How to Maximize Knowledge Management for Agent Effort and Productivity Gain with Samantha Middlebrook

When it comes to contact centers, the stereotypical image most people have in mind are large offices with a lot of agents on the phone and a computer in front of them furiously trying to find the right answer to a customer’s problem. As we continue to see changes in the way people work, more organizations have shifted from on-premises to cloud-based solutions. The changing consumer impacts the evolving organizations, which ultimately impacts the contact center. 

This week on the show, Upland’s own Fiona Vanderlinde is here to help us understand how to get into the cloud... one toe at a time.

Links & Notes

• Harness the Power of Salesforce Service Cloud Voice | Upland InGenius (uplandsoftware.com)
• How Empowering Your Agents Boosts the Customer Experience - InGenius (uplandsoftware.com)
• Increase the personal touch in your contact center – by digitizing voice! - InGenius (uplandsoftware.com)

• (00:00) - Welcome to Connected Knowledge

Each year, Destination CRM magazine holds its Customer Experience Trends to Watch webinar. In fact, it’s the number one most popular roundtable topic they have each year. It’s where CX solution providers are invited to share what they believe are the 2024 trends to watch. 

This week, we’re talking all about trends of 2024 with our own Samantha Middlebrook, Senior Director of Product Marketing and Management for Contact Center Productivity at Upland. She presented at the webinar and is back with Pete Wright to share what she learned—and shared—from the CRM Magazines Customer Experience Trends to Watch Webinar. 

Links & Notes

• The Inner Circle Guide to Agent Engagement & Empowerment (uplandsoftware.com)
• 3 Ways AI Can Boost Your Contact Center Productivity (uplandsoftware.com)
• AI Guide for Contact Centers (uplandsoftware.com)

• (00:00) - Welcome to Connected Knowledge
• (01:52) - Call Center Trends for 2024
• (09:26) - AI

This week, we’re talking about change. Big change, small change, and all change in between. But here’s the thing... employees report the lowest willingness to accept enterprise change in years. What’s behind that so-called transformation deficit? 

Harvard Business Review says employees experienced an average of ten planned enterprise changes in 2022. Gartner research shows employees’ willingness to support enterprise change dropped from 74% in 2016 to 43% in 2022. HBR is calling this gap between those changes and employee’s willingness to adapt to each one is being called the “transformation deficit.” How can organizations get ahead of this, and might knowledge management be a part of the answer?

Luke Jamieson, our own Solutions Consultant for Upland’s Contact Center Productivity Solutions and Michael Mattson, former veteran customer experience practitioner and thought leader are here today to explain it, and how knowledge management solutions might just get us out of that adaptation trough. 

Links & Notes

• Guiding Change: Digital transformation and how technology is conquering the challenge of change | Panviva (uplandsoftware.com)
• Single Source of Truth Across Digital Channels | Upland Panviva (uplandsoftware.com)
• The Importance of KMS (Knowledge Management Systems) by the Numbers | Panviva | Upland Software

• (00:00) - Welcome to Connected Knowledge
• (00:26) - Introducing Luke Jamieson and Michael Mattson
• (03:39) - How do you Change the People?
• (06:36) - The Incentive Roller Coaster
• (12:28) - Evaluating the Statistics
• (16:20) - Building the Case
• (19:48) - Purpose versus Process
• (22:31) - Implementation
• (28:08) - How do you know you have a need for a new KMS?

How do you know your knowledge management system is getting a bit long in the tooth? Are your people complaining about too many emails covering the same things? Are they struggling to keep their knowledge current as the organization changes around them?

This week on the show, one of our own leaders is back to help us out. Keith Berg is senior vice president and general manager of contact center productivity solutions, and he sits down with Pete Wright to help tune us to the red flags that point to your organization’s readiness for the KMS upgrade.

