Customer Service: Agent Knowledge Becomes a Core Requirement

In the past, customer service agents didn't have to know much about a company's products. As long as they could create positive customer experiences and answer basic questions, developing additional customer service skills wasn't necessary. Today, employers expect customer service agents to have extensive product knowledge as well as hands-on experience with their products. Making agent knowledge a core requirement can improve customer service at all levels of a company.

In a white paper on knowledge-infused customer relationship management (CRM), Oracle representatives indicate that employers should invest in knowledge management for customer service employees. Doing so, they say, can help companies overcome problems created by budget cuts and improve customer service at all levels of the organization. Making agent knowledge a core requirement allows organizations to get more work done with fewer employees, but it also increases customer satisfaction. As a result, requiring employees to develop additional customer service skills can help keep companies alive during hard times.

Focusing on agent knowledge can also spur innovation within organizations, especially those that provide products and services in the technology sector. It can be hard to find people with good customer service skills who also have extensive technical knowledge, but Apple has been successful in doing this. As a result, they have had a big impact on customer service in the tech field. Instead of forcing customers to call a support line for assistance, Apple created Genius Bars where customers can ask questions and request product repairs. The handbook for Genius Bar employees emphasizes the importance of empathizing with customers, which is part of the reason workers must develop excellent customer service skills.

The new focus on agent knowledge also has an impact on customer relationship management. CRM allows businesses to manage the information related to its relationships with customers. When organizations focus on agent knowledge and management of that knowledge, they can enhance existing customer service skills and help agents develop new customer service skills. When organizations combine knowledge management with customer relationship management, agents are more effective and efficient. It also takes less time to train them, as agents can find the information they need in knowledge management systems instead of taking time away from work to attend training programs. Managing agent knowledge properly also reduces call resolution time, which gives employees the time they need to develop additional customer service skills.

Gone are the days when customer service agents needed nothing more than big smiles and the ability to calm frustrated customers. Agents must now enhance their basic customer service skills with extensive knowledge of company policies and product specifications. Emphasizing the importance of agent knowledge can help organizations find workers with the customer service skills they need to cut costs, increase efficiency, and improve the customer's experience.

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