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Transfer of knowledge and networking – gds becomes a member of the professional association Kundendienst-Verband Deutschland e.V. (KVD)

  • gds further expands collaboration with professional associations with new membership in KVD
  • Focus on the transfer of knowledge and sustainability
  • Added value thanks to active involvement and exchange of ideas with KVD members

To move customer service forward together and successfully implement the transformation in the customer service sector are the objectives of the Kundendienst-Verband Deutschland e.V. (KVD). Central aspects include the digitalization and management of information and knowledge. Reasons enough for gds GmbH to join the professional association of the KVD as a member. The Competence Center for Technical Communication and Information Management will bring comprehensive expertise in the areas of knowledge management and content delivery to the table and, with the Digital Only Concept, offer an example of best practices in the area of sustainability. gds is also looking forward to the open exchange of ideas with KVD members and close collaboration with customer service representatives from various industry sectors. 

“While technical documentation has often been viewed as a “necessary evil” in the past, today, the focus of attention is shifting towards the value of the information that is compiled in the process,” says Anne Kudla, Sales Manager at gds GmbH. Apart from concentrating on product sales, companies are increasingly relying on the provision of customer services for which the information contained in the technical documentation is required in an appropriately prepared form. “This way, the focus of attention is shifting towards service technicians as the users of information so that new digital business models can be developed. For this reason, it was important to us to further expand our collaboration with professional associations to include this area and to enter into a closer dialog with those responsible in the customer service area. The KVD offers the perfect platform to do so.”

Successfully meeting the transformation in customer services

The philosophy behind the professional association of KVD, founded in 1982, is straightforward: Every company has to deal with a variety of topics related to customer service to ensure the success of tomorrow. This is where the association offers support. The core value of the professional association is its active involvement in the process. The knowledge, ideas and impetus provided by the members of the professional association by way of working groups thus determine trend topics for which best practices are sought, always with a view of future developments. The transformation in the customer service sector can be broken down into four aspects: changed customer expectations, new business models, digitalization and sustainability.

There are a number of opportunities for gds with its profound expertise not only regarding the topic of digitalization but also as a result of the transformation in the customer service sector. “In the area of digitalization, there is a growing interest in our customer service community regarding knowledge management and content delivery,” explains Julian Schenk who is responsible for Sales and Business Development at KVD e. V. How service technicians receive information and how knowledge can be saved to mitigate the shortage of skilled labor, are among the key questions. “To this end, gds GmbH offers solutions and inspiration, making gds GmbH a valuable member of our professional association that matches very well what we aim to achieve.”

Digital Only Concept as a best practice

gds not only scores with expertise in digitalization. Using the Digital Only Concept, the information from the operating manual can be made available to service technicians virtually without the use of paper, in that the service technician can call up the specific information required via a QR code on the machine or system. The data is provided via the Content Delivery Portal easybrowse from gds in this process. The Competence Center for Technical Communication and Information Management is thus paving new ways to sustainable Content Delivery.

As a member of the professional association, gds has a variety of options for establishing contact with those responsible for customer service such as workshops, webinars, and podcasts. Attending expert panels is also possible. In addition to networking and the exchange of ideas, the transfer of knowledge and mutual inspiration are also at the center of attention for gds GmbH as is the endeavor to move forward customer service and after-sales area topics as well as creating new opportunities for the future.