Customer Self Care vs. Customer Self Service

Where we spend our time, “customer self care” is a term that means something. To us, to our clients, to those in the telecommunications/IT/software industry, “customer self care” means a portal through which customers can care for themselves (i.e. a customer portal). But beyond our world, “customer self care” doesn’t always mean very much. Beyond our world, “self service” and “customer self service” seem to make more sense.

What is “self service”?

When we think of “self service”, we think of this:

An Automat.

Automats were the first vending machines. Born in the 1900s, automats originally served simple hot meals to customers. They eliminated the need for a cashier and offered a non-intrusive browsing experience. The reason why we, here at Sorriso, wanted to steer away from the automat experience is because we feel it connotes “no service”.

While we know today’s customers prefer to enjoy a non-intrusive browsing experience much like the automat provided, we also know that modern technology makes it possible for the casual browsing experience to also be an engaging and intuitive one. We want our clients’ customers to know how much their companies care about them.

Customers today know a company cares about them when they feel they’ve been provided a personalized and thoughtful experience. And that’s what we help companies do: provide their customers with a personalized and thoughtful digital experience.

What do you think more accurately describes an effective, personalized customer experience where a customer can quickly find answers to their own questions? Customer Self Care? Or Customer Self Service?

Originally published at www.sorrisotech.com on May 13, 2015.