A self-service portal offers a wide range of benefits for businesses, no matter their size. In this post, we explain more about the advantages of using this modern innovation. Once you go through it, you can decide whether it aligns with your specific business goals.
The basics
A self service portal is a particular app or a site that allows customers and employees to find important information. This information is related to the service, the problem they are experiencing, or the information they need. The point is to provide solutions and helpful information without hiring someone to assist them. It is one form of self-help that allows people to find what they are looking for without support personnel.
While the self service portal is very beneficial for the IT sector, its use isn’t strictly limited. Other business types will benefit from the advantages of using self-help solutions.
The advantages of self-service
A self service portal has many advantages, and that’s why businesses implement this solution. We are aware of the fact that users prefer self-service because it saves them time. People would instead seek an answer themselves, without having to make a phone call. The self service portal is always there to match their needs, and it provides 24/7 support and reliable service for any user.
IT professionals don’t rely on the use of self-service portals since they have encountered slow versions with bugs. Or, the users weren’t keen on using it.
How does it work
When someone asks how a self-service portal works, no one can provide an exact answer. While a specific method may work for some, for others, it might be useless. It is all about adjusting the format to the user’s needs and requirements.
Even if you copy the concept of a top self-help portal, you’re not guaranteeing success. You need to adjust the portal to the end-users, such as employees or customers.
Features to include
The key factors to determining your portal’s concept are your employee’s needs and the service you offer. The features need to meet the employee’s preferences for channels for a successful experience.
For example, an employee in the HR department can search through the self service portal to find an answer for an issue of personal nature. On the other hand, things get more complicated when issues of IT nature arise. In this case, the employees will need to contact the IT team to avoid obstructions in the work process.
In addition, the portal can be shaped for different areas of your business. You can have a separate portal for IT and HR if this would be considered a better approach for the company. Or you can go for a combined approach and allow assistance through a single portal for all sectors. Companies with fruitful plans for growth will benefit from this approach since new sectors will be added in the future.
From an IT point of view, these are the crucial elements to include:
- Self-help for IT issues, or a feature that allows the easy search to find solutions and useful info Adding new services
- Problem tracking and recording system
- Checking the progress
- Automation for simple and minor problems
- Chat service for personalized help
While these requirements are beneficial for IT, the organization can modify them according to their business needs. Companies can develop a portal that assists employees in sick days registration, payroll, and recruitment.
Moreover, the portal needs to be understandable and easy to use. The layout should allow easy navigation and straightforward access to the required information. Knowing that the business’s needs are prone to changes, the portal should be ready to answer the new challenges. The concept should be tailored to different companies, with options to add new features and content. In addition, a portal should record the usage analytics. When managers have access to insights, they can get a clear picture of the situation and implement improvements.
The benefits
A self service portal will provide a fast and straightforward service for all users. Your business will benefit from this in many ways, so we share the most common benefits:
Better user experience
The self service portal offers an improved experience for the end-users, no matter whether they are your customers or employees. They look forward to a better experience, which will cut down the hassles and save them precious time. The users expect to get access to a vast network of information, submitting problems effortlessly, and browse the service ticket catalogs.
Support availability
The self-help portals make the support services available at any time of the day. The 24/7 service keeps the users covered with a minimal cost. If your business is spread over the borders, the service can cover different time zones. In addition, the portal can be made in different languages to fit the international nature of your business.
Prioritize
The self-help service allows users to solve minor issues by themselves. For your company, this means that you can prioritize the significant problems that would have a negative impact. When your team doesn’t have to deal with minor issues, they can focus on the bigger picture.
Decrease the workflow of help desk
With having a self-help portal available, the service desk’s workflow will decrease significantly. This will relieve the pressure, leaving employees to focus on problems that they can only solve. With a stable workflow, you don’t need to invest in expanding the team.
Cost efficiency
Automation has changed the way businesses operate. If the usual prices included calling the service desk, explaining the issue, and waiting for them to solve it, now the process is made more straightforward. Every user can access the information they need through a convenient online portal, with proper search tools available for easy navigation. This means that you can keep the costs at a minimum, knowing that you don’t need to expand the service team. The companies direct their budget to improve the portals for a better user experience.
