Mothercare has developed a knowledge base of around 500 questions since its online self-service system Ask Carrie went live a couple of months ago.

Customers can either type in questions or browse through frequently asked questions in a variety of categories.

The system has been deployed using technology from Transversal and also allows Mothercare to display relevant ads and special offers that reflect the
questions asked.

Transversal vice-president of professional services Heather Richards, who led the project at Mothercare, said that the retailer is able to monitor which questions are being viewed and is taking feedback on whether customers find the answers to questions helpful.

The knowledge base has also been deployed at Mothercare’s contact centre, so that customer service staff have access to the same information as customers. They can also see additional information to help with more complex queries.

Mothercare has incorporated general parenting advice in the self-service system, as well as more specific information on delivery, products and its business. Customers can use Ask Carrie to search for general advice on topics such as nappy rash or postnatal depression and in some cases they are directed through to the articles in the parenting advice section of the main web site.

Richards said the system had taken about six weeks to create and put live, but that the questions will continue to evolve.

The system has been in use at Early Learning Centre for just over a year, where it has led to a 20 per cent reduction in the number of e-mail queries.