Companies are sitting on massive amounts of valuable data that could improve the customer experience, but often that data is hidden across various systems. Staff waste time sifting through irrelevant information or trying to figure out the right search terms to find what they need. This delay can make resolving customer queries take much longer than it should.
Generative AI (GenAI) technology can change this by enhancing knowledge management (KM). KM helps staff create, publish, and maintain curated content, allowing employees to find answers easily and enabling customers to access information via self-service options. When staff, like customer service agents, are supported by a strong KM system, everyone benefits.
According to Kate Leggett from Forrester Research, KM can cut operational costs by giving customers quick answers. This saves time, allowing agents to handle issues more personally, which ultimately improves customer experience. It also ensures compliance, providing customers with accurate answers and driving engagement that helps with retention and revenue.
Example: Adobe Population Health uses AI in KM to enhance their services. They care for over 400,000 people through virtual and in-home services, focusing on both health and wellbeing. Many of their members come from underserved communities and require various support services, from food assistance to healthcare guidance.
Before using the Salesforce Agentforce platform, their clinicians spent 15 to 20 minutes preparing for each patient visit. Now, with tools like the Prompt Builder, they can create templates that quickly pull relevant data, generating care summaries in seconds.
Looking ahead, Adobe aims to integrate KM with AI to provide tailored educational resources to members during visits. For instance, if a patient mentions smoking, the system would automatically suggest smoking cessation materials in real-time. Alex Waddell, Adobe’s CIO, envisions a system that goes beyond static responses; it should actively assist clinicians during patient interactions.
Meanwhile, Lloyds Banking Group is also leveraging AI through its system, Athena. This tech supports 12,000 customer-facing staff, handling 25 million calls a year. Athena simplifies complex queries, allowing staff to focus on customer needs rather than getting bogged down in lengthy procedures.
Gina Whitty from GoTo Connect highlights how AI allows customers to utilize smart assistants, improving response times for agents while maintaining accuracy across various inquiries. This adaptability cuts down project rollout times from months to weeks, enabling more rapid enhancements to customer service operations.
Virgin Atlantic is exploring AI-driven KM through Adobe’s Real-Time CDP, combining knowledge materials with social platform data to better understand customer sentiment. Simon Langthorne, their head of CRM, sees the potential to create personalized content on the fly. However, he acknowledges the challenge of establishing trust in GenAI’s output.
Leggett points out that challenges remain, such as inaccessible knowledge spread across multiple systems and the restrictive nature of information sharing. Overcoming these issues could lead to substantial improvements in customer experience.
Despite the hurdles, companies like Adobe and Lloyds are paving the way for GenAI in knowledge management, showing the immense potential for better customer service.