trustedanswer.com: Why eSupport? - What the Experts are Saying

"Organizations that do not exploit the self-service capabilities of the Web . . . will find themselves stuck in a losing battle against costs."
Acquiring a new customer costs four to six times more than retaining an existing one. Therefore, reducing customer defections by as little as 10 to 15 percent can actually double profits, according to the Harvard Business Review.
"Service centers require significant resources—accordingly, IDC recommends empowering the customer with self-service before extending a service center option. Service centers have traditionally been at the heart of relationship management, but on the Internet, they are simply one aspect of the overall strategy."
Data from the Help Desk Institute gauges the cost of the average call center incident at about $25, as opposed to $1-2 on the web, where 50 to 70 percent of the most common questions can be easily resolved.
"Customer self-service is essential for keeping costs down and keeping satisfaction levels high; no one wants to waste time trying to find the answer to a simple question or the status of an order if the process can be automated."