{"id":7861,"date":"2020-07-01T06:29:47","date_gmt":"2020-07-01T06:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/?p=7861"},"modified":"2025-05-14T02:05:18","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T09:05:18","slug":"customer-self-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Your company needs a customer self-service strategy\u2014here&#8217;s what to do"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Like most of those in the millennial generation, our patience typically falls somewhere in the range of \u201cnone\u201d and \u201cI\u2019m hungry.\u201d And nothing tests our patience like thumbing through forums and websites that address every issue in the history of the entire world except the one I\u2019m having.<br \/>\nThankfully, the world of customer self-service has evolved significantly in the last few years. More companies are sharing resources online, customers have spaces to share and brainstorm together on platforms like Reddit, and virtual assistants are understanding us better, except maybe Siri:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7863\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7863\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7863 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/image7-85-225x400.png\" alt=\"This was not our first fight with Siri, and certainly wasn\u2019t going to be our last.\" width=\"225\" height=\"400\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7863\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This was not our first fight with Siri, and certainly wasn\u2019t going to be our last. (<a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/2014\/08\/18\/siri-fails\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Since nearly every aspect of life relies on technology\u2014the alarm to wake us up in the morning, the CRM we use to track leads and contacts, or the app that insults you based on the weather outside\u2014it\u2019s becoming more and more important to provide the best possible customer experience.<br \/>\nOf course, this includes having an intuitive product, a highly effective customer success team, and a product that grows and adapts with its users, but it also means providing your customers the ability to find solutions to their problems.<br \/>\nWe\u2019ll look at how your company can use self-service as a powerful tool for proactively engaging with your customers. We\u2019ll explore:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"table-of-content\">\n<li><a href=\"#What exactly is customer self-service?\">What exactly is customer self-service?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#What are some examples of customer self-service?\">What are some examples of customer self-service?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#3 key elements in a customer self-service strategy\u00a0\">3 key elements in a customer self-service strategy\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#What are the benefits of customer self-service?\">What are the benefits of customer self-service?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Okay\u2026 But do customers actually prefer self-service?\">Okay\u2026 But do customers actually prefer self-service?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u2b50\ufe0f\u2b50\ufe0f\u2b50\ufe0f\u2b50\ufe0f\u2b50\ufe0f<b>\u00a0<\/b>Ready to offer 5-star customer service?<b>\u00a0<\/b>Get strategies for every stage of the customer journey with this <b>free eBook<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\n<div class=\"download-form-widget standart-download-form\" data-url=\"https:\/\/assets.ringcentral.com\/us\/ebook\/long-live-customer-service.pdf\" data-id=\"69d197ef4a95e\" id=\"69d197ef4a95e\">\n\t\t<button tabindex=\"on\"  on=\"tap:69d197ef4a95e.toggleClass(class='open')\" class=\"open-modal-download-action download-form-button\" type=\"submit\">\ud83d\udcd9 Get the eBook<\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"download-form-modal\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-body\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-content\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-title\">\ud83d\udc40Get this free eBook to learn how to win in customer service.<\/div>\n<form class=\"download-form SMB\" method=\"post\">\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"download-form-input\" aria-label=\"Full Name\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" type=\"text\" name=\"fullname\" placeholder=\"Full Name\" data-dl-events-hover=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"text\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"download-form-input\" aria-label=\"Email (please enter a work email address)\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" type=\"email\" autocomplete=\"on\" name=\"email\" placeholder=\"Email (please enter a work email address)\" data-dl-events-hover=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"email\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"popup_form\" value=\"1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"Lead_Entry_Source__c\" value=\"RC Blog\" class=\"download-form-input\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"download-form-submit\" type=\"submit\" data-dl-element=\"button\" data-no-auto-dl=\"true\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\" data-dl-name=\"Get it now\">Get it now<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<button on=\"tap:69d197ef4a95e.toggleClass(class='open')\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\"  class=\"download-form-modal-close\"><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-thank\">Enjoy!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a name=\"What exactly is customer self-service?\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>What exactly is \u201ccustomer self-service\u201d?