Self-service portals and queue management systems

• Customer portals: customers view and manage their accounts, pay, update details and track orders.
• Knowledge bases and FAQs: answers customers can search. See knowledge management.
• Online booking: appointments booked, changed and cancelled without a call.
• Digital forms and workflows: claims, requests and complaints that route themselves and update the customer.
• Communities: customers helping each other, moderated by your team.
• Retail queue management: check-in and virtual queues for in-person service.

For AI self-service on the phone and in chat, see CX automation and AI and IVR and routing.

A queue management system replaces the physical line. Customers check in, get a place in the queue and wait where they like, then get called when it's their turn.

• Tickets and screens: customers take a number and watch a display. Simple and reliable.
• Kiosks: customers choose the reason for their visit, so they reach the right person.
• SMS and virtual queues: customers can leave and come back when they get a message.
• Appointments and walk-ins together: both served in the right order.
• Wait time data: reports on arrivals, waits and service times to plan staff.

They're used in retail stores, pharmacies, banks, telco stores, healthcare and government service centres.

• Solve the real need: self-service that fails sends customers to your contact centre more frustrated.
• Keep a clear path to a person on every channel.
• Keep content current: out-of-date answers create contacts.
• Measure resolution, not avoidance: check whether customers who self-served contacted you again.
• Learn from failures: unanswered searches show what to fix next.