About Keith Berg

Keith provides leadership of the contact center and knowledge management suite of products at Upland Software, overseeing all of its business operations. He has worked with KM and contact center leaders for 20 years, helping them improve customer experience, increase agent productivity, and reduce operational costs. 

Links & Notes

• The Importance of KMS (Knowledge Management Systems) by the Numbers | Panviva | Upland Software  
• Leveraging Generative AI in Knowledge Management (uplandsoftware.com)
• Leveraging Agile Project Methodology for Successful KMS Implementation (uplandsoftware.com)
• Submit your Questions to Connected Knowledge

• (00:00) - Welcome to Connected Knowledge
• (01:17) - How do we know we're ready to change in our centers?
• (06:20) - Adapting around holes in the system
• (08:16) - How do you know if your KMS is broken?
• (13:36) - Listener Question: Human Behavior, AI, and Improvement
• (18:20) - Sneak Peak: Destination CRM’s 2024 CX Megatrends to Watch: Expert Predictions webinar
• (20:26) - Learn More

In this episode of Connected Knowledge, we explore how knowledge management can transform the employee experience and unlock greater engagement. Pete Wright is joined by CX experts Luke Jamison and Nate Brown, and together, they dive into the power of the employee journey map and why knowledge management should be at the heart.

“Knowledge is the lifeblood of customer service. It's either flowing or it's not,” says Brown. When employees have easy access to living knowledge, they can serve customers with confidence and autonomy. This fuels engagement, innovation, and advocacy. Many companies excel at onboarding but then lose momentum in engaging employees. The employee journey map provides a holistic view across the entire arc - from hiring to retirement. This enables organizations to pinpoint friction and cultivate knowledge sharing.

Jamieson explains that most friction happens when new hires transition to managers who are focused on targets over nurturing talent. He emphasizes the need for an “employee experience change coalition” so HR doesn't go it alone. Knowledge should be interwoven at every stage.

Questions We Explore:

• What does the employee journey map contain and why does it matter?
• Where does the employee experience usually go off track and how can knowledge help?
• How does living knowledge create confidence and autonomy vs. frustrating searches?
• What tools and resources can help organizations empower employees through knowledge?

Critical Insights for Knowledge-Centered Organizations

This episode explores the connections between engaged employees, customer experience, and knowledge management.

“When we start thinking about knowledge management in that way, it really is much more a holistic approach to making your business more cohesive versus, ‘hey, this is just another piece of software,’” explains Jamieson.

Instead of focusing on goals and tickets, create space for employees to grow. Knowledge builds confidence to serve customers and drive innovation. To create a thriving culture, put knowledge at the heart of the employee journey.

Links & Notes

• Maximizing Knowledge Management for Agent Effort & Productivity (uplandsoftware.com)
• Knowledge management supports your agents by reducing their cognitive load - RightAnswers (uplandsoftware.com)
• How to Improve Call Center Agent Performance - 6 Tactics (uplandsoftware.com)
• CX Accelerator
• Fusion: How Integrating Brand and Culture Powers the World's Greatest Companies by Denise Lee Yohn
• Primed to Perform: How to Build the Highest Performing Cultures Through the Science of Total Motivation
• Learning to Learn and the Navigation of Moods: The Meta-Skill for the Acquisition of Skills by Gloria P. Flores
• Customer Experience | CX Accelerator
• Send us a Question!

• (00:00) - Welcome to Connected Knowledge
• (01:09) - What is Employee Journey Mapping?
• (12:39) - The Operations Break-Down
• (18:24) - What's the Role of KM in Employee Mapping?
• (20:30) - A Day in the Life
• (26:53) - Making the Case for KM
• (37:26) - Learn More

In this episode of Connected Knowledge, Pete talks with Rosemary Kirk, Senior Solutions Consultant at Upland Software, about how healthcare organizations can leverage knowledge management to improve compliance, training, and overall operations. With constantly shifting regulations and patient expectations, healthcare providers need agile systems to empower employees and remain competitive.

