Mobile users are increasingly leveraging self-serve customer service content such as forums, with 26 percent of customers accessing this kind of content from their phones during the second-quarter of 2013, up from 17 percent, according to a report from Zendesk.

With mobile users expecting to find information with just a few swipes of a touch screen, companies are trying to address the growth by offering self-service that is just as good on a small screen as it is on desktop. Industries such as media and social media are seeing the highest levels of mobile self-service usage.

?While the idea that consumers are increasingly using their mobile phones for customer service may come as no surprise, the Zendesk report found that consumers are increasingly opting for self-service options on mobile, such as forums and frequently-asked questions, over traditional customer service offerings,? said Sam Boonin, research lead and vice president of products at Zendesk, San Francisco.

?The percentage of users accessing self-service content from their mobile devices has grown by a staggering 50 percent over the last year, indicating that customers are increasingly preferring to assist themselves on-the-go rather than seek help from an agent,? he said.

The right tools
The percentage of customers accessing self-service content from their smartphones is 84 percent for media and 57 percent for social media.

Industries with the lowest customer preference for mobile include finance and insurance services, where only 11 percent of customers are accessing self-service content via mobile, education with 10 percent and software with 10 percent.

The report also found that globally, for every four people helping themselves in forums and communities, one is submitting a request, resulting in a Self-Service Score of 4.1. The score represents the number of customers using self-service tools such as online forums and communities for every customer submitting a request for support.

?Consumers are increasingly seeking assistance through self-service options on their mobile phones, i.e. forums, frequently-asked questions, etc.,? Mr. Boonin said. ?In order to keep up with the growing demand for self-service options, companies must address the need and provide tools that allow customers to help themselves.?

Customer satisfaction
Overall, customer satisfaction is on the rise after more than a year in decline, according to the report. For the second quarter of 2013, the average customer satisfaction rating reached 81 percent - a jump of 3 percentage points from the prior quarter - its highest level since the first quarter of 2012.

?One of the most surprising findings was the rate at which mobile adoption for support is taking off ? this quarter, 26 percent of self-service users were on mobile compared to just 17 percent the year before,? Mr. Boonin said.

?Additionally, the media and telecommunication industry tops the chart for mobile usage this quarter, while industries with traditionally highly personalized requests, such as financial & insurance services, reported extremely low mobile percentages,? he said.

?However, not all industries are keen to adopt the trend, with an overwhelming majority of Web hosting customers still seeking customer service via computer over mobile phones or other devices.?

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York