<\/h2>\n<p>In general, customer self-service is a flexible term\u2014it can be as simple as pressing \u201cForgot Password\u201d and resetting your password through an email link, searching forums that address your issue, and even navigating through those automated menus you hear when you call a company. Yeah, the ones that always find a way to loop you back to the main menu.<\/p>\n<p>Sound familiar?<\/p>\n<p><i>\u201dMain menu: Press 1 for billing, 2 for account information, or 3 to speak to a customer representative.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>You press 3.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cTo speak with a customer representative, please state why you are calling.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>You say, \u201cI\u2019m locked out of my account.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cI\u2019m sorry. I\u2019m having trouble understanding you. Please state why you are calling.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cI am locked out of my account.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cI\u2019m sorry. I\u2019m having trouble understanding you. Please state why you are calling.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cI. am. LOCKED. OUT. OF. MY. ACCOUNT.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cI\u2019m sorry. I\u2019m still having trouble. Main Menu: Press 1 for billing, 2 for account\u2026\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>In the best ways, customer self-services are designed to empower the customer to find their own solutions, on their time, in the way they prefer.<br \/>\nThey can be incredible assets for a company, as long as you know which tasks should be automated and which ones are better designed for person-to-person interaction.<br \/>\n<a name=\"What are some examples of customer self-service?\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>What are some examples of customer self-service?<\/h2>\n<p>We know it might sound risky, letting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/customer-interactions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customers interact<\/a> with automated systems and programmed robots\u2014but many of these applications have been around for decades in many different forms, you just might not have realized it:<\/p>\n<h3>ATMs<\/h3>\n<p>Probably the most obvious example is an ATM. Before Automatic Telling Machines (we didn\u2019t know that\u2019s what it stood for, either), you had to go into the bank with a withdrawal slip, and the bank clerk had to manually calculate everything to take the money out of your account.<\/p>\n<p>Now, ATMs are everywhere, not just at the bank. You\u2019ll see them in laundromats, bars, concert venues, and gas stations. Put in a card, type in a pin, type in how much to withdraw, and it spits out cash. Your transaction is over in under a minute.<\/p>\n<h3>Self-service kiosks<\/h3>\n<p>Self-service kiosks have existed for a while in some form\u2014doing baggage check or printing out your ticket at the airport has been around since 2003, and it\u2019s become a regular routine of many passengers. It has significantly helped reduce long lines and congestion before reaching your gate.<\/p>\n<p>Ones in restaurants or gas stations\u2014like Sheetz\u2014let customers be in total control to customize their order. Their tickets go directly to the chefs, so there is less opportunity for wrong orders and frustrated customers.<\/p>\n<h3>Gas station pumps<\/h3>\n<p>Speaking of gas stations, even pumping your gas is considered self-service. Almost all of the US has self-service gas stations, but in states like New Jersey or countries like Brazil or South Africa, it\u2019s illegal to pump your own gas.<\/p>\n<h3>Art gallery kiosks<\/h3>\n<p>More and more art galleries are introducing tablets or mobile devices to coincide with the exhibited art.<\/p>\n<p>At Yale University\u2019s Art Gallery, they direct you to a mobile app that gives you an interactive tour of the gallery and local architecture, artwork search, and, for special exhibits, audio recordings that extend the experience of the art<sup>1<\/sup>:<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7866\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/image1-230.png\" alt=\"Yale University\u2019s Art Gallery Mobile App\" width=\"364\" height=\"347\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Car shopping<\/h3>\n<p>Finding the perfect car is so much easier than it used to be. With companies like Carmax, you can search online for the exact model you want, and go in to pick it up and drive off. And, if they don\u2019t have it in stock, they can transport it to your preferred location:<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-7868\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/image8-76.png\" alt=\"Carmax lets customers search online for the exact model they want, and go in to pick it up and drive off.\" width=\"749\" height=\"499\" \/><br \/>\nAs you can see with these examples, customers engage in self-service every day in all sorts of industries. In fact, many companies have flourished with the introduction of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/automated-customer-service\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">automated systems<\/a> and really improved their customer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/customer-engagement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">engagement<\/a> and satisfaction.<br \/>\n<a name=\"3 key elements in a customer self-service strategy\u00a0\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>3 key elements to include in your customer self-service strategy<\/h2>\n<p>You\u2019ve read why you should consider customer self-service for your company, why customers love it, and what it can do for your business, but now you may be asking <i>how<\/i> to utilize this tool.<\/p>\n<h3>1. A comprehensive knowledge base for your customers<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/create-knowledge-base\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A knowledge base<\/a> is basically a library of information and resources that visitors to your website can access.