According to Virtalent’s research report, virtual assistant and other online works will be worth $5 billion by next year. The demand will continue to grow as start ups and other middle sized companies are looking to cut costs and save money.
However, outsourcing virtual assistant services do not only entail that a company can save money. There many other benefits a virtual assistant can give. Since customers, particularly millennials, nowadays prefer communication channels with self-service options, a virtual assistant would be a great help.
Importance of self-service options
Self-service tools, like web chat and other social media platforms will be relevant and will take over on the next two years. Because of that, many companies seek different ways to improve their customer self-service options. Seeing as companies want the best customer service for their customers, they will opt to hire virtual assistant rather than a regular employee to lessen the cost.
Moreover, self-service tools and options are very important because more than 80 percent of customers are expecting brands and companies to offer them. According to Gartner, incorporating self-service options in websites and other medium in included in the top three priorities of most companies and brands today.
Furthermore, more than 50 percent of customers view brands positively if their self-service tools are mobile-friendly. As Gartner predicted, more than 80 percent of transactions between companies and consumers will not need any human interaction anymore by 2020 because of self-service.
But first of all, what exactly is self-service?
When we say self-service, it doesn’t only refer to the typical help center people find when they browse a company’s website. It is a well-thought-out content with information that customers look for. It can usually be found on websites that have FAQs, Help Center, forums, how-to videos, step-by-step manuals, and other guides. Self-service is not your usual call centers where you are directed to voice mails and will wait for minutes just to get the answer to your simple question.
How virtual assistant using knowledge base improve self-service options for customers
The knowledge base contains self-service options. It is where the person in-charge stores information that they can get anytime, anywhere such as facts, assumptions, and rules. This is a visitor’s go-to when he or she wants to clarify something about the product or service.
A virtual assistant can store information on a company’s system. They can improve the knowledge base and use it to make information that will help customers solve their problem.
According to Madelyn Taylor, Community Support Manager of Rdio, self-service techniques satisfies more customers. Also, it makes them learn more about the products and services they get or buy. It helps the customers get what they want from the knowledge base system, thus, making their customer experience more enjoyable.
Having a virtual assistant can definitely ease most of your job. If you or your company is looking for a virtual assistant, just contact us and we’ll happily provide one for you.