When the Answer Finds You: Scaling Support with Karen Holliday
Thu May 15 2025
Imagine a support agent lost in a maze—too many tools, not enough answers, and frustration simmering on both ends of the line. Now flip the script: the answer appears before the question is even finished. Not magic. Not luck. But the result of a system designed for knowledge to flow, not stagnate.
This week, Pete Wright welcomes Karen Holliday, VP of Solutions Consulting at Upland Software. Karen doesn’t see scaling support as adding more people, but as removing obstacles—engineering a world where information finds you, not the other way around. Her metaphor is perfect: AI isn’t a replacement, it’s a forklift—amplifying what humans do best, and letting them build more, faster, smarter.
Together, Pete and Karen dissect where support systems really break (hint: it’s always the knowledge), and why integrating knowledge creation into daily workflows—think Knowledge-Centered Service—does more than just reduce friction. It changes the culture. The conversation leaps from abstract theory to lived experience, including a story of a major financial institution that slashed support times just by connecting their knowledge dots.
If you think scaling support is about quantity, think again. This is a conversation about what happens when knowledge flows effortlessly—swift, seamless, and, ultimately, more human.
Links:
Upland SoftwarePanviva Knowledge PlatformRightAnswers Knowledge PlatformSubmit your Questions!
(00:00) - Welcome to Connected Knowledge
(00:51) - Introducing Karen Holliday
(04:04) - AI • Reshaping Knowledge Management
(12:02) - KCS
(18:34) - The Upland Approach
(20:56) - The Client Story
More
Imagine a support agent lost in a maze—too many tools, not enough answers, and frustration simmering on both ends of the line. Now flip the script: the answer appears before the question is even finished. Not magic. Not luck. But the result of a system designed for knowledge to flow, not stagnate. This week, Pete Wright welcomes Karen Holliday, VP of Solutions Consulting at Upland Software. Karen doesn’t see scaling support as adding more people, but as removing obstacles—engineering a world where information finds you, not the other way around. Her metaphor is perfect: AI isn’t a replacement, it’s a forklift—amplifying what humans do best, and letting them build more, faster, smarter. Together, Pete and Karen dissect where support systems really break (hint: it’s always the knowledge), and why integrating knowledge creation into daily workflows—think Knowledge-Centered Service—does more than just reduce friction. It changes the culture. The conversation leaps from abstract theory to lived experience, including a story of a major financial institution that slashed support times just by connecting their knowledge dots. If you think scaling support is about quantity, think again. This is a conversation about what happens when knowledge flows effortlessly—swift, seamless, and, ultimately, more human. Links: Upland SoftwarePanviva Knowledge PlatformRightAnswers Knowledge PlatformSubmit your Questions! (00:00) - Welcome to Connected Knowledge (00:51) - Introducing Karen Holliday (04:04) - AI • Reshaping Knowledge Management (12:02) - KCS (18:34) - The Upland Approach (20:56) - The Client Story