Knowledge management (KM) is a key component of a company's self-service plan, and all companies strive for a 360-degree view of the customer. Menlo Park, Calif.-based KANA Software, Inc. has refined its KM system with the IQ 9.1 product, which offers a single source of information for each customer interaction. One of the first KM products released in the market, the product's maturity plus functionality made it a winner in the eyes of our judges.

Judges chose KANA's IQ product as the winner in the online self service category. One judge in this category cited the "classic knowledge base (KB) solution and broad eService functionality" as the superior aspects of this product.

KANA IQ includes capabilities such as expert reasoning and retrieval methodologies that allow customers to find answers online to detailed questions. KANA IQ is also integrated with other KANA applications so that agents can launch and use it quickly.

Another useful aspect of KANA's self-service tool is the design of the knowledge base, built so that users access only the information they need. A business using KANA IQ can decide which information will be available to agents and which will be available to customers, all with the same implementation. And, versions of the knowledge base can be saved and compared later, which simplifies regulatory compliance.

KANA IQ also ensures customer service consistency -- customers get the same answers whether they are chatting online or talking to an agent. Routing functionality sends each question to the most qualified agent, and also allows for language routing. Support for KANA IQ is also available in more than 25 languages.

"KANA IQ not only offers a compelling knowledgebase, but their problem diagnostics and real-time data retrieval capabilities allow them to answer any question, from complex technical support issues to queries about account balances, ship dates or any other back office accounting or inventory data, " said one judge. "And, being part of KANA's best-in-class multi-channel suite, customers can automatically move from unassisted to assisted support via click to chat, or by proactive chat identifying customers needing help to find the answer online."

On-premise pricing for KANA IQ starts at $95,000, with user licenses starting at $2,250.