Case Study: Focus On Users Creates Knowledge Advocates At Woodmen Of The World

Woodmen of the World, a fraternal benefit society that provides insurance and investment products, was consolidating the operations of three divisions into one and needed a solid knowledge management foundation for the more than 200 core operations associates working at its home office. The firm used five best practices to gain the support of senior management and frontline users for a new consolidated approach to knowledge management for support service. The knowledge management initiative, along with several other concurrent initiatives, has produced encouraging results: Process efficiencies have led to a 10% reduction in staffing; error rates have dropped, sometimes by as much as 50% for certain categories of questions; and unacceptable call volume has decreased by 76%. These measurable benefits have made Woodmen of the World associates advocates of the firm's knowledge management program.