Effective knowledge base management helps businesses create and distribute organizational information on all customer touchpoints.
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Modern day customers are accustomed to finding information instantly. Whether it is troubleshooting a problem or understanding a product, having a knowledge base readily available can save both time and frustration. Businesses are investing in the tool to improve their customer service delivery and boost efficiency.
We have created a step-wise guide on how to design and structure a custom knowledge base effectively. Irrespective of the industry you belong to and the size of your business, having a knowledge base is a big asset for your employees as well as customers.
A knowledge base is defined as a centralized repository of information that can be accessed by internal teams or customers who are seeking solutions to common problems. It can be referred to as a digital library, where information is stored in an easily accessible and searchable format, making it possible for people to find the information they need quickly.
A well-maintained knowledge base can be an incredibly valuable resource for any business. When properly structured, it can help employees work more effectively, reduce the need for manual documentation, and ensure that customers always have access to the information they need to resolve common issues. It can also help to reduce training costs and enable employees to work more independently, thereby increasing productivity and efficiency.
A knowledge base is a centralized system that houses information and expertise about a particular subject, product or service. Here are the essential elements of a knowledge base.
A search function is an essential element of a knowledge base feature. A robust search function can enable users to find relevant information by searching for keywords, phrases, or even complex queries.
The content in a knowledge base should be well-structured, intuitively organized, and easy to navigate. Whether it is graphical or textual, information should be presented in a way that is easily digestible and user-friendly.
The ability to manage and update content regularly is crucial to keeping a knowledge base relevant and useful. Content management ensures that new information can be added, outdated to be removed, modified as required.
A knowledge base should integrate with other systems, such as customer relationship management (CRM) software, to help streamline processes and ensure that information in other systems is up-to-date.
The ability to track and analyze usage patterns is an essential element of a knowledge base. Analytics and reporting features can provide insight into areas that require more attention or areas that are working well.
Collaboration tools, such as commenting features or discussion forums, can encourage users to contribute their knowledge and expertise to the knowledge base. It ensures that the knowledge base stays current and offers a diverse range of perspectives.
External knowledge bases are typically used to provide customer support, the internal knowledge bases mainly cover business-specific information such as policies and processes. But, what exactly do customer-facing knowledge bases contain?
Here are some of the most common types of information you’ll find:
One way to achieve business goals is by implementing a knowledge base. But you might be asking yourself, “Why does my business need a knowledge base?” Let’s explore the benefits.
Knowledge management is the process of creating, sharing, using, and managing the knowledge of an organization. Let’s delve into the details of its role in knowledge management.
1. Centralization of information: Leveraging a knowledge base software helps organizations to store all their information in one centralized location, making it easy to access and share within the organization. The centralization also makes it easier to update and maintain information.
2. Improve collaboration and communication: A knowledge base software can help team members to share information and collaborate on projects more effectively. It is particularly important when working with remote teams, as it makes it easier to share information, ideas, and feedback.
3. Increased efficiency and productivity: Knowledge base tool makes it easy to find information, which can save time and increase productivity. By having all information in one place, employees no longer need to waste time searching for information, allowing them to focus on other tasks.
4. Enhance customer experience: A knowledge base platform can also be used to improve customer service by providing customers with self-service support, such as FAQs or step-by-step guides. This can reduce the number of support requests, freeing up time for customer service teams to focus on more complex issues.
A knowledge base is a centralized repository of information, often used by organizations to store and share knowledge with employees and customers. Let’s explore its various types.
Here are some common types of knowledge bases:
1. Internal Knowledge Base
An internal knowledge base is used by employees within an organization to access information such as company policies, procedures, best practices, and training materials. This type of knowledge base helps employees quickly find the information they need to perform their jobs effectively.
2. External Knowledge Base
An external knowledge base is typically used by customers or external stakeholders to access information about a product or service. This type of knowledge base may include FAQs, troubleshooting guides, product manuals, and other helpful resources for customers looking for support.
3. Collaborative Knowledge Base
A collaborative knowledge base allows multiple users to contribute and edit information, creating a shared repository of knowledge. This type of knowledge base facilitates collaboration and knowledge sharing among teams, making it easier for employees to work together and access the information they need.
4. Domain-specific Knowledge Base
A domain-specific knowledge base focuses on a specific subject or industry, such as healthcare, IT, or finance. This type of knowledge base contains specialized information and resources tailored to the needs of professionals in that particular domain.
