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| Source: Wikimedia, Integrationrocks |
Today’s customer
service requirements are getting ever more complicated for businesses.
Customers encountering problems increasingly rely on self-help. Customers may start looking for solutions by
searching on Google, on community sites,
or inside a mobile app. A logical starting
point depends on the device and application, as well as personal preferences.
The bottom line is:
customers want to get to their solution as quickly and easily as possible, and
they do not want to change their habits and preferences in order to reach
support.
Many companies run
several customer service applications that support different channels, each
with a separate knowledge base (KB) subsystem. These may include a support
application for an ecommerce site, some general help pages on the company web
site, and FAQs on a mobile application.
For internal purposes,
there might even be an Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system with
information for contact agents to use but that are not published externally.
Of course the normal
situation for a service agent is to work on more than one channel. This means
that depending on the nature of the inquiry, agents need to use and update
multiple knowledge bases. This results in additional, redundant work and
information. Furthermore, information gets easily out of sync—resulting in
confusion.
Similarly, customers
need to navigate through different knowledge bases and FAQs.
Apart from being highly
inefficient and ineffective, this has an impact on both employee satisfaction
and customer satisfaction. It leads to frustration because customers who do not
find their solution need to relay the same information multiple times, and they
could be put on hold while the agents research different databases, or are
transferred to other agents ad nauseam.
The solution to this
particular problem could be very simple.
Many companies do not
only have a main CRM system that holds their compiled user information, but
also a knowledge base system that is attached or connected to it. Every CRM
system that is worth its weight in gold has an integrated one. Many larger
companies also have a more powerful Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system.
As a best of breed
vendor, Helpshift has its own specialized knowledge base as part of its SDK.
This knowledge base is entirely accessible through the mobile app, which is
part of its core strength. It contributes to a seamless in-app experience.
When used in concert
with an ECM, both subsystems can remove the friction and frustrations mentioned
above. The secret lies in connecting the two knowledge bases so that they work
as one.
There are three basic
ways to achieve this.
1. Merging the user
interfaces and providing an enterprise search tool
2. Knowledge base (KB)
replication, e.g. via a middleware or via direct mutual updates
3. Embedding the
best-of-breed KB (like Helpshift) into the leading ECM system (like Salesforce)
This integration
approach leaves the two systems separate. It, however, also alleviates the pain
for both agents and customers when trying to find solutions to issues.
Depending on the depth of the integration, agents may still need to work with
the different systems.
KB replication with the
selection of a ‘golden record’ allows the agents to work in one master system.
The ‘golden record’ typically resides in the ECM system.
Editing content or
creating new content is still is possible within the satellite system, as
changes are replicated between the systems. Some more advanced features, like a
device type specifically mapping to a KB hierarchy, might still be necessary in
the ‘slave’ system.
The ‘golden way’ for a
best-of-breed or specialty system is to embed itself into the fabric of
selected master systems. This way there is virtually only one KB that exhibits
the best of both worlds, for customers and service agents alike.
This way processes get
improved, employee and customer satisfaction go up, and your company is one
step closer to CustServ
Heaven.
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