Creating a Tool
A large amount of information about 8x8’s VoIP communication products was fragmented across many sites and systems. It was hard for 8x8 customers to find what they wanted, and hard for 8x8 to manage content and support requests. We centralized the fragmented systems, creating a knowledge base with permissioning that makes it a tool for customers, content administrators, and everyone in between.
Measure Success
8x8 has experienced measurable improvements since launch. Projections indicate that support case volume will continue to drop since many issues are now easily self-helped.
- 25% DECREASE IN SUPPORT CASES WITH USE OF KNOWLEDGEBASE
Customer Driven Content
We improved support content quality by designing an interface for users to provide article feedback which then notifies a topical expert. The expert reviews the feedback and makes necessary changes if appropriate. This eliminates the need for the 8x8 team to comb through content manually and empowers them to react to feedback quickly and efficiently.
Cost Saving Consolidation
We lowered 8x8’s ongoing maintenance costs by consolidating content that was spread across multiple sites. Site administrators save time because the new system makes it easy to remember how and where to manage content. Customers benefit by easily finding the support information they need in a single knowledge base. In the Support phase, we integrated support ticket management with 8x8’s CRM software so customers now create support tickets using Drupal. This integration saves time and money by significantly reducing the number of customer phone calls.
Leveraging Existing Systems
Our development strategy involves adapting Drupal modules and APIs and avoiding custom back-end code. We tailor the front-end administer experiences to be simple and intuitive. Using well-documented Drupal code on the back-end reduces support costs, allowing us to make major improvements without major expense. Examples include:
- Customizing the OpenID module to implement Single Sign On (SSO) during the Support phase. All customers and employees now use the same credentials to login go the knowledge base as they do for all of their 8x8 products.
- Customizing the Flag API to allow administrators to assign topical experts based on role and other criteria. We designed a custom dashboard for 8x8’s existing workflow, but Drupal developers can easily modify the Drupal-based functionality, translating into lower support costs. Support ticket submissions have decreased since topical experts get notifications when a user comments on a knowledge base article and can react to it directly.
- Using the Workbench module to create an editorial workflow the begins with the user. When a user can’t find a piece of content, the user completes a form that notifies 8x8 content administrator and begins the content creation and moderation process.
Self Serve Support
We helped 8x8 save time and money on support staffing by creating a system for users to easily find the help they need. 8x8 customers and internal team members can solve problems by quickly searching the information-dense knowledge base. A sophisticated content tagging system organizes a vast amount of support content so users can find answers at their fingertips.
As a part of the Support phase, we integrated with 8x8’s external search provider, Inbenta, a leader in semantic search. We exposed Drupal content and permissions to Inbenta so customers can find content very easily. This means that customers file far fewer support tickets, creating huge value for 8x8 by saving them significant time.
“Working with Chapter Three has been phenomenal. They’ve worked closely with us to build an incredible resource for our customers and internal users.”
Multi-Use Help Content
A flexible permissions system allows customers and internal users to access different views of the same support content. Internal users are organized into hierarchical groups, including topical experts, and see different content on the same page based on their role.
Administrators see extra content that is useful to them, while customers only see what they need. This system meets the needs of both types of users, saving 8x8 money by only incurring maintenance costs for a single, multi-use site.
