{"id":11923,"date":"2022-10-01T01:01:41","date_gmt":"2022-10-01T06:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/?p=11923"},"modified":"2023-12-06T09:39:58","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T14:39:58","slug":"how-an-internal-wiki-can-help-boost-customer-retention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/how-an-internal-wiki-can-help-boost-customer-retention\/","title":{"rendered":"How an Internal Wiki Can Help Boost Customer Retention"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11926\" src=\"http:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wiki1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1070\" height=\"674\" srcset=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wiki1.jpg 1070w, https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wiki1-300x189.jpg 300w, https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wiki1-1024x645.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wiki1-768x484.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1070px) 100vw, 1070px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Did you know that the average team member spends about two hours daily finding and gathering information? This points to inefficient use of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/browse\/flevypro\/data-governance-strategy-6370\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">data-governance resources<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> necessary to achieve specific business goals such as communicating with clients, tackling client projects, and finding innovative ways of doing things.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The issue is that most corporate knowledge is scattered across several locations, lying in email threads or buried in Slack conversations. As a result, it\u2019s not surprising that teams will spend so much time combing reliable data from all these channels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A comprehensive internal wiki can help simplify information sharing, reduce time wastage, improve service and consequently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fresha.com\/blog\/attract-both-new-and-existing-clients\">help retain clients<\/a>. Here\u2019s how an internal wiki tool can reduce churn and boost customer retention.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What\u2019s an Internal Wiki?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An internal wiki is a software tool where a company\u2019s workers can access, create, edit, and share information depending on their level of access. It makes it easy for team leaders to share their knowledge in one place, and access or distribute vital knowledge with colleagues on a centralized platform.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You are free to put whatever information you like on an internal wiki. However, your wiki should contain everything your firm relies on, such as:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Standard operating procedures (SOPs)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Training guides<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">FAQs<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contact information for customer service<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Company processes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Newsletters and reports<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All these are aimed at impacting customer acquisition and retention.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How Internal Wikis Help Retain Clients<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that we\u2019ve established what a wiki is, let\u2019s talk about how a wiki can help your company retain customers and build lifelong client relationships.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Knowledge Is Power<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No matter how simple or complex the topic is, getting all the relevant information from a person\u2019s mind isn\u2019t easy. Having a central hub of information, though, may do wonders for a company\u2019s productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-11924\" src=\"http:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wiki2-300x189.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"189\" srcset=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wiki2-300x189.jpg 300w, https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wiki2-1024x645.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wiki2-768x484.jpg 768w, https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wiki2.jpg 1070w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>The internal wiki<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/tettra.com\/article\/business-wiki\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> serves as a central hub<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for the sharing and disseminating of information amongst all staff and company leaders. When workers have more information, they are better equipped to assist customers and carry out their duties effectively, resulting in increased profits for the business.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Documentation Is a Client Saver<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wiki pages are helpful for topics like projects because it\u2019s easy to add and update little bits of content that would not make sense in a formal framework. Sometimes, having a link that takes you to the location of a project plan or the most recent version of a quote can be invaluable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s a scenario when having access to a project\u2019s documentation on the wiki would come in handy: Your company just finished a client project about six months ago. The team member who worked on the project has transferred to a different department or, worse, has left the company. Luckily, before that happened, they had documented everything you\u2019d ever need to know about the project. When the client calls to check in on the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/browse\/marketplace\/strategic-planning-process-key-frameworks-and-tools-5202\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">project\u2019s progress<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, that wiki page could become a lifesaver.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Speedy Retrieval Equals Faster Service<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How many times have you gone through this? Your client requests additional information regarding business process X.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What do you do first? Perhaps, you open your project folder to figure out the ideal response or the project file to check. Worse yet, what if you fired up Windows Explorer and searched for a Word or text file on your network that might include the instructions?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Windows has to look through hundreds, if not thousands, of files and directories to find what you need, which takes an extremely long time. Unfortunately, even if you reach the appropriate section, the answers provided inside are rarely helpful. This is a tiresome process.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A wiki\u2019s search functionality is arguably one of its most valuable features. If it\u2019s a good wiki, it should have a robust search engine that scans all the text on all pages. This makes it as easy as opening Google and entering your query to run a search. Typically, search results will display the most relevant wiki page first.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Internal Wikis Allow Crowdsourcing<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.investopedia.com\/terms\/c\/crowdsourcing.asp\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crowdsourcing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the practice of soliciting the help of a large number of individuals to complete a particular task. This has never been easier to achieve, thanks to the internet\u2019s innovations over the past years. It doesn\u2019t matter how big or small a business is; this rule still applies across the board.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-11925\" src=\"http:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wiki3-300x189.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"189\" srcset=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wiki3-300x189.jpg 300w, https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wiki3-1024x645.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wiki3-768x484.jpg 768w, https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/wiki3.jpg 1070w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Years ago, the individual in charge of creating documentation would be a technical writer, a project manager, or a developer. We all know that most technicians aren\u2019t the best writers. Crowdsourcing can change how wikis track knowledge.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every new team member has instant access to every existing wiki page in the organization, and those with editing access can edit or create new pages as the need arises. As more information is added, the wiki evolves and improves indefinitely. Consequently, you can update your clients faster on relevant information about your products, processes, or services since employees will have instant access to accurate information.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Updates and Maintenance<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re working on a project or maintaining a connection with a client, using a wiki will make it simpler and quicker to update information as conditions change. This helps keep your company\u2019s information stay updated and accurate, an essential factor for customer retention. Customers will lose trust in your brand if they receive inaccurate information from time to time, or worse, get passed around by agents instead of receiving timely answers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Integrated Document Revision and Control<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most word processors have unnecessarily complex systems for commenting and revising documents. What happens if the user forgets to enable tracking modifications, or if the file is overwritten? The administrative burden will increase, and you risk losing customers if they\u2019re underserved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A standard feature of most wiki software is an easy and built-in way to keep track of various page versions. The best internal wikis also provide a way to view the changes (both new and deleted content) made in each version of a page side by side. If something gets deleted or a malicious user tries to steal content, the wiki\u2019s administrator can usually restore it to an earlier version.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Bottom Line<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Happy and appreciated clients are the only ones who stick around. If you want satisfied consumers and a lifelong relationship, you need a solid internal wiki accessible and easily usable by the necessary team members. When everyone is well informed and has a resource for reference, the result is enhanced productivity, better customer relations, and higher customer acquisition and retention rates.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did you know that the average team member spends about two hours daily finding and gathering information? This points to inefficient use of data-governance resources necessary to achieve specific business goals such as communicating with clients, tackling client projects, and finding innovative ways of doing things.\u00a0 The issue is that most corporate knowledge is scattered&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/how-an-internal-wiki-can-help-boost-customer-retention\/\" rel=\"bookmark\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">How an Internal Wiki Can Help Boost Customer Retention<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":11926,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11923"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11923\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13197,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11923\/revisions\/13197"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}