5. Decision Support Knowledge Base
A decision support knowledge base provides information and tools to help users make informed decisions. This type of knowledge base may include data analytics, market research, and other resources to assist users in analyzing information and making strategic decisions.
6. Customer Support Knowledge Base
A customer support knowledge base is designed to provide customers with self-service support options, helping them troubleshoot issues and find answers to common questions without having to contact customer support. This type of knowledge base can improve customer satisfaction and reduce support costs for businesses.
A knowledge base is a powerful tool for improving collaboration and knowledge-sharing within an organization. Let’s learn how to create an effective one.
The first and foremost is to define your objectives. Outlining the objectives gives clarity on the answers to the below questions.
The answers to those questions will help you understand if you do need a knowledge base and begin thinking about how it should be structured so that it meets your business needs and expectations.
There are so many knowledge base software available in the market. It is recommended to evaluate several knowledge base tools to know the right fit for your businesses.
Knowledge base tools include open-source software, cloud-based platforms, and proprietary solutions. The selection of the knowledge base tool should depend on your defined objectives, available resources, and expected outcomes.
Based on your business needs, if it is just basic, you can use free tools like Google Docs or Microsoft SharePoint or you can invest in premium solutions like Confluence, Freshdesk, or Zendesk if you are looking for advanced features or customizations.
Identifying your knowledge sources is a critical step in creating your knowledge base. It can also be a self-hosted knowledge base or a generic hosted knowledge base as well. The sources of knowledge could be internal, external or both.
Internal knowledge sources may include customer support data, employee manuals, etc. while external sources include vendor information, customer feedback, etc. By identifying your knowledge sources, you can structure your knowledge base to retrieve and store information efficiently.
Categorizing your knowledge base into topics and subcategories is a great way to ease information management. Developing your custom knowledge base structure at the beginning of your process will not only help you organize your content but will inform navigation design and help make it more intuitive for users.
Consider grouping your knowledge base into logical categories that resonate with your target audience. For example, you could group your articles into topics like product features, troubleshooting, customer service or industry news.
Maintaining and updating your knowledge base is a continuous process. With time, the information stored in your knowledge base may become obsolete, inaccurate or irrelevant. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that you regularly update, review and verify the information in your knowledge base.
You should also encourage your employees and customers to provide feedback and suggestions for improving your knowledge base. It will ensure that your knowledge base is more valuable to your target audience.
When it’s about managing customer support and providing efficient solutions, a good knowledge base software tool can be incredibly helpful. Let us delve into the details.
Best knowledge base software for great CX
Omni24 is a customer experience software that offers a knowledge base to help businesses create, organize and share support content. It allows teams to build a self-service help center, reducing ticket volume and improving customer satisfaction by providing easy access to information.
The articles are easy to create, manage, and categorize. Omni24 also offers collaborative editing, meaning that multiple agents can work on a single article without causing conflicts. Omni24 offers analytics to track article performance and identify areas for improvement.
Key features:
Omnichannel inbox: Allows to engage with customers across their preferred digital channels (live chat, social media, messaging apps) and deliver excellent digital customer service experience.
Knowledge base: Help customers to help themselves without even reaching out to you with a comprehensive knowledge base comprising solutions for the common queries customers might face.
AI chatbots: Provide real time digital customer care, 24×7 when your support team is not available. Connecting with customers and addressing their queries in real time deliver a better experience.
Feedback surveys: Conducting feedback surveys helps in understanding customer expectations and the gaps in customer service strategy so that you can improve the areas significantly.
SLA management: Empower your support agents to plan effectively toward meeting their goals and digital customer service standards.
Ticket management: Organizes customer inquiries into trackable tickets, enabling prioritization, assignment and resolution tracking. It streamlines support workflows and ensures no customer request falls through the cracks.
Pricing: Omni24’s pricing starts from $29/user/month and goes up to $149/user/month based on the features. Every plan comes with a 14-day free trial. The pricings can be customized as per business needs.
Top knowledge base solution with excellent customer support
Veemo Support is an omnichannel help desk software to streamline support operations into a centralized interface. The software is a part of Veemo’s customer engagement suite of products designed to streamline and enhance various aspects of business operations. Veemo Support offers a range of tools to automate workflows, manage tickets efficiently and provide self-service options to customers.
