Elsevier boosts customer satisfaction with Oracle Service Cloud

• Increase number of customers using self-service support hubs and customer portals for online science and health journals and web-based resources to find answers to queries quickly and efficiently
• Improve knowledge management within the customer facing organization, ensuring that only relevant information and FAQs are included in customer portals, so that 30 million health, science, and information professionals can easily find the information they need
• Improve reporting capability around customer interactions to gain a clear understanding of the customer experience and to help constantly improve customer service and satisfaction and close the loop to continuous improvement
• Improve routing to the right customer service agent to increase the number of customers whose queries are answered on first contact
   

Elsevier worked with The Knowledgebase Company to map its customer journeys online to gain a deeper understanding of customer needs and experience. Together, the team re-implemented Oracle Service Cloud, refreshed Elsevier's knowledgebase, and created a standard methodology, a new global knowledge management team, and new governance and templates for its support hubs, and customer portals.

To continually improve customer satisfaction, Elsevier also established clear, transparent reporting capabilities to gain actionable insight from all customer interactions.

"We're working closely with our Oracle customer management team to build on our success and move to the next level, by developing a roadmap for modern service excellence, and sharing expertise, guidance and best practices," said Matt Cumberlidge, head of customer services systems, Elsevier.

• Improved online support, doubling the number of customers finding answers to their queries regarding science and health topics via the support hubs to 52%, and increasing online query avoidance with suggested FAQs from 30% to 68%
• Increased self-service capability for customers through a combination of standardized, easy-to-use support hubs and customer portals, a detailed and accessible knowledgebase, and just 80 relevant FAQs, reduced from a previous 500
• Established a standard methodology and template for new customer portals and support hubs, designed to simplify and standardize the customer experience for all health, science, and technology information products and services
• Guided customers through key interactions with Elsevier, such as helping contributors to publish reports and journals online, assisting customers with ordering printed materials, and accessing online subscriptions—increasing overall customer satisfaction to 91%
• Created a new knowledge team responsible for all content and FAQs on customer portals and support hubs, to monitor and analyze content on a daily basis and to ensure a standard, customer-focused approach for all customer-focused content
• Re-positioned support hubs as the first port of call for all customer interactions, increased use of customer support hubs by 196%, which now handle 400,000 visits per month
• Decreased queries reaching the contact center by 28%, by enabling customers to find their answers online and though FAQs and query deflections via web forms, freeing up contact center agents to manage more complex queries and improving customer service
• Helped Elsevier to deliver a tailored customer experience according to generational preferences, enabling customers to engage with Elsevier via their chosen channel
• Developed a single, extensive knowledgebase for all Elsevier science, health and technology information products and services, accessible from customer service centers and by customers globally, ensuring that all customers access the same information
• Used workspace rules and workflows to guide customer service agents to improve efficiency and customer experience for the two million customers who make contact with the customer service centers each year
• Delivered valuable reports to understand customer requirements better, helping Elsevier to provide a tailored customer experience according to generational preferences by enabling customers to engage with Elsevier via their channel of choice

Elsevier worked with The Knowledgebase Company to optimize its Oracle Service Cloud implementation and knowledgebase – improving knowledge management, support hub content and FAQs to deliver clear, concise and easy to find information to world-wide customers.

Following a high level evaluation of the existing implementation to understand pain points and opportunities, the team delivered a new interface for Oracle Service Cloud within just nine months.

The Knowledgebase Company implemented a channeling and routing methodology to make sure a customer inquiry is serviced by the right person. This enables a flexible environment that can be expanded to new portals and user groups by Elsevier’s support team.