Collaborative Customer Care

Wikis are special-purpose websites that give non technical users the wherewithal to create and edit any number of interlinked web pages using a simplified markup language or text editor. Pages can be associated with a table of contents, an index or other form of categorization. An integrated search engine delivers content by titles, keywords and phrases. (Think Wikipedia.) For most users, the price of admission is Internet access and a web browser. For organizations, it includes a web host (third-party or premise-based), some applications software and a community of users who are ready, willing and able to contribute. Unlike KM systems that often take a year or more before the users reap the benefits, wikis can reach a critical mass of knowledge within a few months. (See Table 1  for a high-level comparison between KM and wikis.)

A defining characteristic of wikis is the ease with which content can be created and updated by the community. Authoring/editing can be open to a general population or confined to registered users. Most wikis operate under the premise that it is better to post material quickly and correct mistakes after the fact than labor under a time-, process- and cost-intensive regime that tries to prevent errors from happening in the first place. Wikis can provide alerts when new content has been added. They maintain edit histories that specify recent edits as well as all edits made within a defined period. And they allow users to reinstate older versions of pages should the newer content prove undesirable.

Though some are concerned about posting content before it has been vetted thoroughly, most early adopters find such fears unfounded. Participants have a vested interest in the quality of the content and take their role as “judge and jury” seriously. With an appropriate governance model, a modest amount of user training, and systematic review, a wiki can be a valuable addition to the center’s support system.

Get Ready to Dive In!

You don’t need a conch shell to hear the waves of web-based commentary, collaboration and content generation lap against the familiar shores of the contact center. Online community formation and participation, dynamic content creation, freedom of expression and collective creativity are irresistibly attractive experiences that seems to be crossing generational lines. It begs for response. But like all forms of customer and employee engagement, you’ll need a clear link to business and operational goals before you get started.

While you’re getting your business and operations strategies in order, experiment with the new tools to get a feel for what they can and can’t do for you. You may be able to tap existing tools (e.g., SharePoint) to build the community you want. Some vendors offer free or very low-cost trials on hosted applications. Or you may be able to work with existing vendors and their partners to try new capabilities that tie in with your other tools. Take a guided tour or test drive to learn what is possible.