Simply put, consumers of today want a frictionless customer service experience. With this in mind, more and more companies are turning to collaborative self-service communities to empower their customers to help themselves, and others, quickly find the help and answers they are seeking.

Communities accomplish this by combining the value of traditional self-service portals with discussion forums. In years past, self-service sites have provided an online destination for customers to log support cases, search the company knowledge base, and access account information, among other tasks. But something was missing; a collaborative component.

The communities of the present take the self-service portal and add a social, peer-to-peer element. Customers can ask questions of each other, share ideas, and network. A big key to the success though is ensuring that the community is tied directly into the company’s central case management system. That way agents can also engage and answer questions when needed.

Keep reading for four ways communities support your customers, as well as your company:

1. Customers serve as a “tier 1 support” team

The peer-to-peer service communities provide enable your customers, who often possess superior product knowledge than you or your team anyway, to answer questions for each other.

2. Increased brand loyalty and revenue

Customers who can find answers to their questions easily tend to be more satisfied. This makes them more likely to work with your company again and to refer others via word-of-mouth. Both can translate into additional revenue for your business.

3. Customer service costs decrease

Because your customers are helping to answer product and service questions in self-service communities, this can mean less inbound inquiries for your business over expensive channels like the telephone.

4. Agents are free to focus on complex issues

The answers to frequently asked questions are easily found in communities. This allows your agents to put their time and energy into accurately resolving complex customer issues faster.

Learn more about communities, plus read additional ideas on offering incredible service by viewing this slideshare Customer Service: Beyond the Call Center:

Download the complimentary ebook 6 Secrets to Offering Exceptional Customer Service for advice on how to exceed customer expectations every time.