Optimize Support Efficiency with the Right Customer Engagement Strategy

By Tom Sweeny

Support delivery efficiency requires the optimized use of multiple support engagement methods.

So, what’s the answer?  What is the value of Support to the company?

Support Efficiency

Support Efficiency is the ability of a company to effectively guide customers towards adopting and successfully applying products to achieve their intended outcomes, using the most cost-effective methods.

This entails strategically balancing various support channels—including self-help, assisted support, and automation—to maximize engagement and resolution success at minimal costs.

While scalability and cost-efficiency are crucial, the paramount goal is to ensure customers receive the necessary support to realize the full value of their investments.

Interaction Channels

There are three interaction channels companies can use to engage customers: assisted, self-help, and automated. Assisted interactions involve direct human-to-human engagement. Self-help enables customers to independently access shared knowledge and resources. Automated interactions rely on intelligent systems to facilitate seamless exchanges between humans and technology or between systems.

Delivery Flows

Each delivery channel may be used to reactively or proactively engage with customers.  Reactive engagement is initiated by customers. Proactive engagement is initiated by the company.

Unlimited Engagement Use Cases

When interaction channels and delivery flows are combined you can deploy a variety of highly effective and cost efficient customer engagement methods.

Optimizing Support Efficiency with the Right Customer Engagement Channels

Optimizing Support Efficiency requires a balance between delivery costs and delivery effectiveness.  The costliest support methods – assisted engagement are the most effective.  The lowest cost delivery methods – automation and self-help – cost less per engagement but are not the most effective at resolving customer issues.

 

Recommendations

1.     Get Proactive

2.     Get Smart

3.     Target

4.     Automate

5.     Build Relationships

6.     Measure

For in-depth benchmarks, analysis and recommendations download the full report (see below).

REPORT: Optimizing Support Efficiency

Efficiency is a strategy—not just a cost target.

This study provides a practical framework for evaluating support engagement models, analyzing cost vs. volume trade-offs, and identifying the delivery methods that drive both efficiency and effectiveness at scale.

Download the study to optimize your support engagement strategy.

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Discover a modern measurement framework that links support effort to customer value and business outcomes across seven critical focus areas.

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