Bring knowledge to customer service

Call Center Solutions, Jul 1999 by Kessler, Alan

"Knowledge is power."

In the business world, this simple dictum is repeated so often that we take it on faith to be true. With the secret of power thus revealed, now all we have to do is figure out what knowledge is.

"Knowledge" is a trendy term for business intelligence. In the techno-vernacular of the 1990s, knowledge refers to the wealth of information that is gathered by a company's employees and made available to everyone, both internal and external, who can use it. The collection, archiving and merchandising of thousands, perhaps millions, of pieces of data is commonly known as "knowledge management" or KM.

KM is more than just a fad. While it can sometimes be challenging and costly to implement, KM enables companies to leverage useful information across the enterprise. The enormous upside of such an effort is a dramatic increase in efficiency and productivity everywhere this knowledge is put to use.

KM Strengthens Customer Service

By definition, corporate knowledge is a cooperative resource. The ability to share or "reuse" strategic information places a team, department or entire enterprise "on the same page." Drawing intelligence from a common pool also ensures a higher degree of efficiency, accuracy and consistency.

Customer service - particularly service geared to users of technical products - is one of the business functions that is most enhanced by knowledge management. A look at the typical pre-KM technical service call center shows a support team faced with a daily barrage of wideranging inquiries. Each team member brings a specific set of skills and expertise to the job - skills that may or may not match the customer's concern. Likely, each also has a distinct manner of addressing issues and explaining solutions. Some approaches will be more appropriate to certain inquiries than others.

When KM is applied to such operations, the results can be striking. Today, product and support knowledge is being captured and managed in automated, online databases available not only to service personnel in home and field offices, but also to customers wishing to take advantage of "self-service" support options. Utilizing the World Wide Web and/or company Intranets as distribution conduits, online support services provide a common, accessible, convenient informational tool. With these resources now at their disposal, support staff can identify and convey solutions in a fast, accurate and uniform manner, shortening the customer-support cycle and delivering a higher caliber of service.

Automated Service Spreads Knowledge. Cuts Costs

In the information technology business, where highly technical solutions may be difficult or impossible to deliver verbally, a knowledge-based Web service is fast becoming an industry imperative. Because a vendor's technical service engineers, channel partners and customers can all access a resource of this kind, the resulting solution is assured of being consistent and correct, time and time again.

This is where the aggregation of knowledge comes into play. A well-constructed online service program incorporates the input of experts in the production, use, functionality and replacement of the products being supported. Such a process ensures that all the information imparted to the user is well-organized, complete and effectively presented. When executed correctly, an electronic support service enables a vendor to capture specialized intelligence, communicate it effectively and distribute it instantaneously to users around the world. In this way, vendors are able to increase the accessibility and functionality of the knowledge they possess. Customer service divisions offering an Internet-based program as part of the customer support mix are typically able to operate more profitably than those offering phone support only. Because online support vehicles enable customer self-service and promote a high degree of solution reuse, they create an efficiency that translates into a lower cost per solution.

The same is true for users of knowledge-based support services. Customers using automated support save time, resolve problems and, therefore, save money. These time and cost savings result from two factors, both due to the immediate and accessible nature of the Internet:

1) Solutions are instantly available at customers' fingertips, saving much of the time they might have spent waiting for and receiving telephone support.

2) Customers have access to support during off-hours, when network demands are lightest, thereby extending system uptime and improving company productivity.

Following the time/cost-reduction assertion to its logical conclusion, consider that reining-in the cost of technical support allows a manufacturer to manage the cost of product ownership and operation for its customers. An increased return on investment further contributes to a customer's profitability and competitiveness, and fortifies his or her sense of vendor satisfaction.

KM Support Shifts Call Center Focus

Among other benefits, knowledgebased support systems play a key role in reducing the volume of inquiries received at the call center. This is because many of the issues once raised in phone calls are now easily addressed by a knowledge-based system. As a result, telephone support engineers are able to spend more time working with customers on intricate issues that demand more specialized attention. On extended calls, support representatives' ability to explore customers' questions in detail permits them to offer proactive insights that maximize the value of support and identify possible performance issues in the future.