<\/p>\n<p>By the time customers reach out to you\u2014through call or live chat with an agent\u2014they&#8217;ve hit up Google, YouTube, Reddit, or any one of their favorite places to find consumer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/customer-feedback\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">feedback<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you include tutorials and knowledge bases on your website, not only are you bringing in more traffic and educating your customers, they are more knowledgeable than someone blindly calling. This will shorten the complexity and time it takes for agents to resolve customers\u2019 problems, which saves the sanity of both agents and customers.<\/p>\n<p>Win-win.<\/p>\n<p>A useful knowledge base won\u2019t be as easy as throwing any cheat sheet or product manual on your site, it will require you to anticipate customer needs before they actually need it.<\/p>\n<p>Research areas where customers are having problems\u2014check forums or places where customers post questions, send out surveys for feedback, conduct research studies, and definitely talk with your employees in the contact center, who have direct interaction with customers.<\/p>\n<p>Use the information you collected to develop informative articles and blogs, so customers have easy access to answers for their problems.<\/p>\n<p>You can also explore keywords that customers might search for, just remember to search words and phrases that a customer would know, not your own company\u2019s jargon. There are a ton of free websites that let you search keywords and related phrases and the traffic volume. If this becomes a resource that you think is beneficial, upgrading to a premium product can give you even more information.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, you want to keep the customer&#8217;s end goal of what they want to solve in mind and make sure customers have all the information they need to reach their goal.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Informed customer service reps<\/h3>\n<p>A day of training when an employee first starts may seem like an efficient way to save money, but if your agent gets a question that only an \u201cexpert\u201d would know, you\u2019ve wasted the customer\u2019s time, the first agent\u2019s time, and the time of the person (or persons) that ends up helping the customer.<br \/>\nYou\u2019ve also wasted money. You\u2019re paying for an agent to stumble through their resources to find an answer, only to put the customer on hold to find someone who can help, and then paying the time it takes for that employee to help the customer.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ve also hurt your reputation. If your customer is more informed than your employee, you have potentially affected the trust that customer has in your product.<\/p>\n<p>Training is one half of it\u2014the other half is communication. Someone may not know every single detail about your product or service, and that\u2019s okay. But they do need some way to easily find that information. Make sure you\u2019re using the right communication <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/communication-channels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">channels<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/best-customer-service-software\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">software<\/a>. Ideally, something that\u2019s more responsive than emailing. Team messaging is probably the most commonly used option, and you\u2019ve always got good old phone calls and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/video-call.html\">video calls<\/a>. If you can get all of these in one app, even better:<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe style=\"padding-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 20px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vGSZfDIHmso\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<div class=\"tip\">\n<div class=\"tip-heading\"><b>\ud83d\udca1 Pro-tip: <\/b><\/div>\n<p>Every time there\u2019s a new product, new process, new anything, train your employees, so they know the product, front and back. You\u2019ll never complain about having employees that are too informed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>3. An interactive voice response system<\/h3>\n<p>For your customers, get a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/office\/features\/multi-level-auto-attendant\/overview.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sophisticated IVR system<\/a>, one that can handle multiple routes to different locations based on what a customer needs. With IVR systems, it\u2019s important to revisit it from time to time to make sure it\u2019s as intuitive and useful as possible for customers. This is also a great time to include your customer service team, so you can learn more from those who are in direct contact with customers, and they\u2019ll have insight to overall strategies and product information.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tip\">\n<div class=\"tip-heading\"><b>\ud83d\udca1 Pro-tip: <\/b><\/div>\n<p>Learn how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/average-handle-time-call-center\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reduce your average handle time<\/a> and keep impatient customers happy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>For your employees, consider using an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/auto-dialer.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">auto dialer<\/a>, which will maximize your agent\u2019s time without overwhelming them. Our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/auto-dialer.html\">auto dialer service<\/a> is uniquely designed to boost agent performance and stay on top of customer satisfaction with real-time call center manager\/supervisor coaching capabilities and live-reporting dashboards that analyze agent success.