KCS Principles
Course Overview
KCS is a methodology and a set of principles and practices that treat knowledge as a key asset of the organization. It has been shown to significantly improve service levels to customers, gain operational efficiencies, and increase the organization’s value through effective knowledge management.
This three-day skills training and certification course provides practical guidance for capturing, storing, and successfully reusing support knowledge. Based on the Knowledge-Centered Service (KCS) Practices Guide v6.0 from the Consortium for Service Innovation, the course introduces a proven approach for reusing, improving, and creating knowledge as part of day-to-day support.
Training
Knowledge-Centered Service (KCS), developed by the Consortium for Service Innovation, is a methodology and set of processes that leverage knowledge as a key asset of the support organization. KCS enables service and support teams to improve service levels, gain operational efficiency, and increase organizational value through structured knowledge management.
This course equips support center supervisors, managers, and directors with practical steps for capturing, storing, and reusing knowledge. Participants learn how to implement a strategy that creates and maintains knowledge as a by-product of the incident management process. The course aligns with the KCS Practices Guide v6.
KCS is a service mark of the Consortium for Service Innovation.
What You Will Learn
- How to efficiently reuse, improve, maintain, and create quality, easy-to-find knowledge articles
- A process for monitoring the quality of knowledge
- Ways to motivate staff to use knowledge management practices and assess individual and team contributions
- How to minimize or eliminate the need for a separate knowledge engineering function
- How to articulate the value of knowledge management practices for your organization
- A strategy for sustainable success that minimizes workflow investment and maximizes return
- How to identify and avoid common pitfalls associated with knowledge management
Who Should Attend?
- Customer service professionals, project managers, and support center professionals at all levels who want actionable steps to improve time-to-resolve and reduce expense through knowledge management
- Supervisors, managers, and directors responsible for implementing or improving a knowledge management program
- Individuals preparing for the KCS Principles certification exam
Upcoming Classes
| Start Date | End Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 20, 2025 | Oct 22, 2025 | Virtual |
| Dec 2, 2025 | Dec 4, 2025 | Virtual |
Course Curriculum
Unit 1: What is Knowledge-Centered Service?
- What is Knowledge-Centered Service?
- What led to the development of KCS?
- KCS principles
- Why do you need KCS?
- Benefits of KCS
Unit 2: The KCS Principles and Core Concepts
- KCS principles
- KCS core concepts
Unit 3: The KCS Practices
- The KCS practices
- Understanding KCS
- KCS methodologies
Unit 4: Aligning KCS with the Business
- Aligning business goals and objectives
- Providing additional value with KCS
- KCS benefits and ROI
Unit 5: Content Health
- Overview of content health
- The content standard
- KCS article state
- Developing a content standard
- Creating Evolve Loop articles
- Archiving old articles
- Dealing with legacy data
- Priming the knowledge base
- Global support considerations
- Knowledge domain analysis
- Content health indicators
- Self-service success
- Self-service measures
Unit 6: KCS Roles and Responsibilities
- KCS roles and licensing model
- The KCS licensing model
- Defining roles and competencies
Unit 7: Process Integration
- Process integration
- Structured problem solving
- Seamless technology integration
- Search technology for KCS
- Closed loop feedback
- KCS process integration indicators
Unit 8: Performance Assessment
- The KCS licensing model (review)
- Assessing the creation of value
- Feedback and reputation model
Unit 9: Leadership
- Leadership
- Tapping into internal motivators
- Recognition programs
- Compelling purpose
- Promoting teamwork
Unit 10: Communication
- Communication
- Key messaging and elevator pitches
- Handling questions and objections
- Programs for social engagement
Unit 11: Technology
- Functional requirements
- Technology selection
- KCS Verified
Unit 12: The KCS Adoption Roadmap
- The KCS adoption program
- Adoption phases
- Adoption roles
- KCS implementation strategy
- KCS investment
- Critical success factors
Certification Exam Details
The certification exam is included with training purchased. It may also be purchased separately. The exam must be completed within 12 weeks of purchase.
The certification exam is based on the KCS Principles Certification Standard and is delivered online through the HDI Learning Center.
Each exam consists of 65 multiple choice questions and must be completed in 75 minutes. A minimum score of 80 percent is required to pass a certification exam, unless otherwise published. Individuals who achieve the passing score will receive a certificate from HDI acknowledging their accomplishment and a credentialing logo that may be added to signature blocks and business cards.
Our courses are developed from the certification standards and are designed to assist a student in preparing for an HDI certification exam. They reinforce the core concepts of the certification standards and provide skills-building opportunities for the attendee.
Exam Format
- Type: Multiple choice
- Number of Questions: 65
- Time Limit: 75 minutes
- Passing Score: 80% (unless otherwise published)
Exam Weighting
The certification exam is randomly generated from a pool of pre-authorized exam questions. As a result, each certification exam is different. The questions have been classified by the categories of the HDI Standard. The certification exam is designed to test the candidate’s knowledge in each category.
The number of questions presented from each category is based on the certification weighting. When the time available to study prior to taking a certification exam is limited, consider the certification weighting and review the categories with the highest allocations.
The following table represents the weighting for each of the standards categories within the certification exam. This information is provided to help you focus as you prepare for the exam.
| Category | Weighting % |
|---|---|
| Background | 5% |
| KCS Practices | 30% |
| ITIL | 5% |
| Content Health | 20% |
| Process Integration | 5% |
| Performance Assessment | 15% |
| Leadership & Communication | 15% |
| Adoption Roadmap | 5% |
Exam Extensions
A 28-day extension is available for an online exam.
Exam Retakes
Exam retakes can be purchased for a fee.