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Why is Knowledge Important for Customer Service?

There is an old saying that says, “Knowledge is power” and although many of us try to deny this, and even fight against it (especially in youth) at some point most of us come to the realization that knowledge is power and that without the right knowledge it is far more difficult to succeedat your job, raising your children and even your social life.

 

When it comes to your job having the proper knowledge is essential, a doctor must be an expert in the human body, and the latest best practices for treating a variety of diseases; a lawyer must be an expert in the ever evolving field of law in which they practice and a customer service agent at a call center needs to be able to quickly answer an endless number of questions about the products or services they represent. A customer service agent must be able to balance the needs of the customer as well as the demands of the job, and the demands of management.  Having the proper tools makes the job of a customer service agent much more manageable. Much as a doctor needs access to the latest knowledge, through medical journals in order to know the best treatment for a medical condition, a customer service agent needs to have access to the latest knowledge as well, and since this knowledge is constantly evolving (often with every phone call) it becomes essential that every customer service agent have access to a good knowledge base.

What is A Knowledge Base?

A knowledge base is software that is designed to organize all the knowledge (data) of your call center in a single location so that the information is easily and quickly accessible to every agent. A knowledge base is made up of “knowledge articles”; these are documents, images, graphs… on various issues that an agent may encounter in their day to day work. In ideal circumstances the knowledge base will become a living entity, where individual agents will be able to quickly and easily search for information, modify or update information that is incorrect and even create new knowledge through new documents that will address gaps in knowledge. If the knowledge base is implemented correctly agents will be able to provide better and faster customer service, improving efficiency and saving you both time and money.

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What Should A Knowledge Base Have?

When it comes to the features that a knowledge base should have there are many features to choose from, some of these, such as an easy to use search capability and the ability for any agent to update documents are a must for any successful knowledge base, while other features, though important, may not be critical for every type of call center, for example multi-language support. When choosing the right knowledge base for your call center or when deciding to upgrade your existing knowledge base it is important that you compare the features of each product and choose the product that is best for your needs. If you are using an existing knowledge base such as Sharepoint or are using a Wiki and these tools are not being utilized by your agents you should consider switching to a professional knowledge base.

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