<\/p>\n<p>And when your agents use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/engage\/engage-voice.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">RingCentral Engage Voice<\/a>\u2122, they\u2019ll have easy access to customer data through scripting and CRM integrations across fewer screens. This means less searching and more time saved for your business\u2014and your customers.<\/p>\n<p>Now, let\u2019s look at <i>why<\/i> you\u2019d want to incorporate these elements into your customer service strategy.<br \/>\n<a name=\"What are the benefits of customer self-service?\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>What are the benefits of customer self-service?<\/h2>\n<p>Did you know that customer service or call centers began around 1963? That means it\u2019s older than the internet<sup>6<\/sup>, and think about how much that has changed. We went from it looking like a scene out of <i>The Matrix<\/i> to overstuffed with pictures of cats, GIFs of children falling over, and endless amounts of sophisticated art known as memes:<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceTemp\">\n<div class=\"mceTemp\">\n<div class=\"mceTemp\">\n<div class=\"mceTemp\">\n<div class=\"mceTemp\">\n<div class=\"mceTemp\">\n<div class=\"mceTemp\">\n<div class=\"mceTemp\">\n<div class=\"mceTemp\">\n<div class=\"mceTemp\">\n<div class=\"mceTemp\">\n<div class=\"mceTemp\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-7872\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/image2-201.png\" alt=\"Meme\" width=\"385\" height=\"529\" \/><\/p>\n<p>So, our means of communication on the internet changed, then why hasn\u2019t customer service?Yes, there are now databases to hold customer information, online accounts to view billing\/contact details, auto dialers to keep calls coming and going, but, in general, not much is different. Customers call in, they wait on hold, and then (hopefully) speak to someone who can help them.<\/p>\n<p>The modern, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/online-customer-service\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">digital-first customer self-service<\/a>\u2014think virtual assistants, chatbots, and interactive voice response (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/interactive-voice-response\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">IVR<\/a>) systems\u2014began with AssistU, the first virtual assistant company, but we will always recognize the true OG of virtual assistants, Clippy:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7874\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7874\" style=\"width: 443px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7874 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/image4-154.png\" alt=\"Clippy Windows '97\" width=\"443\" height=\"443\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7874\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Who doesn\u2019t want to swaddle that paperclip and protect it from the cruelty of this world? (Source: Windows 97)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Thankfully, we\u2019ve made some jumps in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/ai-virtual-assistant\/\">virtual-assistant<\/a> area\u2014except, yeah, Siri\u2014but they still take the backseat when it comes to customer service.<br \/>\nBusinesses tout that they have award-winning customer service teams obsessed with helping their customers, agents who are available 24\/7 (and in need of sleep) and who are ready to pick up your call <i>right now<\/i>, and those who\u2019d rather talk to customers all day than waste time having a social life.<\/p>\n<p>But how many businesses do you see promoting that they have the <i>best<\/i> chatbot or IVR?<\/p>\n<p>Okay, they\u2019re not as impressive to hear that you programmed something that works like it should, but customer self-service is so much more than that.<br \/>\nIt really <i>has <\/i>changed the way we communicate and gain knowledge, but it\u2019s also incredibly beneficial for businesses to adopt.<\/p>\n<h3>It reduces employee costs and saves money<\/h3>\n<p>It might not seem like it could save you a ton of money, but customer self-service automation can make a <i>significant<\/i> difference. Helping customers through self-service tools, such as a bot or IVR is vastly cheaper than using a human agent.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, Juniper Research estimates that chatbots will save businesses $8 billion in customer service costs<sup>7<\/sup>, resulting from saving over four minutes and $0.70 per chatbox interaction.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond just chatbots, an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/office\/features\/auto-attendant\/overview.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">automated attendant<\/a> can greet your customers and manage workflows for your employees by screening callers and directing them to the correct department. With this, your employees can solve customer problems quickly and correctly, which can help deflect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/inbound-calling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">inbound calls<\/a> and lower the average spend per interaction even further.<\/p>\n<h3>It increases employee efficiency<\/h3>\n<p>Once a customer reaches your rep\u2014after navigating through the automated system\u2014your employee will have a fuller picture of the customer because they will have contact info and details on the customer\u2019s problem. This not only enables your employee to help the customer efficiently even before they get on the line with them, it also lets the customer know you respect their time because they are brought to the correct department immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Automation, perhaps more importantly, lets a customer solve simple tasks like password resets or changing their address on their own without the need of a human agent, while more complex tasks that deserve more time and effort can be handled by customer reps.