Many customers are turning to self-service to avoid some of the common – and frustrating – problems related to customer service: difficulty or inability to reach a live agent, the support representative lacking the knowledge or ability to resolve my case, and having to repeat or provide information multiple times. Self-service is a great solution for users to resolve their problems in their own time. In fact, Microsoft’s state of global customer service report found that 66% of customers try to solve their queries through self-service before engaging with a customer support representative.

While more and more customers choose to self-serve when they need help, gamers tend to gravitate towards self-help as a primary service because they are young, tech-savvy, and want fast solutions to their issues. The Entertainment Software Association’s 2020 Essential Facts About the Video Game Industry demonstrate that the vast majority of gamers (59%) belong to the younger age brackets – 21% of gamers are under 18 years old, while 38% are 18-34 years old.

Self-service is no longer just about convenience; it’s about optimizing the player experience. Enabling players to self-solve common issues is faster and it frees up time from the support agents to deal with less common and more sensitive errors in the game. Additionally, eliminating the need for gamers to contact support regarding common technical problems such as login issues and password recovery substantially reduces friction and frustration in the player experience.

How you can optimize self-service for your game

1.)  Start with a solid Knowledge Base. Use a tool like Zendesk Guide to create knowledge-based articles and keep them updated.

2.)  Use visuals. Screenshots or videos often makes it easier to understand for your players.

3.)  Analyze your top 10 issues on a regular basis to determine which ones can be solved by self-service. When needed, build self-service functionality into your game tools. The investment weighs up against the effort required to fix such problems manually, as it reduces frustration and allows players to get back into the game faster.

4.)  Stay away from bots unless your agents spend lots of time on repetitive issues and you have already taken steps 1 to 3 outlined above. Bots can help to gather information about the issue and recommend self-service solutions for repetitive issues. Our recommendation: don’t force bots upon your players. Always offer the option to connect with a live agent when players want to. Nothing is more frustrating than being stuck in a bot script when it is clear that the bot can’t help.

In Conclusion

When executed properly, self-service can work in the benefit of both studios and gamers. Allowing players to self-solve their problems enables your agents to spend more time on the complex issues, thus adding significantly more value when answering and solving players’ concerns. At the same time, players can retrieve the answers they seek faster, which allows them to return to their game sooner while having a much better player experience.

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