Use of Wikis for Learning in a Call Center: A Case Study

Abstract: Problem Area / Purpose The purpose of this research is to study how agents learn and share knowledge in a callcenter after the implementation of a wiki. How they create new knowledge, and theirperception of the knowledge conversion process. In call centers sharing knowledge is acommon practice, changes are constant and agents need to have information available inorder to learn. Research Methodology A qualitative case study was performed in a call center in a company named Telvista. Wefocused our case study in a project that Telvista has for technical support calls. Interviewswere conducted with fifteen agents who were part of a pilot program that used a wiki forthe first time. The questions were asked according to the knowledge conversion model ofNonaka and Takeuchi (1995) and the answers helped us to interpret the agents’ impressionsabout the wiki. Findings / Conclusion The findings from this study showed us that a wiki helped the agents in their learningprocess while they were performing their job. The way tacit and explicit knowledge wasutilized and transformed during the four modes of knowledge conversion was useful for theagents to learn from others. A drawback of using the wiki was the impression that some ofthe agents had about the accuracy of the information it contained. Research Limitation & Implications The findings in this study were based in the pilot program of the wiki implementation.Fifteen agents were part of it, selected by their tenure and overall metrics. Agents with lessthan sixty days on the operation were not eligible for this pilot. The information presentedin the interviews with the agents is merely their opinion and perception of the use of thewiki. Outcomes Our research showed how agents in a call center shared knowledge and learned in differentways through the socialization, externalization, combination and internalization modes ofknowledge conversion model. This study can give acquaintance to organizations that areseeking to implement a knowledge management tool as a wiki is, in a changing anddemanding industry.