<\/p>\n<h3>It drives more and more traffic<\/h3>\n<p>When you develop a successful site, full of information that is useful and accessible for your customers, it will become the main source for finding solutions. When they run into a problem, your site will be the first one they go to, the one they link to, and the one they trust to give them the correct answers.<\/p>\n<p>And with the increased traffic and linking, you could see a significant increase in your Google ranking, bringing even more traffic.<\/p>\n<h3>It helps keep your brand competitive<\/h3>\n<p>Typically, a customer will engage with your brand in numerous instances before actually speaking to a live agent.<br \/>\nThey\u2019re exposed to your website, social channels, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/email-marketing-examples\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">marketing emails<\/a>, and then, eventually, the team you\u2019ve hired to support your customers and represent your brand\u2019s mission and values.<\/p>\n<p>For all the moments when a customer is wandering the busy streets of the information highway, looking for solutions to products they love, your business could (and should!) be their main source of answers and help. Otherwise, you\u2019re leaving a gap open for your hungry competitors to fill with content\u2014and you can bet that they\u2019re going to position themselves as a better alternative to you.<\/p>\n<p>Now, let\u2019s look at the most common ways in which customers try to self-service.<\/p>\n<h2>How do customers typically try to serve themselves?<\/h2>\n<h3>External search<\/h3>\n<p>When a customer runs into a problem with a product, they usually begin by researching the issue in the broadest and <i>easiest<\/i> way: Google. They\u2019ll type in their issue, more than likely with the company name, and get results (hopefully) related to what they need.<\/p>\n<h3>Branded website<\/h3>\n<p>Maybe Google wasn\u2019t providing the answers they needed or results were only from unqualified sites or those with low authority. The customer may then directly access the company\u2019s website\u2014or a website where users can post questions\/answers like Reddit or social media. Maybe they\u2019ll navigate to the FAQ page, the community forum, or the news page to see if recent updates have been made.<\/p>\n<h3>Chatbot<\/h3>\n<p>If your site is taking too long to load or not providing enough information for a customer to make a decision, they\u2019ll either leave or maybe try your chatbot. This may be the first time the customer engages with your company\u2014and even though it\u2019s automated and runs on AI software, it\u2019s still representative of your company.<\/p>\n<h3>AI Receptionist<\/h3>\n<p>For a more sophisticated and engaging customer interaction, businesses can leverage RingCentral\u2019s AI Receptionist, which uses conversational AI to provide instant, 24\/7 support. Unlike traditional chatbots, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/ai-receptionist\">AI Receptionist<\/a> can answer FAQs, schedule appointments, route calls to the right department, and handle inquiries with a conversational, human-like tone. It ensures that customers receive efficient assistance any time they reach out, even during off-hours, making it an essential tool for improving customer satisfaction and reducing response times.<\/p>\n<h3>Live chat<\/h3>\n<p>If the chatbot doesn\u2019t help, it will most likely direct them to a live chat or to email their question. Again, the customer may abandon their issue completely, wait for an agent to chat with, or send an email and wait for a response.<\/p>\n<h3>Phone call<\/h3>\n<p>If they tried everything they could to find the answer on their own, they may accept defeat and call to speak to someone.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s important to note that even though they were more likely to get the answer they needed with this option, they may have avoided it because of experiences with long hold times or their problem happened outside of your call center\u2019s hours. <i>And<\/i> if they\u2019re on hold for a long time after they had to wait until the next day to speak to someone, and then it turns out no one can help them, that\u2019s a whole different level of frustration.<\/p>\n<p>Again, you can see that a customer will interact with your brand in several ways before speaking with a live agent. By using self-service options and keeping your website filled with resources, you can be top-of-mind for customers when they\u2019re searching for solutions. This keeps you more in control of your brand and company representation.<br \/>\n<a name=\"Okay\u2026 But do customers actually prefer self-service?\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Do customers actually prefer self-service?<\/h2>\n<p>Oh, yes\u2014almost two-thirds of consumers prefer self-service. Let\u2019s look at some research:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Zendesk\u2019s report says that 67% of people prefer self-service over speaking directly to an agent, and this was in 2013 when Apple\u2019s Touch ID first premiered and \u201cswag\u201d was not an embarrassing thing to say<sup>2<\/sup>.<\/li>\n<li>Over 90% of consumers expect a company to have some sort of self-service available on their site<sup>3<\/sup>. (And this was from back in 2015.)<\/li>\n<li>Lastly, over a third of Americans would rather clean a toilet than interact with customer service<sup>4<\/sup>. Ouch.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Why do customers feel this way? According to our research, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/customer-communications-trends-report.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">waiting too long on hold is the top \u201cvery annoying\u201d thing for customers who have to call the customer service line<\/a>:<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/customer-communications-trends-report.