Pete and Rosemary explore the mounting pressures healthcare professionals face today, from rapidly changing protocols to retaining staff. They discuss how misaligned internal processes lead to poor patient experiences and the need for cross-departmental collaboration. The conversation ultimately centers around how a unified knowledge base can help organizations adapt quickly, keep reps up-to-date, and satisfy both patients and auditors.

Questions we answer in this episode:

• How are outdated training methods impacting healthcare providers?
• What does an agile healthcare organization look like today?

Key Takeaways:

• Communication across departments is critical for a smooth patient experience
• A centralized knowledge base helps staff stay compliant and empowered

Plus, we tackle another listener question on the best strategies for keeping reps up-to-date and informed!

By the end, you'll understand the pressing need for knowledge management in the healthcare industry and how the right tools can drive better patient outcomes. Tune in to hear powerful insights from Rosemary Kirk on structuring healthcare knowledge for operational excellence.

Resources for further learning:

• Knowledge Management Integration: What is it and how does it help your business?   
• How healthcare providers are driving exceptional patient experiences with Panviva
• How connected knowledge enhances patient access and experience with Rosemary Kirk

• (00:00) - Welcome to Connected Knowledge
• (00:54) - Healthcare's Many Masters
• (03:24) - Knowledge Management
• (06:02) - What is Healthcare Agility in 2023?
• (08:26) - Compliance
• (11:22) - The Digital Transformation is Still Happening
• (12:49) - Maintenance
• (14:38) - Panviva
• (16:16) - Listener Question: Keeping Reps Up To Date

This week, Pete Wright sits down with Stin Mattu, Product Marketing Manager for Contact Center Productivity Solutions at Upland Software. The duo delve into the transformative influence of artificial intelligence (AI) in the realm of knowledge management, particularly in the ranks of the 27th annual KMWorld Live.

Stin delves into the role of AI as it evolves from a trend to a pervasive tool, redefining the landscape of knowledge management. Matu shares his experiences and insights from the KMWorld event, highlighting the ubiquity of AI discussions across the vendor landscape. He points to the shift in AI's role - from an elusive concept to a practical tool that is increasingly integrated into vendors' roadmaps.

The conversation traverses the spectrum of AI application, from enhancing knowledge creation and improving knowledge for knowledge workers to empowering call center agents with augmented response generation capabilities. Mattu emphasizes the benefits of AI in relieving cognitive load for agents, enabling them to focus on understanding their customers' needs. The discussion underscores the potential of AI to revolutionize knowledge management by doing "80 percent of the hard work," allowing human agents to concentrate on the remaining 20 percent that is most critical.

This episode unravels key questions around the reliability of AI-driven solutions, the impact of AI on the future of work, and the crucial role of the human in AI implementation. Mattu provides valuable insights into the balance between AI's capabilities and the need for human oversight in ensuring accuracy and avoiding potential brand damage.

Mattu advocates for AI as a tool that enhances human work rather than replacing it, envisaging a future where AI and humans work collaboratively. He states, "This technology is there, and if we use it correctly, it's going to be something that is enhancing the work that humans do rather than replacing the work that humans do."

Links & Notes

• The Evolution of Search | Upland RightAnswers (uplandsoftware.com)
• Essential Features of a Modern Knowledge Management Platform (uplandsoftware.com)
• Connected Knowledge via Integrations, Delivery, and Self-Service with Stin Mattu - RightAnswers (uplandsoftware.com)
• Submit your Questions to Connected Knowledge

• (00:00) - Welcome to Connected Knowledge
• (00:34) - Stin Mattu is back from KMWorld!
• (01:40) - Trusting AI and Upland's Latest Work
• (07:34) - Human Centered AI and the Cycle of Knowledge Management
• (21:52) - The Highest Value Communcation
• (25:04) - You Are Not the Protagonist
• (26:30) - Learn More

Pete Wright invites Shelly Lindstrom, Principal Customer Success Manager at Upland Software, to share key takeaways from the recent Customer Contact West conference. They explore the latest trends impacting contact centers today.

