| Experts Corner |  Having spent the money to identify our online customers, how can we maximize that investment by knowing the best time to reach them?
David King, Fulcrum Analytics
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The Future of Customer Service: Adaptive Knowledge-Powered Support
Scott Schwartzman, COO, ServiceWare
 How do you make your customers happy? Companies of all sizes, across all industries, continuously grapple with this question. In the past, buoyed by a strong economy, customers were more materialistic in nature; therefore, corporate customer service initiatives were often centered on the product. The focus was on elevating the product’s “whiz-bang” effect; this, in turn, would help to ensure the customer’s level of satisfaction.
As the economy continues to rebound, today’s dynamic and competitive business environment requires a new way of approaching customer service and support. Of course, modern customers still want to be reassured that they are buying a quality product or service; however, they also want to feel valued, respected and important. Many of today’s customers are also quite tech-savvy. Therefore, they want to be able to access quality customer service quickly, anytime of day or night. At the same time, many customer service managers are under budget-limiting restraints; they’ve being required to do more with less while maintaining a high level of quality service.
Progressive businesses will find that to survive and thrive, they must be able to adapt to and evolve with their customers’ changing expectations and core values, but in a cost-efficient manner. Whether affected by mergers, downsizing, new additions to their product lines or high rates of turnover, more companies must realize the importance of finding a solution that can keep pace with their goals.
As business and the products they support become more complex, they have found that simple text-based search technologies and stand-alone call management systems are not enough to support increasing demands. This is where knowledge management comes into play.
Adaptive, knowledge-powered support solutions allow businesses to keep pace with changing conditions in the IT environment. They also allow companies to make their solutions accessible to customers, easy to use, and most of all — fast and accurate, whether by phone, e-mail or over the Web via self-service.
Because knowledge capture in an adaptive service and support environment never ceases, it never stops to reorganize. This means that it is “always on.” An adaptive environment can support a business’ consistent knowledge capture and QA process without having to restructure the database every time a new product or service is introduced. An adaptive knowledge management system learns with each use, ensuring that the knowledge base is always current and consistent.
When researching a knowledge management solution, buyers beware: not all knowledge management systems are, in fact, true adaptive knowledge management systems. Some vendors tout their basic natural language or keyword search engines as knowledge management technology, further adding to the confusion. Unfortunately, organizations that invest in these types of engines, or rely on the “knowledge management” capabilities that come with their CRM product, soon find out that they’re not really any farther ahead than they were when they were using their standalone CRM system.
Adaptive knowledge management systems, on the other hand, share several key characteristics. Most importantly, they are truly self-learning and self-organizing, it that they actually “get smarter” with use. They also allow companies to draw on collective knowledge and expertise to deliver fast, accurate and consistent answers to customer queries. They will be scalable, flexible, support multiple languages and have built-in reporting capabilities. The vendor’s knowledge management software should also easily integrate with your CRM system and enable you to leverage your existing technology investment.
The end goal is to increase market share while retaining current customers – the holy grail of customer service. Analysts agree. In a 2003 Research Report, AMR reports, “Companies that place emphasis on quality, customer intimacy, and revenue generation stand to reap the greatest competitive advantage and return on investment…Improved quality of service correlates directly with customer satisfaction, but the broader benefit is market share or gain. The level of quality is measured by the consistency and applicability of the support provided.”
In an era where customer loyalty is eroding to the point where many customers have become “brand-jumpers,” adaptive knowledge management has become a key component of a customer service and support initiative. Take the wireless industry, for instance. Wireless phone companies are constantly trying to lure customers away from competitors; a customer who had even just one bad experience with a wireless company’s customer service may decide to switch carriers as soon as a “better deal” comes along. On the flip side, if you provide that customer with access to 24x7 Web-based self-service and easy access to knowledgeable customer service representatives by phone, they are not only more likely to stay with their current brand but also, recommend your brand to their friends and colleagues.
For more information about ServiceWare’s adaptive knowledge-powered support solutions, please visit www.serviceware.com.
| Scott Schwartzman is responsible for the planning and execution of major strategic initiatives and managing all aspects of the company's finances and operations. This includes expediting product releases, maintaining a services organization focused on complete customer satisfaction and overseeing all corporate financial matters.
ServiceWare
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