AS EXPERIENCED WORKERS EXIT THE WORKFORCE , COMPANIES MUST CONTEND WITH A CRITICAL INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE GAP LEFT IN THEIR WAKE .
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE KNOWLEDGE CRISIS
Employee turnover in customer service and support is already high and will likely increase as a wave of workers approach retirement , taking decades of experience and deep understanding of processes and technologies with them .
As experienced workers exit the workforce , companies must contend with a critical institutional knowledge gap left in their wake . The problem is compounded by challenges associated with attracting and retaining the next generation of service workers . While the demand for tech support continues to grow , replacing retiring employees and building a dedicated team feels like an uphill battle .
Overall , the U . S . Bureau of Labor Statistics shows median employee tenure is just 2.7 years for workers aged 25 to 34 . In contact centers , this trend of shorter employee tenure , combined with a shrinking pool of prospective workers , has led 63 % of contact center leaders to report staffing shortages , according to a recent Deloitte Digital survey .
Beyond staffing issues , companies must overcome the challenges of managing and utilizing all accumulated knowledge effectively to resolve issues .
At large global organizations , resolution knowledge is often scattered across multiple systems in different languages and formats , including manuals , tables , videos , Internet of Things ( IOT ) data , technician notes and more . This fragmentation of information , coupled with ineffective search tools , makes it challenging to find the needed answers .
Consider the healthcare sector , where downtime of critical equipment , like MRI machines , can result in over $ 40,000 in lost revenue per day . The ability to quickly respond to and resolve issues efficiently directly impacts customer satisfaction and the bottom line , particularly when service providers must meet strict service level agreements .
Poor knowledge management also contributes to employee burnout , which is another key factor driving high turnover . When critical information is scattered across siloed data sources , employees struggle to find what they need quickly , leading to frustration .
Relying on a few experienced individuals to solve problems further exacerbates this issue . Slow response times and difficulty finding the right solution on the first attempt — both symptoms of ineffective knowledge management — can cause companies to lose their competitive edge .
HOW TECH CAN HELP SOLVE THE CRISIS
To combat compounding knowledge gap challenges , innovative service organizations are leveraging technology that empowers service teams with easy access to the most current and relevant information needed to resolve issues : and end the knowledge crisis .
KNOWLEDGE CRISIS
Key steps to achieving this transformation include :
• Implementing AI-Powered Solutions . AI cuts through complexity with its ability to analyze massive amounts of information from structured and unstructured data in hefty manuals , articles , case notes , and resolution actions taken .
This helps employees find the right information when and where they need it , providing actionable insights to resolve issues in a timely manner .
• Creating a Centralized Knowledge Base . Consolidating knowledge into a single system of service intelligence reduces fragmentation and improves access to information .
Selecting solutions with seamless integrations into existing service platforms and workflows ( e . g ., CRM systems , chat , service portals ) supports user adoption and a positive employee experience .
• Enabling Knowledge Capture and Sharing . Capturing resolution knowledge from data sources is only part of the picture .
To achieve the highest levels of prediction and resolution accuracy , AI needs to learn from both data and people , in real time , and continually optimize the resolution path . This paradigm shift , driven by AI , also means the work of top-performing technicians contributes directly to providing the most accurate resolution information back to agents .
FAR-REACHING IMPACTS
The knowledge crisis has far-reaching impacts on the business ’ operational efficiency , as well as the customer experience ( CX ). In more complex service organizations , the time it takes to resolve issues can also have severe financial implications .
MARCH 2025 31