Self-service
When is self service going to get personal?
For many businesses the challenge is taking the ‘self’ out of self service. If self service is more about saving you money, you may get high adoption, but you won’t get the loyalty you may be looking for. Self service is often attractive as a way for many customers to bypass painful processes, people or que’s, and increasingly mobile base allows a new realm of service and access that customers can drive themselves. However you can’t offer true self service unless its a suite of options that are personally relevant to a range of customers. Only through understanding the goals and needs of your customers, and by balancing this with what makes the best sense for the business will you define where self service and a more personalised service experience are right for you and your customers. We predict customers will increasingly demand a service that is right for them, so for today's businesses the challenge is serving a niche of one on a mass scale.
MoreSelf-service
Self-service doesn’t mean no service
Most of the large projects we are working on now have some degree of self service element to them. There are advances in technology and competitive forces that drive this. But there also seem to be three reasons why this is so: cost efficiency by reducing labour costs; customer process efficiency or pure brand value. We think it’s important to not lose sight of the fact that in a self-service environment, staff need to be close at hand, either physically or virtually, for when things get sticky. Never get caught by thinking that if customers are self serving they don’t want or won’t need your help.
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Help yourself, we’ve earned it
I can turn things on and off, I can opt in and out, and increasingly, I can serve myself - and personalise that service. Whether it’s banking, travel bookings or tax returns - more and more things can be done by users. By steadfastly refusing all special mail offers, my own product or service experience is affected by only the directly relevant information I have provided. So what’s next? Customisation is the future most pundits identify - where the offer, product or service is made more relevant to my particular needs on the basis of my activity, location and so on. We assume that this customisation will be more potent when more relevant personal information is accessed or made available (by us) to brands, service providers and suppliers. The real question though is not so much what this customisation will look like but what businesses would you currently trust with that sort of information? What will they have to do to earn that level of intimacy?
MoreWhat Is Open?
Open is a forum for exploring Commercial Intimacy – by looking at what’s evolving in the worlds of consumers, and where this is both challenging and liberating for business.
Open’s goal is to examine trends, issues and innovation, plus be a forum for discussion within the broader topic of Commercial Intimacy.
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Who Is DNA?
DNA is 55+ people, 4 disciplines, 2 locations, 21 years old and always curious.
We are insight-led, we question and challenge until we get to the heart of what will deliver the most intimate experiences for your customers in the most valuable and sustainable way for your business.
We have expertise in research, strategy, digital, retail, brand, product development, integrated marketing and internal and external communications. We design great brands; create innovative digital and interactive solutions, retail experiences to take customer intimacy and engagement to new levels – all of which we view within the context of Commercial intimacy.
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