Knowledge Management Systems

Absolutely. Getting the right information to a front line agent quickly is key to ensuring that lack of knowledge or lack of quality does not cause low levels of FCR. In an ideal world - the option for agents to contribute (in a moderated manner) to the Knowledge system ensures changing information becomes available. Similarly it should be linked to helpdesks and FAQ's on websites, to prevent customers calling back because they found contradictory information elsewhere.

Totally agree with the comments above. Another application worth investigating is internal message boards - I know some companies who are using corporate message boards to allow agents to ask questions of their peers and other experts to resolve issues. The data is then collected, validated and used to update the knowledge management / FAQ system that is shared by both the agents and the website. There are several freely (or low cost) available online solutions, such as Yammer, that are quick and simple to set up and trial.

We all have a lot of information locked up in our heads - making it available to others can benefit everyone, improve customer service and reduce call handling times.