Shelly provides an insider's perspective on the event, the shift away from trade show floors, and the meaningful conversations between vendors, customers, and attendees. She highlights new innovations in AI, analytics, knowledge management, and digital transformation, aiming to improve agent productivity and the overall customer experience.

Questions We Answer in This Episode:

• How is the contact center industry embracing knowledge management and AI?
• What role will agents continue to play as technology evolves?
• How can companies capture data and analytics to power empathetic service?

Key Takeaways:

• Digital transformation in the contact center is still a work in progress.
• AI should empower agents, not replace them.
• Capturing customer data and sentiment is crucial for an empathetic approach.

Shelly provides perspective on starting with clear business goals and letting that guide your AI approach rather than leading with the technology.

Get a pulse on the latest trends and innovations shaping the customer contact experience today. Discover new ways to elevate your agents and exceed customer expectations.

Resources for further learning:

• Connected knowledge delivery for the modern contact center (uplandsoftware.com)
• How to Attract and Retain Staff in the Modern Contact Center | Upland Panviva (uplandsoftware.com)
• Create a Knowledge Sharing Culture in Your Contact Center | Upland Panviva (uplandsoftware.com)

The last time our guest was on the show, she led us through the lessons she’s learned from a career working with contact center leaders. This week, she’s back to turn the tables: what’s it like working as an agent today? What are the resources they count on to be responsive and effective? And how are call center leaders best able to maximize knowledge management investments in support of their front-line representatives? 

Samantha Middlebrook is Senior Director of Product Marketing and Management for Contact Center Productivity at Upland, and she joins Pete Wright to talk all about your agents and their journey through productivity.

Links & Notes

• Leveraging Agile Project Methodology for Successful KMS Implementation (uplandsoftware.com)
• Essential Features of a Modern Knowledge Management Platform (uplandsoftware.com)
• Experts in Knowledge Management | Upland RightAnswers (uplandsoftware.com)

• (00:00) - Welcome to Connected Knowledge
• (00:10) - Introducing Samantha Middlebrook
• (00:58) - A Day in the Life of an Agent
• (02:24) - The Pace of Change in the Call Center
• (06:16) - The Onboarding Experience
• (09:31) - Agent Productivity
• (16:44) - Risks
• (19:08) - The Samantha Middlebrook Magic Wand
• (20:46) - The L&D Challenge

There are many moving parts in a healthcare facility. This requires healthcare professionals to provide great experience to satisfy any customer service needs. When your customer is the very same person who is in your facility with their health — and lives — in your hands, you face a heightened pressure to make sure customer satisfaction is great. 

Rosemary Kirk joins Pete Wright to talk about her work in the customer service space, and how great Connected Knowledge practices enhance and accellerate patient and team satisfaction.

Rosemary is the go-to expert for Upland Software’s knowledge management software, Panviva. She creates and presents Proofs of Concept for Panviva on webinars and at industry conferences as well as facilitating pre-sales demonstrations to potential clients. She has worked in the knowledge management and customer service space for over 20 years, helping enhance user experiences through high-level project management, employee training, and optimizing contact center operations.   

Links & Notes

• How healthcare providers are driving exceptional patient experiences with Panviva | Panviva (uplandsoftware.com)
• Omnichannel KM Software | Upland Panviva (uplandsoftware.com)
• Single Source of Truth Across Digital Channels | Upland Panviva (uplandsoftware.com)

• (00:00) - Welcome to Connected Knowledge
• (00:39) - Welcome Rosemary Kirk
• (01:15) - The Complexities of Healthcare
• (05:06) - Why does Healthcare need Connected Knowledge
• (07:10) - Integrations
• (09:32) - The Perils of Disconnected Knowledge
• (16:51) - Launching Connected Knowledge in Healthcare