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7875 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/image5-6-695x364.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"695\" height=\"364\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nAnd the key here? <b>Time<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>Consumers care about their time. In fact, 73% of customers say that great customer service comes from feeling like the company values their time<sup>5<\/sup>, and this is what\u2019s considered \u201ctoo long\u201d to wait on hold:<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/customer-communications-trends-report.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7876 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/image6-7-695x364.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"695\" height=\"364\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nSo, yeah, we think it\u2019s pretty clear that <i>most<\/i> of the time, consumers would much rather handle things themselves than interact with customer service.<\/p>\n<h2>Ready to help your customers self-service?<\/h2>\n<p>How do we feel? Do you feel more comfortable with the idea of introducing customer self-service techniques and applications?<\/p>\n<p>We thought so.<\/p>\n<p>More importantly, we hope you feel like you have a solid understanding of moving your business forward and helping customers get the information they need from the most reliable source: you.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><sup>1<\/sup> artgallery.yale.edu\/visit\/app<br \/>\n<sup>2<\/sup> zendesk.com\/blog\/searching-for-self-service<br \/>\n<sup>3<\/sup> slideshare.net\/parature\/2015-usstateof-multichannelcustomerserviceslideshare<br \/>\n<sup>4<\/sup> genhq.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/The-Aspect-Consumer-Experience-Index-c-2015-The-Center-for-Generational-Kinetics.pdf<br \/>\n<sup>5<\/sup> groovehq.com\/customer-service-statistics<br \/>\n<sup>6<\/sup> callcentrehelper.com\/the-history-of-the-call-centre-15085.htm<br \/>\n<sup>7<\/sup> juniperresearch.com\/new-trending\/analystxpress\/july-2017\/chatbot-conversations-to-deliver-8bn-cost-saving<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like most of those in the millennial generation, our patience typically falls somewhere in the range of \u201cnone\u201d and \u201cI\u2019m hungry.\u201d And nothing tests our patience like thumbing through forums and websites that address every issue in the history of the entire world except the one I\u2019m having. Thankfully, the world of customer self-service has &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":7902,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17901],"tags":[743,18026,15880,402,15541,18508],"class_list":["post-7861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-leadership","tag-customer-experience","tag-customer-journey","tag-customer-self-service","tag-customer-service","tag-cx","tag-self-service"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v19.3 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Your company needs a customer self-service strategy\u2014here&#039;s what to do | RingCentral<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn about customer self-service strategies, how to build one for your business, and more importantly, how to execute on it.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Your company needs a customer self-service strategy\u2014here&#039;s what to do\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn about customer self-service strategies, how to build one for your business, and more importantly, how to execute on it.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"RingCentral Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ringcentral\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-07-01T06:29:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-14T09:05:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/web_home_HOME_def.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"RingCentral Team\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ringcentral\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ringcentral\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"RingCentral Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"16 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"RingCentral Team\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/65a168321317ffd562e0d77745f1b358\"},\"headline\":\"Your company needs a customer self-service strategy\u2014here&#8217;s what to do\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-07-01T06:29:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-14T09:05:18+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/\"},\"wordCount\":3352,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"keywords\":[\"customer experience\",\"customer journey\",\"customer self-service\",\"customer service\",\"CX\",\"self-service\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Business &amp; leadership\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/\",\"name\":\"Your company needs a customer self-service strategy\u2014here's what to do | RingCentral\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-07-01T06:29:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-14T09:05:18+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn about customer self-service strategies, how to build one for your business, and more importantly, how to execute on it.