or more

Self-service usability tips

• Have a strategy!

• Be consistent across channels

• Leverage the strengths of each channel

• Focus on transactions that already exist

• Bite off less than you can chew

• Self-service takes service

Backlash avoidance

Backlash avoidance

• Accept that not everyone will self-serve

• Carefully consider how to incentivise self-service

• Balance with conventional service

• Create a quality experience

The future of self-service

• Expectations will continue to grow

• More people will prefer self-service

• Serving yourself will become the default?

• Self-service not just about efficiency, it’s about satisfaction and insight

The future of self-service

Questions?Trent MankelowOptimal Usability

trent@optimalusability.com