Proven Strategies to Improve Customer Effort Score for PC Manufacturers

noHold's 18+ years of experience, and long standing customers in a variety of industries (including PC) have given us insider knowledge when it comes to what companies can do to better support customer efforts. Diego Ventura, CEO of noHold, took some time to look into the PC industry, and determined a few key pointers that will help improve Customer Effort Scores (CES). 

For more information about noHold please visit, www.nohold.com

Virtual Agents Can Provide 'How To' Videos for Visual Learners

Last week, we talked about embedding surveys into Virtual Agent solutions to encourage users to complete a survey by making it more fun and interactive. The same concept about embedding surveys into Virtual Agents can be applied for 'How To' videos, as well.  

It is estimated that about 65% of the entire population are visual learners (Prime Infographics). Most people prefer to see how something is done rather than read about it. Knowing this, we need to adapt self-service support solutions to include options for all types of learners.  

Take the video above for example. In this video, by Donald Bell from CNET, he demonstrates how to take your old PC data and store it in the cloud. Since this is a hot topic now, a lot of people will be asking, "How do you do this?" Explaining this process through text only can be confusing to some and a bit lengthy, but adding a 'How To' video into the Virtual Agent solution, it offers supplementary information that can aid in the support process. In addition, the Virtual Agent makes finding videos much easier than traditional search. By positioning the video as part of a solution, end users can play a short clip and visualize how to fix their problem. 

Here is an example of a Virtual Agent that provided the answer to a question AND a supplementary instruction video. 

Note: In this example, the Virtual Agent being used is SalesAdvisor. A Virtual Agent designed to educate, advise, and cross-sell to prospective customers in real-time. 

How does your company make it easy for customers to find video solutions? Does typical search retrieve a list of potential solutions where the customer has to 'guess' which visual is the answer to his/her questions? 

www.nohold.com

Throwback Thursday: Heading Towards a Mobile-Only Generation

Photo Credit: thisdayintechhistory.com

One of the leading PC manufacturers celebrated its 30 year anniversary of its inception on May 3^rd. Dell Computer Corporation was founded by Michael Dell. He ran his direct-to-order PC Company from his dorm room, and now is one of the top PC manufacturers of the world (thisdayintechhistory.com).

In today’s market, more and more Internet users are switching strictly to mobile devices. “According to Pew Internet, 55 percent of Americans said they’d used a mobile device to access the Internet in 2012. A surprisingly large number — 31 percent — of these mobile Internet users say that’s the primary way they access the web. This is a large and growing audience whose needs aren't being met by traditional desktop experience” (The Rise of the Mobile-User Only).

It looks like mobile-only users are becoming the norm. Maybe because they prefer the light-weight, ease of access that a mobile device provides them with. A mobile friendly Virtual Agent can provide users with that same light-weight, intuitive experience they want. Companies must be able keep up with the demands of all consumers, including mobile users. 

What is your company doing to accommodate mobile-only users? How do you optimize typical customer service and support options for mobile devices? 

www.nohold.com 

Business Case: Leading PC Manufacturers Enhance Interactive Self-Service and Reach an Average 850% ROI Per Month

In 1983, Steve Jobs and a few others filled a time capsule and buried it at the Aspen International Design Conference. Over 3 decades later, the show Diggers helped organizers finally uncover the buried treasure. The unveiling of the time capsule will be aired on the National Geographic’s channel, February 25.

One of the items in the time capsule is the Lisa mouse. This mouse is considered to be a significant part of tech history. “Jobs used it at the conference where he predicted many innovations we use today. He envisioned the future of computers and the Internet, the creation of the App Store, wireless networking and other Apple technologies.” (Steve Jobs Time Capsule Finally Uncovered After 30 Years) Thanks to the innovation of the Lisa mouse, it has set the bar high for top PC manufacturers to provide cutting edge technology to their consumers. The inception of the box mouse “Lisa”, helped lead to innovations like the wireless mouse, touchpads, touch screen/tablet, holographic keyboard, and much more. 

Virtual Agents are also making an impact on tech history. Companies in today’s market are utilizing automated self-service tools for more than just support . Since the conception of the Internet of Everything, noHold Connect Virtual Agent’s advanced technology allowing them to communicate with multiple Virtual Agents (noHold Connect), providing a “butler” to keep users connected to all their devices from a single User Interface (UI).   

Here is an example of one of the top 3 PC manufacturers who is also recognized as a company that develops, sells, repairs computers and related products and services. The company began using a Virtual Agent to provide a better customer experience. This company wanted to gain insight into the top issues their customers were inquiring about and be able to solve these issues. Instead of using a standard approach to self-service and offering a long list of articles with answers to an infinite number of questions, they implemented an “empty” VA (EZintel) to keen in on what customers were having the most trouble with. After understanding the questions through reporting analysis, they began providing interactive and diagnostic solutions (InstantSupport) across multiple product lines (printers, mobile devices, gaming, etc.). In addition, integrating the Virtual Agent with their existing support ecosystem has reduced the need for human intervention. By preempting live chat with the VA, customers have the opportunity to get a quick answer through the VA before engaging a live agent. As a result, the company recently reported a chat avoidance metric of 11%. Using this front line technology has saved companies hundreds of thousands of dollars. Companies in the PC industry report an average ROI of 850%.

Times have definitely changed since the Lisa mouse, but the constant need to innovate is timeless. There will always be a new way to do things, but adapting is key to staying competitive and successful. What do you think the next big technology break through will be? What would you want in your time capsule?   

www.nohold.com

Throwback Thursday: Best Practices for Troubleshooting

Happy Throwback Thursday!

A recent deployment of a Virtual Agent integrating with a troubleshooter got me thinking about the progression of troubleshooting and how it has enhanced over the years.

Circa 2010, noHold created a modem troubleshooting Virtual Agent that  incorporated the knowledge from top modem providers...a sort of all in one Virtual Agent. It would be a place for consumers to go to find problems with any of their devices. This product was directed toward telecommunication companies by providing them with a way to support their consumers know matter what company their modem is from. For example, if someone is having a problem with their modem, they can type to the Virtual Agent, "I am having problems with my modem," and the Virtual Agent would respond with a list of modem brands for you to pick the correct model. This Modem Troubleshooter was made possible by Confederated Knowledge. Here is a screenshot of the modem troubleshooter powered by noHold.

In today's market, a global leader providing digital products, services and solutions, including industry-leading laptops, tablets, HDTVs, Blu-ray Disc™ and media streaming products and much more integrated Virtual Agent technology with their troubleshooting solution.  

The Challenge: The company built a flash troubleshooting solution, but noticed many users abandoned the tool, and they did not know why.

The Answer:  A Virtual Agent!  They added an “Other” option to the flash troubleshooter where end users can type in the issue in their own terms.  This launches the virtual agent, which can report on the user queries AND provide solutions.

Here's a sample of how the troubleshooter offers the Virtual Agent as an option.

Whether a Virtual Agent is being used as a troubleshooter or a compliment to leverage troubleshooting, it is a great asset to any company's customer support program. 

Cheers!