Category Archives: Knowledge Base

Transparency is back in the news, as the US government is moving towards a more transparent relationship with its citizens. Perhaps you are experiencing the shift towards transparency in your own business. If you are not yet, we believe it is coming your way – either through public demand or through regulation. So what can you do now to get prepared?

Your Novo software has some great built in tools to improve transparency. The Novo Knowledge Base is a great tool for storing and managing your company information. Perhaps you are only using it internally now. With its flexible settings, you can also use it as a public facing tool to provide valuable information to your customers. Security settings allow you to determine which groups get to see what information – so private information is kept secure.

The knowledge base workflow tool allows you to automate processes so that you can easily review, change, and manage feedback on articles – saving time and improving efficiency.

On the help desk side of the Novo software the workflow tool allows for easy communication with customers by providing the ability to ask questions within the system. Once a question is posed, help desk workflows kick in to route the question to the appropriate department for response. The workflow automation pushes the request through the system, so you are not wasting manpower by having to manually route information internally.

We are always making improvements to the Novo software to keep up with technology and the changing times. Contact us of you would like more information on any of our software applications.

http://www.novosolutions.com

As regulations and accountability are on the increase, organizations everywhere are taking a closer look at how they manage their internal documentation. This is not only beneficial for internal efficiency, but also for accountability if disclosure is required or called upon.

Best Practices Include:

• A central repository to hold important information
• High searchable functionality
• Ability for management to review any changes or revisions to documentation
• Ability to archive and review all previous versions of any document (policy)
• Secure settings which allow personnel to see only the level of security they are permitted to view
• Security of content – from internal or external sources

Knowledge Base Software is a great tool to manage your internal documentation.  For a limited time the Novo Knowledge base software is only $2010.  Please contact us for a free trial.

http://www.novosolutions.com/knowledge-base-software

Wouldn’t it be nice to know if the ‘economic winter’ has passed and spring is on its way?  It would help us with our hiring decisions, production, spending, and more.  After all, success is in taking ‘the right risks’ at ‘the right time’ and giving ear to the season.

We may not know yet if we are in the positive recovery phase the news reports that we are – or if the business climate will stay ‘chilly’ for a while longer, but one thing is for sure - almost all of us have been impacted by this ‘winter’ season in our business.  We have some thawing out to do – some cleaning up and reorganizing of our business plans – and for some even starting over.

Either way we encourage you to get your ‘knowledge’ in order.  Having company knowledge in a central place is essential for any business climate.  Through March 31, 2010 the Novo Knowledge Base is only $2010.00.  If you would a like ‘no hassle’ demo or a free 30 day trial to test it out please contact us.

http://www.novosolutions.com

Well, here we are – another Christmas passed and making plans for 2010.  This last year and decade have certainly passed quickly.  Seems like we were just working our way through Y2K concerns – now we have seen the rise of a new expression of relating (Social Media), phones that can do amazing things (and virtually everybody has a cell phone now), affordable electronics boasting incredible advances, and the ability to find most anything on the Internet.  So what will the next decade bring?  At the rate at which technology is accelerating one can only imagine.

How do you prepare for the changes to come – and how do you position your business for the changing climate?  None of us has a magic ball to see the future - we are all in the same boat – making our plans, and modifying them as technology brings about changes.

We do know one thing….knowledge and time will continue to be very valuable commodities.  So as you prepare and launch your plans for 2010 and the decade ahead, we encourage you to remember the lessons learned from the past.

Tracking and storing company knowledge in a knowledge base continues to be a huge asset for many companies.  Keeping a central repository of organizational information – that is easily retrievable – will save time and aid in future decision making.  If you are in need a good knowledge base, give us a call and you can try ours for free.

We wish you all the best in 2010…godspeed as you navigate this next decade!  We’ll be right beside you!

http://www.novosolutions.com/knowledge-base-software

Here we go again – another post about the importance of customer service.  The reports keep coming in, but do we really believe them?  When businesses are being forced to run leaner than ever it is difficult NOT to make cuts in all areas, including customer support. After all, will people really notice?  Maybe just a little cut won’t be noticed…will it?

