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KANA's Knowledge Management: a Single, Unified Platform to Service Customer Needs

By Susan J. Campbell, TMCnet Contributing Editor

It’s no secret that when customers reach out to contact centers, they want quick solutions. If your agents are consistently uttering the phrase, “Do you mind if I put you on hold while I check the system?” your data management platform is working against you and not for you. With the right knowledge management solution in place, you can avoid such headaches.

The longer customers wait on the line, the more irritated they become, and your customer satisfaction scores are likely to reflect that.  The service that agents provide to customers is directly impacted by the underlying system used to generate results. KANA’s Knowledge Management program helps agents quickly find the answers they need as it presents data contextually, enabling queries to be more specific and productive.

Even the best agents can get flustered when their data resources are not performing up to par – a standard that ultimately will be defined and graded by the customer. Add to that customer irritation, and it may be impossible to reach a first call resolution. Seasoned agents may cook up ways to bypass poor systems or eventually do what we all do at home – turn to our trusty friend, Google (News - Alert). However, those reps who haven’t had as much experience might simply be stuck saying, “Do you mind if I put you on hold while I check the system?”

Certainly having expert agents helps, but providing them the right tools to make their job easier is where service has the potential to go from good to great. KANA’s Knowledge Management solution empowers all reps to perform as specialists – without having to make huge investments that come with lengthy training. 

Just because agents have access to a database of relevant knowledge doesn’t mean that they will be able to take care of the customer. The real power lies in being able to quickly extract the right information from the database. Data resources must be incorporated into service processes to minimize search time.

KANA’s Knowledge Management doesn’t rely on keyword searches, which can return an overabundance of results, some vague or irrelevant. Taking time to sift through all that information is costly on two fronts – increasing agent handling time and negatively impacting customer service.

Knowledge Management is effective because it takes a different approach. It makes knowledge readily available through a unified foundation that incorporates all relevant resources. Then, instead of relying on keyword searches, it leverages a contextual search to produce the most precise response, fast.

Essentially, all information known about a customer such as purchase history, customer lifetime value, and type of query are factored together to determine customer intent. This information is then used to forward the customer to appropriate channel, be it a self-service menu or live rep. The result is a richer customer experience, enhanced efficiency, and lower costs.




Edited by Stefanie Mosca