The role of customer service has evolved significantly over the years from answering customer queries with ‘the customer is always right’ motto to converging customer service and knowledge management to maximize the business value of knowledge within a company. Knowledge should be used as a company asset. Early-stage startup companies should understand this so when they build the foundation of the company, knowledge management is a core focal point. Knowledge management initiatives that are focused on corporate strategic business goals can provide significant ROI and long-term competitive advantage by improving the total customer experience.
As Forrester Research analyst Kate Leggett puts it—the right knowledge delivered at the right time during customer service resolution is crucial for successful interaction. Today, to maintain a unified customer approach, delivering consistent answers to customer queries in real-time is a struggle given the volume of corporate knowledge that customer service departments manage every day. Knowledge management systems typically capture information from documents and employees and store the knowledge in a database. However, often times these databases fail due to the enormous amount of work it requires from employees supporting the knowledge initiative. In addition, the information is often stored in various silos that make accessing it cumbersome and sometimes impossible. What are some knowledge management strategies that startup companies implement to manage vast amounts of knowledge rather than maintain knowledge in disconnected silos that could eventually turn customers away?
Some effective methods for implementing a knowledge management system are:
Analyst groups such as Gartner and Forrester have echoed the importance of knowledge management in call centers and customer service departments. Knowledge management ensures self-service for customers that is flexible, cost-effective and allows for a greater ROI without the need for additional staff. Understanding the need for self service, nanoRep, a customer service software company, developed a single knowledge management system for sales and support initiatives.
The system provides customers accurate answers in seconds, from a single knowledge base, that extends across multiple channels—including email, forums, live chat, and interactive widgets for mobile devices, websites and Facebook pages. The scalable, self-learning Q&A knowledge management software operates in 34 languages and answers up to 92 percent of customers’ questions, enabling more self-service for customers.
In today’s competitive landscape, converging customer service and knowledge management is a key component to ensuring a positive customer experience and a wiser strategic business plan.
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A serial entrepreneur, Herzlich has founded and served as CEO of a number of successful companies including Optibase (NASDAQ: OBAS), VCON (Euronext: VCON and acquired), Mediagate (assets acquired), Tricenet (acquired), and Cellex (privately owned). He also founded the STRIMM Consortium with seven companies. Doron holds a BSc. in Electrical Engineering from the Technion, in Israel.
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