Self-service hasn’t always had the best reputation.
Static and stale FAQs? Check. Zero personal touch or context? Double check. And when those avenues didn’t work, the backup “plan” was to funnel already frustrated customers into the support queue or into the abyss of their Customer Success Managers’ inboxes.
Needless to say, it wasn’t a great situation. Thankfully, self-service is growing up as companies ditch the traditional self-service motions and embrace in-app guidance, on-demand academies, and peer-to-peer online communities.
The result? Customers feel empowered to tackle challenges and find answers on their own, while customer-facing teams have the space to focus on initiatives that move the needle.
As Courtney Hauser, Gainsight’s VP of Customer Experience & CS Operations shared during our webinar on digital self-service solutions, “Self-service is game-changing for digitally expanding CS.” She’s spot on because you can achieve these benefits without increasing costs.
Let’s take a closer look at the self-service transformation and what it means for the future.
Beyond the Forum: Creating a Community That Empowers
Let’s be real: Communities, at least in their 2008 form, have always felt like a check-the-box thing thrown up to deflect a few tickets and save a few bucks. But today, communities are evolving into something more impactful. They’re no longer just places where customers seek answers; they’re dynamic spaces where customers connect, learn, and grow together.
As Kenneth Refsgaard, Gainsight Manager of Community Strategy & Programs, explained on the webinar with Courtney, “Communities used to be about support…It was that one use case. It was about ticket deflection. It was about cost reduction.”
But now? “They’re addressing more use cases, like product education, best practices, networking, and events,” he shared.
And when communities serve a greater purpose, the results are measurable—and here’s proof: Our research found that customers actively engaged in The Gainsight Community had 3% higher Gross Retention Revenue (GRR) than those with little to no engagement. Meanwhile, highly engaged customers expanded at a 2.2x higher rate than their less engaged counterparts.
CData Software, known for simplifying enterprise data connection, integration, and automation of enterprise data, also saw community-driven benefits, saving more than $650K in customer support costs by deflecting tickets. Well done!
This kind of impact doesn’t happen by chance, though. It’s the result of intentional, data-driven growth, often starting with something simple, like a product discussion forum, and growing strategically to account for your customer and product’s evolving needs.
The secret? Tracking metrics that give you insight into how your community drives impact, and then using those insights to scale by replicating what works—think expanding popular discussion topics and rewarding top contributors to increase engagement.
Customer Education: The Secret to Self-Sufficiency
A well-trained customer isn’t just self-sufficient—they’re a power user who’s engaged, confident, and ready to unlock your product’s true potential.
As Lila Meyer, Director of Global Education Services at Gainsight, noted during the webinar, “A trained customer relies far less on support for basic issues, which allows them to focus on achieving their outcomes.”
And the impact is measurable, with our research showing that trained Gainsight administrators achieve a 51% higher expansion ARR per account than non-trained administrators. Meanwhile, trained admins also have a 3X higher average healthy active user score—proof that education fuels individual and business growth.
The secret to scaling this kind of success lies in delivering academy content that feels effortless and relevant every step of the way.
Do that with self-paced content that empowers your customers to learn on their terms. Build on that with targeted learning paths that address their immediate need, and then tie everything together with certificates that give your customers a sense of accomplishment.
In-app Guidance: Supporting Your Customers in Their Natural Workflow
In-app guidance is the quiet powerhouse of digital self-service. The unsung hero, if you will, that delivers proactive support directly in your product, right when customers need it.
As Lane Holt, former Director of Customer Success at Gainsight shared during the webinar, “The first time a user logs in is critical…with guides and walkthroughs, we can make them feel welcome and ensure they know where to start.”
Lane highlighted the importance of in-app guidance during moments of change. “When we make updates to the platform, the last thing we want is for users to ask, ‘Where do I find this now?’ Providing clear guidance and linking to community resources and educational content ensures users feel supported and not disrupted,” she emphasized.
Like all self-service initiatives, scaling in-app guidance requires a strategic and customer-first approach that guides customers at different stages of life journey:
- First-time customers have a clear starting point and feel confident navigating your product for the first time.
- Returning customers remain supported when workflows or features evolve.
- Advanced customers can uncover new capabilities and level up their product usage without frustration.
The key to in-app success relies on your ability to monitor key metrics—like how often guides are used, how many customers complete them, and what actions they take immediately afterward—you can identify which in-app guidance drives the most value and where you can make adjustments.
For example, low completion rates may point to an unnecessarily complex guide, while one with high engagement could spotlight where customers need more support (and maybe assistance from community or education content).
Bringing It All Together With a Self-Service Symphony
Community, education, and in-app guidance shouldn’t exist in siloes—they should all serve as the building blocks of a unified digital self-service strategy that delivers real customer and business impact.
But this alignment doesn’t happen by accident, or overnight. It requires planning, smart technology, and a relentless commitment to improving.
Whether that’s using AI to find efficiencies, like creating courses for your academy or using data to refine community workflows, every self-service piece needs to work in harmony to push your customers to the expected outcomes.
As Courtney, Kenneth, Lila, and Lane will all tell you, digital self-service isn’t about cutting corners and doing less. It’s about empowering customers to achieve more. And when done well, digital self-service not only empowers your customers but also gives your teams the bandwidth to focus on what really matters—at scale.
Learn More
Hungry for more self-service content? Check out our blog, Introducing New Strategies to Scale Your Business: Empowering Customers with Self-Service.
