The IRS demonstrates how eGain transformed tax season at KMWorld Connect 2021

The last keynote Tuesday morning explored “The Secret Ingredient in Digital Transformation of Customer Engagement: Knowledge Hub” with Ashu Roy, chief executive officer, eGain and Anne Shepherd, associate chief information officer, Internal Revenue Service.

Digital transformation efforts have failed in many customer service organizations as they focused on installing the pipes (channels) but not what flows through the pipes (answers/advice/content). 

The root-cause? Inside-out knowledge design, high user effort, inconsistent content silos, fragmented context, and lack of insights. 

Knowledge hubs that deliver enthusiastic user adoption by leveraging modular architecture, AI, analytics and user-centric design on an open, secure platform.

“Gartner analysts say knowledge management is the number one technology to improve customer service,” Roy said. “Knowledge is the ingredient to digital transformation. The rapid creation, availability, and retrieval of relevant knowledge is critical to the customer experience.”

The combination of knowledge and digitization with the enrichment of technology with AI and ML has transformed the customer experience space.

Shepherd shared how IRS partnered with eGain to enhance the experience of the American taxpayer. To meet expectations the company knew it needed to change.

Using the eGain database the IRS began its digitization initiative, she said. Focusing on the total customer (taxpayer) experience with digital-first omnichannel automation and improved agent experience was the IRS’s goal.

“eGain allows us to combine knowledge and machine learning in a powerful digital platform,” Shepherd said. “We are able to provide anytime, anywhere, on any device, service information.”

The IRS Virtual Assistant provides AI powered quick tips for completing complex forms. It also gives automatic guidance for relevant webpages and information.

The IRS is currently looking at different virtual assistants to launch during the next tax season. The IRS is also using eGain internally to help employees answer common in-house questions.

KMWorld Connect 2021 is going on this week, November 15 -18, with workshops on Friday, November 19. On-demand replays of sessions will be available for a limited time to registered attendees and many presenters are also making their slide decks available through the conference portal. For more information, go to www.kmworld.com/conference/2021.