Learn how Paychex leveraged a strong knowledge foundation with RightAnswers to accelerate its AI journey and improve service efficiency.

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The Challenge

Paychex, a leading provider of HR and payroll services for over 590,000 clients, faced significant operational hurdles as it scaled. Critical knowledge was fragmented across shared drives, ITSM tools, and local databases, leading to inconsistent service desk responses and rising contact volumes. With new products on the horizon, Paychex needed a unified strategy to manage increasing support demands while maintaining its high standard of customer experience.

“Knowledge management is absolutely fundamental. It’s not being replaced by AI, it’s the foundation that makes AI successful.”
– Christa Seary, IT Knowledge Reporting & Tools Manager, Paychex

The Solution

Paychex implemented RightAnswers as its centralized knowledge management platform, adopting the Knowledge-Centered Service (KCS) methodology to embed knowledge sharing into daily workflows. The initiative began with the service desk and expanded enterprise-wide through a self-service portal, Ask IT. The company established a standardized taxonomy and strong governance, refining its knowledge base from over 64,000 articles to 50,000 validated resources.

To accelerate its AI evolution, Paychex leveraged RightAnswers’ AI tools, including Gen Answers and Knowledge Assist, in targeted proof-of-concept initiatives. The company discovered that involving frontline users was key to improving accuracy. Paychex now uses AI-powered authoring and Knowledge Gap Analysis to identify missing information, standardize article formats, and empower subject matter experts to efficiently create and refine content.

The Results

Through its partnership with RightAnswers, Paychex successfully built an AI strategy on a strong knowledge foundation, shifting its focus to adoption, engagement, and measurable business impact. Key outcomes include:

• Faster, more accurate resolutions across all service channels.

• Reduced contact volumes through enhanced self-service capabilities.

• Greater SME participation in content creation, improving inclusivity for global teams.

• A culture of innovation that values knowledge, trust, and AI with purpose.