How Knowledge Management Benefits in Customer Service?

With 40% of customer interactions only on the web, companies are reporting measurable reductions in phone inquiries. Knowledge management systems are helping employers work on advanced programs while keeping customer satisfaction as a priority. 

With a KMS in place, organizations can solve customer queries faster and without burning out employees. Moreover, customers may provide some solutions that an organization would not have figured out. This is possible as a KMS facilitates customer interaction and works on user feedback. 

Top 3 Ways Knowledge Management Systems Benefit Customer Service 

Let us try and understand how knowledge management benefits customer service.

1. Saves Time 

Many times customers don’t wish to talk to a customer support executive to get their queries resolved. One of the most effective ways to help customers is to provide them with documentation that can help solve their questions. They will not need to wait in a phone queue if they can search for answers online.

Also, using a KMS reduces the number of support requests and the workload of the customer support team. Moreover, an online help center is always open and available 24/7. Be it any time of the day, the knowledge management system will be there to help. 

Also, answering simple how-to questions will reduce the time spent on interacting with customers. This time can be used in improving other processes and learning new skills.

2. Promotes Self-service

As per a report by Forrester, the web and self-service have overtaken all forms of help, leaving behind phone and email. Also, customers following the FAQs on a company’s website increased from 67% in 2012 to 81% in 2015.

There is a limited amount of information that can be conveyed on the phone. Knowledge management systems allow organizations to compile different resources and provide an exhaustive knowledge base.

To keep customers happy support teams can provide an easy-to-use online help center. Moreover, each customer will have his/her preferred way of learning. It can through blogs, videos, or images. Providing these options in a help center will make sure that no customer is left without help.

Also, with knowledge management systems agents don’t need to draft out long emails. They can just link the customer to the right resource in the knowledge system.

All these practices help save time and encourage customers to help themselves in the long run.

3. Detailed and Organized Documentation 

With time folders become messy and it becomes difficult to store information in an organized manner. A knowledge management system helps in identifying out-of-date articles and updating them with new information. Moreover, when the knowledge database is organized, customers can easily search for the required information.

Knowledge management systems also have rating systems in place. With the help of these systems, customers can tell the support team about articles that are no longer helpful. 

Subsequently, the resource team can have a look at it and make improvements. Thus, a KMS ensures that there is no out-of-date information, and only the relevant and updated information is available to customers.

With several knowledge management systems in the market, it becomes difficult to choose the right one. 

Organizations must have a thorough look at the team’s present and future requirements and then make a decision. Since there is a significant cost and time involved, enterprises must choose a solution that grows with the team and customer base. 

Here are some of the aspects companies must consider before investing in knowledge management software. 

1. Employee Needs 

Organizations need to understand how employees will use knowledge management systems. While some employees may benefit from an easy-to-understand user interface, but still require training for using them. On the other hand, some of the employees may like to dive deep and need more extensive features. 

Any cloud-based solution will be accessible from a phone or a tablet. However, some of them may be better than others. Organizations must be able to use the system with an application or operating system(OS) of their choice. Only when the employees are satisfied, they can look after the customers well.

2. Provides relevant Information 

A knowledge management system must deliver quick and relevant information to users. The user can be a team member or customer. For example, a KMS can have two tiers of information, one for the workers and the second for the team leaders. 

The first tier needs to provide the most relevant information quickly and the second tier will provide more detailed information. Moreover, for the customer base, the system must account for spelling errors and typos and then provide the required information.

3. Data & Security Compliance

Security is a big concern for all organizations. There are many safety and privacy regulations, companies must comply with. Several knowledge management systems meet these regulations so that organizations can focus on their work. 

Before buying a KMS, companies need to make sure it provides security and encryption. 

4. User Feedback 

Customers should be able to leave comments on articles and actively participate in discussions. Moreover, they should easily be able to rate the articles. Organizations must ensure that the KMS provides ample features to discuss on and improve the information stored in the system. 

5. Uses AI

Some knowledge management systems are actively using artificial intelligence (AI) to stay a step ahead of search engines. AI bots direct the user to the exact page based on its understanding of language. Moreover, if the AI bot cannot answer questions, it will direct the question to the right staff.

Companies investing in an AI bot can add-on to their knowledge base and increase their productivity as they are not distracted by small interruptions. This will help in quick customer complaint resolution and build customer loyalty. 

Investing in a knowledge management system brings in a host of benefits for customers and employees. Small, mid-sized, and large scale organizations are tapping into knowledge systems to improve customer relations and streamlining business operations. 

Did we miss out on any aspect? Let us know in the comments section below!