What exactly is a KMS?
Knowledge management is a continuous process of producing, using, managing and sharing information and data of an enterprise or organization with a view of having the right information and knowledge at the right time. A knowledge management system, simply put, provides knowledge and information that is meant to be used by employees in ways that add value to the overall customer experience.
An organization’s Knowledge Management Solution comprises of Knowledge Management Software like:
- Informational and knowledge database
- On-site FAQ pages
- Webinars and training programs
- CRM databases
- Informational content like white papers, case studies, etc.
The solutions initiated by KMS have three common characteristics (How it’s currently done):
- Critical Knowledge Identification|
Successful Customer Support can be delivered by identifying what type of data and information is of utmost significance to the business structured as workflows. This is done so the business can align its tools, support systems and processes.
- Accumulation, storage and consolidation of information
Once the goal is established, a business or enterprise must develop or build the right kind of tools to gather, document and store the information.
- Sharing information, data and knowledge among staff and users.
The information and data must be saved in a format and stored in a location that can be easily accessed by users. KMS facilitates effective customer service by granting access to service, product and customer information to agents and staff. And the accessibility of this information to the right resources at the right point coming in handy has to be set up. Ergo no matter which customer representative a customer interacts with, he or she will always be met with consistent solutions, answers and information.
Why is Knowledge Management Solution required in CX
A strong and efficient knowledge management system can help companies offer their customers a streamlined experience in a variety of ways. And providing customers with knowledge and information when and where they require it, is a key component of exceptional customer experience.
Most companies gather and accumulate enormous amounts of customer-based information that takes a lot of time and effort to access and navigate through. But with a Knowledge Management Solution in place, a business or company can save a lot of time and effort as all the data and information is properly stored and consolidated, making it simple to access and use. KMS involves compiling various kinds of information and customer-based data across different points of contact. This further benefits customer-facing staff to get a detailed view of the customer’ history, concerns, preferences, etc which enables the staff to assist them better. It also makes it easier for customers to find information and solutions through self-serve platforms, allowing agents to perform more complex tasks.
KMS is essential for a company focused on building honest information about its customers that gives the company a competitive edge and places it ahead of its competitors.
How does KMS improve customer service and relationships?
Knowledge Management Solution is an integral part of customer relations management.
Through KMS, an organization can track the quality and number of calls, questions and emails that have been resolved. It can also narrow down the frequency of calls and issues that are frequently discussed. This way the business can get a bigger picture of the customer-agent interaction, allowing them to make informed decisions and necessary improvements.
The following are three ways that Customer Service can be improved with a Knowledge Management System.
- Knowledge Management Solutions enable Self-Service
With KMS comes the opportunity for customers to explore self-serve which further increases their customer satisfaction. For example, an FAQ page or a conversational chatbot on the website helps customers get the answers they require in a timely manner, eliminating the need to interact with an agent. According to a survey conducted by Superoffice recently, 70% of shoppers or customers expect a company website to include self-serve options.
- Knowledge Management Solutions streamlines processes across the organization
A proper Knowledge Management Solution is essential for creating alignment within various teams in an organization. From a practical perspective, this engagement involves:
- Building workflows with roles and responsibilities across organisational silos.
- Allowing opportunities to interact across organizational silos.
- Aligning employees, staff and teams towards the business’ overall customer support goals.
Using an effective and collaborative KMS facilitates faster communication with a clearer view of the flow of actionable commands and updates often culminating in an improved CX.
- Consistent delivery of knowledge across all channels
Customers expect seamless and consistent solutions to their problems and queries across any and all channels, be it, email, voice, live chat, self-service or agent interaction. KMS equips agent tools and customer self-service tools with the same knowledge and information that can be uniformly delivered to customers and agents.
KMS enables customers to find solutions to their problems or questions quickly and efficiently, allowing them to view or access the same information by optimizing it for any digital device. Companies with the help of KMS that are equipped with superior analytical capabilities can track the effectiveness of their knowledge base that helps in delivering relevant data and intel. This comprehension further enables them to promote and match each query or question to the best answer or solution that will be deemed satisfactory by the user or listener.
To sum up
Prioritizing knowledge management not only enhances customer relations but also aids in refining the customer journeys, agent performance improvisation and the delivery architecture especially in the fields of customer support or telesales.