In their recent Customer Experience Index Report, Forrester Research reminds us that “Your customer is your biggest asset.  While most firms are dealing with rough economic times, they can’t let customer experience fall on the back burner.”  There it is again, but what can you do when something has to give?

Take a hard look at your customer support call logs.  How many calls are coming in that could be managed through web self service?  It is worth investing in your public knowledge base so that customers can try to find their own answers.

The Service Excellence Research Group states that 83% of consumers indicate that their primary source for non-technical customer service information are company web sites. Customers prefer to find answers to their questions online and businesses realize a cost savings with fewer support calls.

So there we said it again.  Guide your customer to help themselves with online self support.  It will enhance customer support and reduce call volume, thereby reducing costs.

http://www.novosolutions.com/

We’re all looking for ways to bring down costs in every department, while not compromising on quality.  Internal and external support is no exception.  This department is one of the most challenging because people inherently want their issues addressed quickly and efficiently.  And whether your ‘customers’ are people within your company that you serve, or clientele, you want to provide the best service while managing costs.

An often underutilized tool in the support workers arsenal is the company knowledge base.  This can be a huge reference place for ‘customers’ as well as your internal support staff.  Position your knowledge base so that it is a self-help tool where people can find their own answers.

Say you have done that, but people still call the support desk for information they could have found in the knowledge base.  Reply to the request with the related article as the first level resolution.  End users will be able to access the information on demand, and support personal will not have to provide unique answers to commonly asked requests, saving on support manpower hours.

What’s more, repeated requests guide management to what issues need to be added to the knowledge base, so it continues to grow.

End users will become more and more familiar with the knowledge base, and will begin to go there first, instead of immediately calling the support desk.  This reduces not only the time spent on requests, but also the volume of requests.

http://www.novosolutions.com/customer-support-software/

Ok, forgive my attempt at some teenage humor, but you have got to hand it to the youth these days – they are finding some very good ways to consolidate information into a new language of abbreviated words.  It is their way of communicating what they want to say in a minimal way – and it is working.  We may not understand what they are saying, but they understand each other, so that makes it effective communication.

For businesses we have the same challenge.  What do we do with all of this information?  What do we do with all of these ‘words’?  How do we consolidate the ‘essentials’ so that they are easily communicated while leaving out the ‘fluff’?  All the while, the volume of ‘information’ grows day-by-day for most businesses?

Effective knowledge management can be achieved by means of a solid knowledge base software application. With a knowledge base:

• your essential  information is available to be shared with others in a central location
• knowledge can be categorized by topic, department, or user roles
• information is searchable for easy retrieval
• and much more

If you are not currently using a knowledge base application you are missing out on a valuable business tool.  We invite you to look at the web based, Novo Knowledge Base.  We have hosted, annual subscription and licensed purchase models available.  Let us put our ‘Knowledge’ to work for you.

HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act has brought sweeping changes into patient data management by addressing the security and privacy of health data.  If you are managing patient data in your company support tracking system, you need to insure you are HIPPA compliant.

The Novo Support Software guards your personal patient data by allowing fully configurable settings to protect sensitive information.  By means of secure authentication only permitted users can access your company information.  Permissions based ‘groups’ and ‘roles’ allow management to determine ‘which’ users can see ‘what’ information.  This allows:

• Approved personnel to see only what you allow them to see
• Approved personnel to do only what you need them to do
• The ability to access the report data you allow them to see and report on
• As a result – your patient data is securely managed!

HIPAA compliance can be very costly and complex.  Fortunately Novo software is not.  To learn more about how Novo Solutions handles HIPPA compliance contact us.

www.novosolutions.com/customer-support-software/

Beware the Cost of Doing Nothing!

Companies everywhere are having to save money in all areas just to survive.  Most often this involves cutting spending through reducing payroll, skimming budgets, and minimizing “non-essential” spending.  What constitutes “essential” versus “non-essential” spending may depend on what department you are in and who is making the decision.

