SABIO: Rethinking Knowledge Management

Knowledge Management has become more relevant with the growth of cloud computing and it is going to contribute to the market significantly in the near future. One of the stand-out names rethinking the knowledge management scene is SABIO.

SABIO’s innovative offerings caught the eye of the software giant Serviceware SE which led to the acquisition of SABIO by the latter. SABIO continues to deliver quality software today that is easy to use and integrate. We caught up with the founder of SABIO, Alexander Holtappels, to know more about what lays ahead for the company.

Narrate your company’s story in few lines.

SABIO was founded to improve customer service by making the correct knowledge available to agents and customers easily. We grew with enterprise customers and on premise solutions in Germany. Today, we have customers in more than 40 countries and most of our new customers use the cloud version. In 2018, Serviceware acquired SABIO. While we are still available as a standalone product, we are now also part of a service-platform that provides all relevant functionalities to provide excellent customer service.

How does your product and service measure up?

We have been rated as pioneers in the market by various studies, evaluations on software comparison platforms and a large number of our premium customers. We always strive to get the best out of products for our customers. And for this, our customers rate us positively and appreciate us very much.

No company is perfect. Problems arise frequently. How do you maintain your stand in the market?

The big advantage of SABIO is that we are agile and dynamic. We react very quickly to changing market requirements, which means that we can execute both our strategy and the operational implementation in development rapidly. This helps us stay alive in the market.

In this ever-increasing market competition, what do you think, is your company a leader or a follower?

SABIO is definitely one of the leaders in this market and has been an innovation leader in the field of knowledge management for many years now. The company and our products are not just strategically extremely focused, it also fulfills customer needs.

SABIO rethinks knowledge management and does not just provide a pure knowledge database with which content can be managed. SABIO also integrates knowledge actively into every application and thus re-defines the service-relevance through efficiency and convenience.

Current market demands are sky-high, how do you stay relevant to your customers?

SABIO is an established player in the service environment with highly qualified employees who have expertise in the field of knowledge management. They also know the service market inside out and can therefore always act in a larger context.

We cultivate a close and strong relationship with all our customers so that we remain in dialogue with them. We organize several events every year where both we and our customers have the opportunity to exchange ideas.

In addition, we actively involve our customers in our company. Our “virtual customer team” meets regularly. At these workshops, we coordinate our roadmap with the needs of our customers, enabling them to exert a significant influence.              

How is your company sui generis?

Culture is an essential part of SABIO. We are the service provider for service providers, which defines our daily actions. This culture is also reflected in our products. They are characterized by a clear focus and a strong user orientation, which makes their use extremely easy – with a lot of fun.

What advice would you like to give to the budding companies?

Stay focused. Resist the temptation to build what one customer needs and find out what all the customers need.

Always recruit for the next step. Think about your next big step and figure out the area you need to excel at to take this step. Recruit the outside talent one year ahead and let it do the magic.

Where do you envision the company to reach in a couple of years from now?

As SABIO we will continue to bring knowledge to consumers and agents around the globe when they need it. We will bring it for them without them having to search for it. As Serviceware, we pursue a hybrid model. We provide Service-as-a-Software (SaaS)as well as on premise solutions both with the user in focus and to benefit the company.

Meet the founder

Alexander Holtappels, Founder

He started off as a consultant in a small boutique consulting firm. Here, he was assigned projects that aimed to increase revenue instead of cutting costs. It was here where he first learned that good customer service is the best marketing. He happened upon the realization that there was a need to increase the quality of service by answering all the customer queries. He eventually got the chance to do this when he founded SABIO.

He has worked with non-profits most of life, sometimes as a volunteer and other times at varied capacities. He earned his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Hamburg.

“SABIO gives you a solid foundation for efficient customer service in a multichannel environment.”

“Our intelligent and efficient solutions are made by people, for people.”