by Hannah Price, Consultant at TOPdesk
It’s safe to say I’m passionate about the importance of knowledge sharing in the modern service desk. Not only does it help cut resolution times massively, but it also promotes a better working culture. And to really push this cultural shift through, here’s are a few things you can do:
Make knowledge a part of solving every call
The most important process in implementing a culture of knowledge sharing is to make it a mandatory part of solving any call. A part of your operator’s procedure is now to check the Knowledge Base. If they don’t find a knowledge item about a specific request, the portal should be updated to help the rest of the team.
It sounds harsh, but it’s not! At the start it may be difficult for all operators to remember to add knowledge items every time; in the long run though, these knowledge items will provide significant economies of scale, make all operators’ lives easier and improve the Service Desk’s efficiency.
Continuously optimise the knowledge items
Next: making sure that all Knowledge Base items are up-to-date. If any item needs updating after a process has changed, or an answer can be supplemented in some way, do so.
The Knowledge Base will grow and change organically over time. Don’t try to populate the whole base with articles on day one, but make it a routine of the Service Desk: everyone on the team helps each other.
Promote a knowledge sharing culture
Knowledge management is now everyone’s responsibility. But realistically, not everyone at the Service Desk will automatically start adding knowledge articles to every call.
To kick this off, you need an incentive. I recommend competitions or something similarly engaging, like a ‘Knowledge Base contributor of the week’ award, or maybe a Focus Day in which everyone concentrates on adding knowledge articles after each call. And be sure to show the team the benefits of the new system, with continuously updated (and motivating!) statistics.
However you do it, the important thing is to promote a culture of knowledge sharing. Because in the end, everyone will benefit from it. I have worked with Service Desks both before and after they properly implemented Knowledge Sharing as part of their culture, and the difference in departmental team spirit is incredible.
Make knowledge available to end-users
The last step is to look beyond the Service Desk: Shift Left is the process of not only sharing knowledge with other operators, but also with your customers. Using a Self-Service Portal, you can let users solve frequently-occurring simple problems themselves, bringing the spirit of knowledge sharing not only to your department but to the whole company.
About the author
Hannah Price is the BPKM specialist at TOPdesk UK, and writes a lot more about the topic for the TOPdesk blog over at blog.topdesk.com.
Knowledge Management virtual event – 11th June 2020
We are proud to be hosting ‘Knowledge Management’ on 11th June – a virtual event where our fantastic, hand-picked speakers will be discussing why knowledge is critical for the future of IT service, how to get your knowledge base right and how this underpins self-service. You’ll hear real first hand experiences of those who have implemented and improved their own knowledge management processes and tools, as well as top tips to help you work through your service desk’s specific needs and priorities.
For more information and to book your place, click here
