In my last
post, I had reviewed the case for Knowledge Management in CRM. In this post, I will further the discussion with SAP CRM’s KM initiative.Essentially, we believe that the ways in which today's organizations manage each stage of the customer interaction process will mark the difference between their survival and demise.
Though, the number of on-line initiatives is increasing, the preoccupation with the marketing front-end is occurring at the expense of the back-end integration requirements and personalized customer interaction.
Therefore, in order to be successful, future organizations will have to deliver consistent customer experience through multiple (inter-linked) channels.To this end, SAP CRM is working on a Knowledge Management initiative that has been designed to ensure a two-fold benefit:
- SAP's Web Channel users will have easy and prompt access to most relevant information that they need to resolve their issues. By delivering a Web self service that resolves more customer issues, more effectively, organizations shall enjoy the benefits of fewer calls into the contact center and the corresponding reduction in the costs and time associated with agent-based assistance.
- Since some issues still require human intervention, it is extremely important to empower the Customer Service Agents with information that they need to better respond to customers. Thus a Knowledge management application for SAP’s Interaction Center shall enable agents to remain connected to one another, share knowledge, access relevant information in the most effective manner, thereby resolving customer issues more efficiently.
We believe that KM cannot be achieved through a single product. It must be developed through creating an organizational culture that encourages sharing and adapting to proper practices. We are trying to make this process simpler, more accessible and adabtable by providing the appropriate technology as an enabler for knowledge sharing across the organization.