Web self-service

When it is specific to Web-enabled employee interactions, the practice is known as employee self-service (ESS). When it is specific to Web-enabled customers, it is called customer self-service (CSS). For employees and customers, self-service offers 24 hour-a-day support, and immediate access to information without having to wait for an email response or a returned telephone call. Ultimately, the success of Web self-service depends upon the quality and quantity of information available and the ease with which it can be accessed.

Deploying Web self-service applications benefits a company in a variety of ways. The most prominent motivation is the lower cost, as compared with telephone or email service by a company representative. According to Forrester Research, the cost of the average Web self-service session is $1, compared to $10 for an email response and $33 for a telephone call. Another, more controversial, enterprise benefit of self-service is the ability it affords the company to gather personal information about the people who use it. Users may be asked to enter identifying information, or their information can be collected in other ways, for example through examining click stream data. Tracking and analysis software may be used to create a pseudonymous profile of the user for research and targeted marketing purposes.

Read more about Web self-service: - RightNow Technologies has a white paper detailing The Savings of Web-Based Self-Service.

Do you have something to add to this definition? Let us know. Send your comments to techterms@whatis.com

Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us

RELATED CONTENT Building a business case for self-service Get tips for using self-service technology effectively in this podcast. Best practices for building a business case for self-service are also... Call center contest: How did you impact the customer experience? Tell us about your most rewarding experience as a customer service rep – the top three will win American Express Gift Cards. How to use Web 2.0 technology for customer service, marketing, sales Learn how to use Web 2.0 technolgy to improve customer service, marketing and sales efforts in this special report. Get tips for using Web 2.0 to...

RELATED GLOSSARY TERMS Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary abandoned call  (SearchCRM.com) An abandoned call is a call or other type of contact initiated to a call center that is ended before any conversation occurs... (Continued) call center agent  (SearchCRM.com) A call center agent is the person who handles incoming or outgoing customer calls for a business.