Have you ever stopped to think about what is self-service and the advantages it provides for companies and users?

We are talking about a Trend that is here to stay and that will be increasingly common in the retail trade.

Understand about self-service solutions and how to provide pleasant experiences for customers, is something that should always be in the sights of new entrepreneurs.

The businesses of the future must already be equipped with this type of solution.

To understand more about What is self-service and related issues, you just have to follow the article, in the topics below!

After all, what is self-service?

We can define self-service as a tool that Optimizes customer contact. With resources of this type, people have much more autonomy to carry out activities whenever and wherever they want, without depending on third parties.

Although this culture has started to develop in Brazil in recent years, it has been present in other countries for a long time. If you've ever traveled to the United States, know someone who vacationed in Orlando or paid attention to American movie scenes, you may have noticed that, for example, there are no gas station attendants there.

In the United States, gas stations are fully autonomous! It is the driver himself who needs to get out of the car and fill the tank of his vehicle, unlike Brazil, which has a professional to carry out this activity.

To pay for gas, the user must insert the credit card at the pump, which will charge automatically. All in a very quick and practical way!

Also read: Standalone convenience store: the new model is giving something to talk about

What are the different types of self-service?

In addition to understanding What is self-service, it is interesting to understand that there are different modalities of the solution. Next, we will briefly explain each one of them!

Self-service

It's very likely that you've already had lunch at a self-service restaurant, It's really not?

Here we see the same case as the example of American gas stations. It is a type of service in which the customer himself performs the service he needs.

In the case of the restaurant, it is the customer who goes to the buffet and fills the plate with the food they wish to eat. There is also the example of self-service laundries, common in the United States and which are beginning to gain strength in Brazil.

In this type of business, the customer pays to use the washing machines, places the parts in the equipment and waits for the cleaning process to be carried out.

Telephone self-service

O telephone self-service happens when the user uses the telephone to resolve a demand alone. If you have or have ever had a prepaid cell phone, you've certainly used this service a lot.

One of the ways to recharge your cell phone is to buy a card at establishments affiliated with the operators. After that, you must call the indicated number and enter the code printed on the paper.

All of this activity is done according to the commands given by a recording, without the user having contact with another person.

Chatbots

A artificial intelligence, through chatbots, a type of robot programmed to be attendants, is increasingly being used. This tool is used in chat apps, such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

When sending a message to company digital channels, the user is assisted by a robot, which is programmed to provide guidance so that problems can be solved without the intervention of another person.

What are the advantages of self-service?

Self-service offers advantages for companies and also for users. See the main ones below!

Reducing costs

For companies, understanding what self-service is and investing in this segment can represent a great reduction in costs.

It is necessary spend less on operational labor, considering that the clients themselves will carry out most of the activities.

Agility in service

Self-service is always very agile, considering that the user will carry out the activity on the spot, without having to wait for third parties.

When arriving at the gas station, for example, it is not necessary Wait for the gas station attendant End the service of another customer, since you can fill yourself with gas.

Availability for the customer

Since it will not be necessary to have operators, who generally work only in Business hours, self-service guarantees more availability for the customer.

The services can be performed at any time of the day, according to the needs of each person. After all, in contemporary society, not everyone has the same hours available.

How is self-service applied in retail?

When you discover what self-service is, you will see how it can be applied to retail and be a great business opportunity. This can be observed in the stand-alone stores of Onii.

With the use of technology, Onii provides customers with a practical and quality self-service, with different types of stores, which are arranged in areas with a large circulation of people, such as business and condominium courtyards, for example.

To open the stores, the customer needs download our app and generate a QR Code, which must be read on our smart locks. Once this is done, the door opens and the customer can choose the products they wish to purchase.

The purchased products must be scanned, using the bar code, through the app. At the checkout, simply click on a button and the charge is made using the registered credit card.

Do you understand what self-service is? Now you know how this innovative business model works! Therefore, when undertaking, be sure to consider it!

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