As we’ve been discussing this week, self-service is all the rage lately. Who would have thought 30 years ago we'd be checking into airlines ourselves? And 50 years ago no-one thought we'd be pumping our own gasoline! But today we are "outsourcing to the customer" whatever and wherever we can - and it makes sense:
- The customer feels more "in control"
- The customer does not have to wait in lines
- The company saves money by reducing reliance on staff
If done right, customer portals can be a huge money saver while simultaneously improving the customer's experience. In case you missed our webcast yesterday with the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP), I encourage you to view it on demand, as Matt Lampe, CIO of LADWP, shares how their customers are more in control and they have realized immense results from implementing their self-service customer portal.