Knowledge-Centered Service (KCS®)
KCS allows people to focus on solving new problems.
Knowledge-Centered Service (KCS) describes a way of interacting with knowledge which enables teams to:
- answer questions quickly,
- deliver answers where people are looking for them,
- and train new employees faster.
Additionally, KCS provides insight into which questions are being asked the most, and identifies recurring problems so we can remove them from the environment.
Driving Operational Efficiency for 30 Years
KCS is a refined and robust methodology that has helped companies capture knowledge, solve problems faster, enable self service, improve customer and employee satisfaction, and build organizational learning for the past 30 years.
Core Methodology
KCS Requires a Shift in Thinking
KCS success is fueled by the principles of Trust, Create Value, Demand Driven, and Abundance.
- KCS is an ongoing and evolving program, not a time-bound project. Success requires patience and persistence.
- KCS is people-driven. Involve the people who are doing the work in the design and continuous improvements of the process.
- Start small and expect to iterate! It takes some experimenting to find what works best in your environment.
- Agree ahead of time on how success will be measured, and be sure you have access to the data you need to understand your progress.
- Some level of investment is required for each of the eight Practices of KCS, whether it be attention, time, or money. When done well, the return greatly outweighs the investment.
Starting the Journey
Is KCS Right for You?
Start with the Introduction section of the KCS v6 Adoption & Transformation Guide. These seven pages provide an overview of the benefits of KCS and set expectations for a successful adoption.
Take the Self-Paced Training
Digital Transformation Fundamentals, KCS v6 Fundamentals, and Managing in a Digital Economy provide more context about the why and details about the how of KCS.
Do Some Discovery
Which part of your organization is most ready for change? Who will lead that change? Complete an Opportunity Assessment to establish a baseline and identify potential KCS Council members.
Design for Your Environment
- Convene a KCS Council. Provide training and KCS v6 Certification for this core group of change makers.
- Complete a KCS Design Session and start practicing KCS in your organization.
Training & Certification
Demonstrate your proficiency and earn a digital badge with KCS Certifications.
KCS Case Studies
Learn how different organizations have been successful with KCS.
KCS Self-Paced Training
We offer 3 interactive courses designed to introduce KCS methodology.
Trainer-Led Workshops
Find upcoming workshops taught by KCS v6 Certified Trainers.
The Consortium for Service Innovation, whose Members created and maintain the KCS methodology, is the only certifying body for KCS. We offer KCS certification for people and KCS designations for KCS Verified Tools, KCS Aligned Tools, and KCS Aligned Services.
KCS Double Loop Process
KCS methodology is not linear; it is a self-correcting, double loop model, organized into eight Practices.
The Solve Loop
Where the interaction happens.
- Capture and share knowledge in the moment, and in the context of the question-asker, because otherwise the solution is hard to find (or recreate) later.
- Structure knowledge in a consistent way to ensure readability and usability.
- Reuse knowledge to avoid rework and identify the pervasive issues that are candidates for corrective action.
- Improve knowledge while interacting with it to keep what’s getting used up to date.
Want to learn more? Check out The “Why” Behind Each Practice.
The Evolve Loop
Where we reflect on the interactions and what can learn from them.
- Content Health gives us a way to communicate what we want the evolution of our knowledge to look like.
- Process Integration says we want to integrate knowledge management activities into our workflow and make that workflow easy, intuitive, and repeatable through the functionality and integration of our tools.
- Performance Assessment allows us to promote learning and growth for individuals and teams and assess the success of the KCS program.
- Leadership and Communication promotes an understanding of why KCS is important and ensures those involved understand how their participation and contribution makes a difference in the context of the big picture.
Member-Only Resources
With Consortium Membership, you join a network of KCS practitioners and digital transformation leaders who contribute to the continuous improvement of KCS methodology across all knowledge-intensive industries.
Member Slack
Connect directly with peers across companies and across the globe in our active Member-only Slack workspace.
Member Events
Join our candid and collaborative events where Members continually iterate KCS methodology.
Member Wiki
Find years of captured presentations, notes, and hard-earned wisdom that Members freely share among our trusted community.
If you are a Consortium Member and need login assistance, contact support@serviceinnovation.org.
Latest KCS News
SAP’s Innovative Approach to Knowledge Article Scoring
Dr. Sean MacNiven, the Head of Research and the Strategic Program Architect for SAP Global Product Support, presented on SAP’s innovative approach to AQI (now referred to in Consortium publications as the Content Standard Checklist).
Using Change Management to Enable KCS
“KCS is not something we do in addition to solving problems. KCS is the way we solve problems.” Implementing KCS as the way we solve problems requires considerable change for…
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Attribution
The KCS® methodology is service marked by the Consortium for Service Innovation.
The first mention of KCS in a written work must include the superscript ®. Please also include this footnote or parenthetical statement: “KCS® is a service mark of the Consortium for Service InnovationTM.”
The correct use of KCS is as an adjective, for example: “[Company Name] endorses the KCS® methodology….”
KCS cannot be used in the name of an offering without explicit written permission from the Consortium for Service Innovation. Please contact the Consortium with questions.