Many times we see this at our own software business.  We are researched by busy IT folks who have a need for a tool to help them do their jobs better and faster.  Many times in these very departments there have been manpower cuts, and fewer folks have to do more work than ever.  They can see the value of a tool to help automate processes to support the necessary manpower cuts.  They will carefully research available software options, create a short list, and then make a final software decision.  However, many times they are frustrated to find their request for purchase “denied “when it is reviewed by the finance office upstairs.

And while these difficult decisions are made in the best interest of conserving cash, decisions not to spend may actually be “costing” the company valuable money.  Here are a few financial ramifications of delaying a decision to invest in a solution that would equip your team or organization with the best tools available to help them, and you, succeed:

1. Relying on manpower to do tasks that can be automated favors unnecessary spending. With advances in technology, the way we are able to do business has changed. Whether you are replacing a dated system, or starting from scratch, optimizing automated workflow technology can save huge amounts of time and money. When any stage of a process takes longer than necessary, or breaks down due to inefficiency, that time wasted translates into dollars.

2. Lost efficiencies and wasted time attempting to track requests, knowledge or equipment are often the order of the day when companies expect their support staff to “get by” with outdated software packages. These applications are typically lacking in functionality and some are no longer reliable and could “crash” at any time. When customers cannot access knowledge on their own and feel your response times are too slow, they may use this as a reason to find a new provider. This can quickly lead to lost revenues. In any economy, clients are valuable and customer retention will always have a definite dollar value associated with it.

3. Often, the initial research done on a software project may have to be scratched and started all over again. With personnel changes and changes on the product side, the valuable man-hours spent doing research this year may have to be “written off” in favor of a whole new round of research when the project becomes a priority again next year. Some companies will even routinely spend payroll on research projects only to choose to stay with the status quo (existing broken processes) over and over again.

4. Delaying a purchase decision can sometimes mean that the cost to purchase the favored product may be even more 12 to 18 months down the road. Vendor discounts may or may not be available when the CFO says that it is okay to spend again. This makes it clear to see that waiting can sometimes mean spending more money as opposed to saving money. If a package seems to be a great fit for your needs, try working with the vendor to find a creative way to implement solution without breaking the bank.

It is essential when making a purchase decision to count the cost of “doing nothing”.  The savings that we are all looking for, across all departments, may be lost in truly unnecessary spending.   Reconsider what is “essential” for running your department in the most cost effective way possible.  A one time expenditure on software can save many lost man hours in recurring payroll.

Novo Solutions offers a suite of support and tracking software with affordable, flexible purchase options.  Contact us for a free demo and 30 day trial to see it in action in your environment.

http://www.novosolutions.com/customer-support-software

Well, the economic indicators report that consumer confidence is rising.  People are optimistic that things are improving – we still have a long road ahead, but there is light at the other end of the tunnel.  The question is – what have we learned from this?  Will we return to life as usual, or will we change our lives and businesses so that we are better protected in the future.

Individuals and businesses alike are learning very good lessons through these economic challenges.  The goal is to take these lessons learned to help us grow in confidence in the future – not in fear.  Hopefully we will all be better stewards of our assets, both personal and business.

Many organizations found themselves losing employees in this recession - good, hard-working people who would have had long careers with their employers under other circumstances.  It was swift, and nobody expected or prepared for it.

In the months and years ahead, you may be re-staffing some of these severed positions.  What will you do to ensure that your company knowledge stays intact in the event of future unexpected staff turnover?

A company knowledge base is an excellent tool for storing your company knowledge.  It is helpful for retaining:

• Basic Company Information
• Training Tools
• Company Best Practices
• Policies and Procedures
• Frequently Asked Questions
• …and more!

You’ll not only save time and money training new hires with a knowledge base repository, but you’ll ensure that valuable company information does not go out the door when an employee leaves.

For more information or a free trial of the Novo Knowledge Base see www.novosolutions.com.