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"\/us\/en\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Your company needs a customer self-service strategy\u2014here&#8217;s what to do\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"RingCentral Blog\",\"description\":\"Intelligent Communications\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"RingCentral\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ringcentral-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ringcentral-logo.png\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":309,\"caption\":\"RingCentral\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ringcentral\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/ringcentral\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ringcentral\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ringcentral\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/65a168321317ffd562e0d77745f1b358\",\"name\":\"RingCentral Team\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9a8d989fa7e72af5bd5cf487cf7080318b695de4be89de382c5e64305dd0249c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9a8d989fa7e72af5bd5cf487cf7080318b695de4be89de382c5e64305dd0249c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9a8d989fa7e72af5bd5cf487cf7080318b695de4be89de382c5e64305dd0249c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"RingCentral Team\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\"],\"url\":\"\/us\/en\/blog\/author\/ringcentral-team\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Your company needs a customer self-service strategy\u2014here's what to do | RingCentral","description":"Learn about customer self-service strategies, how to build one for your business, and more importantly, how to execute on it.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Your company needs a customer self-service strategy\u2014here's what to do","og_description":"Learn about customer self-service strategies, how to build one for your business, and more importantly, how to execute on it.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/","og_site_name":"RingCentral Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ringcentral","article_published_time":"2020-07-01T06:29:47+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-05-14T09:05:18+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/web_home_HOME_def.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"RingCentral Team","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ringcentral","twitter_site":"@ringcentral","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"RingCentral Team","Est. reading time":"16 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/"},"author":{"name":"RingCentral Team","@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/65a168321317ffd562e0d77745f1b358"},"headline":"Your company needs a customer self-service strategy\u2014here&#8217;s what to do","datePublished":"2020-07-01T06:29:47+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-14T09:05:18+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/"},"wordCount":3352,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","keywords":["customer experience","customer journey","customer self-service","customer service","CX","self-service"],"articleSection":["Business &amp; leadership"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/","url":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/","name":"Your company needs a customer self-service strategy\u2014here's what to do | RingCentral","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"","datePublished":"2020-07-01T06:29:47+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-14T09:05:18+00:00","description":"Learn about customer self-service strategies, how to build one for your business, and more importantly, how to execute on it.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/#primaryimage","url":"","contentUrl":""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"\/us\/en\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Your company needs a customer self-service strategy\u2014here&#8217;s what to do"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/","name":"RingCentral Blog","description":"Intelligent Communications","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#organization","name":"RingCentral","url":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ringcentral-logo.png","contentUrl":"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ringcentral-logo.png","width":2048,"height":309,"caption":"RingCentral"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ringcentral","https:\/\/x.com\/ringcentral","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ringcentral\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ringcentral"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/65a168321317ffd562e0d77745f1b358","name":"RingCentral Team","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9a8d989fa7e72af5bd5cf487cf7080318b695de4be89de382c5e64305dd0249c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9a8d989fa7e72af5bd5cf487cf7080318b695de4be89de382c5e64305dd0249c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9a8d989fa7e72af5bd5cf487cf7080318b695de4be89de382c5e64305dd0249c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"RingCentral Team"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com"],"url":"\/us\/en\/blog\/author\/ringcentral-team\/"}]}},"rc_img_url":null,"rcblog_by_author":"<a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/author\/ringcentral-team\/amp\" data-dl-events-click=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"link\"><span class=\"image\"><img src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9a8d989fa7e72af5bd5cf487cf7080318b695de4be89de382c5e64305dd0249c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\" alt=\"\" width=\"30\" height=\"30\" layout=\"fixed\"><\/img><\/span><span class=\"by-author-name\">RingCentral Team<\/span><\/a>","rc_author_full_name":"RingCentral Team","rc_author_avatar":"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/ringcentral-logo-new.png","rc_author_link":"\/us\/en\/blog\/author\/ringcentral-team\/amp","rc_post_categories":"<a href=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/category\/trending\/business-leadership\/amp\">Business &amp; leadership<\/a>","amp_link":"\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-self-service\/amp","excerpt_title":"Your company needs a customer self-service strategy\u2014here&...","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7861"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7861\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}