Service and support programs have become significant revenue streams for technology providers, in some cases contributing a third or more of annual revenues. Given the relative immaturity of eService, companies are still trying to determine appropriate packaging, positioning and pricing plans — if any — for both assisted eServices and self-service access.
Nearly 61% of companies surveyed say they require their customers to purchase some level of support contract to access some or all of their eService offerings. However, whether they require a support contract or not, most companies surveyed (81.3%) require users to identify themselves through a log-in process to take advantage of eService
Those companies that require customers to purchase service contracts to access eServices are not placing all these services behind their firewalls. In fact, many respondents say they’re providing general access to a variety of electronic resources. Reasons for free access include incentives for customers to explore alternative service delivery channels. As companies continue to integrate their eService offerings into their overall service portfolios, they will be better able to distinguish between high-value offerings — those that justify a service contract — and lower-value resources that can serve as educational tools and facilitate cost reduction.
Most companies believe that accelerating the adoption rate of eServices is key to both customer satisfaction and providing cost effective service. As a method to promote the use of eService, approximately 1/3 (31%) of respondents offer a free trial period of the web site.
Though nearly two-thirds of respondents require that customers have a support contract in place in order to use eService options, more than a quarter make access to eService free to all customers.
The vast majority of respondents require that users log-on to their sites in order to utilize self-service resources. Such requirements enable companies to ensure customer identities and entitlement, better track individual navigation, determine problem resolution, create more effective FAQs based on questions posed, and to better personalize the user experience.
Research Highlights
To address eService entitlement, vendors should consider the following:
Establish clear goals for eServices
Develop compelling eServices offerings that address users needs.
Create robust offerings for both paid and non-paid visitors to establish value and usefulness of eServices.
Actively promote eServices
Consider offering free trial “test drives”
Related Research
ServiceXRG has conducted extensive research on best practices for implementing effective eServices. ServiceXRG has published a number of articles and reports that offer insight related to this topic.
Articles
Creating and Managing Effective Self-Service Content
The Most Effective Web Support Services
Imperatives for Getting Customers to Use Web Based Self-Service
Reports
The State of eService
Self-Service Excellence - A Roadmap for Achieving Self-Service Succes
Support Operational Benchmarks
Presentations
Maximizing the Effectiveness of Self-service Resources
The Road to Self Service Excellence
Available online to Enterprise Research subscribers. For more information about ServiceXRG Publications click here.