Key capabilities:
Pricing: Veemo’s pricing plans start from $29/user/month and go up to 129/user/month based on the features and add-ons. The software pricing is also customizable as per business requirements.
Best knowledge base platform to minimize the rate of queries
Helpjuice is a powerful and easy-to-use knowledge base software tool that helps businesses create a comprehensive knowledge base in a matter of minutes. It offers a range of customization options for branding and provides a user-friendly interface for creating and managing articles.
Helpjuice also offers a powerful search feature that returns relevant results for customer queries quickly. It also provides analytics to track article performance and user behavior.
Pricing: The software’s basic pricing starts from $59 per seat/month.
Not all knowledge bases are equally effective. Here are seven best practices to ensure that your knowledge base provides value to both your customers and agents.
1. Ensure Easy Navigation to Your Knowledge Base
The knowledge base should be well organized in a logical and easy-to-follow manner. You should use categories and subcategories that make it easy for users to find what they’re looking for. Add search functionality to your knowledge base so users can quickly find the information they need.
2. Keep Your Knowledge Base Up-to-Date
Make sure that the information in your knowledge base is current and accurate. Outdated information can be frustrating for users and lead to increased support requests.
3. Use Simple Language and Avoid Jargon
Simple language has the power to grab more attention. Write articles in a tone that is clear and concise, using language that your customers understand. Avoid technical jargon and industry terms that may be unfamiliar to your audience.
4. Create Consistent Formatting
Preferring to use consistent formatting across all articles in your knowledge base will make it easier for users to navigate and understand the information. Use headings, bullet points, and numbered lists to make articles readable and easy to follow.
5. Use Visual Aids
You can add images, screenshots, and videos to your articles to help users quickly and easily understand complex topics. Visual aids can be particularly helpful for technical documentation.
6. Encourage User Feedback
Give users the opportunity to rate and leave feedback on your knowledge base articles. This can help you identify areas where your content may be unclear or insufficient, and help you improve your knowledge base over time.
7. Promote Your Knowledge Base
Make sure your customers are aware of your knowledge base and know how to access it. Add links to your knowledge base in support emails, on your website, and in your product interfaces.
Having a strong knowledge base can be invaluable for any business. We discuss several use cases for knowledge bases that can help you get the most out of this powerful resource.
Customer service is the primary use case for a knowledge base. A well-designed knowledge base can empower your customers to find answers to their questions without reaching out to the support team. When you provide customers with an intuitive and easy-to-use knowledge base, it improves the overall customer experience and reduces the number of support calls you receive.
Knowledge bases are highly effective for employee training and onboarding. It can provide new employees with the information they need quickly. This can include company policies, procedures and best practices. A knowledge base can also be used to train existing employees on new products, services, or processes.
A knowledge base can also be a powerful tool for self-service sales. When you provide customers with detailed product information and reviews, it helps them in making quick and informed purchasing decisions. This can lead to increased sales and customer satisfaction.
A structured knowledge base can also be a valuable tool for internal knowledge sharing. By creating a centralized repository of information, you can promote collaboration and knowledge sharing among your employees. This can help to break down silos and increase efficiency.
Having a knowledge base can be used to enable your partners. By providing your partners with the information they need to sell your products and services, you can increase sales and build stronger relationships with your partners. It comprises product information, sales collateral, and training materials.
Businesses need to be aware of how their knowledge bases are performing so they can make informed decisions to improve the processes. Here are the metrics to consider.
1. Top Articles
Tracking the top articles is crucial to understanding the most common queries your customers have. It is essential to know which articles are getting the most views, so you can optimize and improve them accordingly. You can use analytics tools to track which articles are being viewed most and which ones are not getting as much attention.
2. Search Query Metrics
The search query metric tracks the search queries entered by customers so that you can identify the top searches and modify your knowledge base content accordingly. You can find out what customers are searching for and create new articles that provide answers to those queries.
3. Article Performance Metrics
The performance of an article is a measure of how helpful it is to customers. An article may receive a lot of visitors but may be deemed unhelpful by customers. In such cases, it is necessary to modify such articles. The performance metric will help you identify the top-performing articles and the poorly-performing ones.
4. Feedback Metrics
Many knowledge bases have a feedback mechanism, which allows customers to rate the usefulness of an article. By collecting feedback, businesses can identify areas that need improvement and optimize knowledge base content accordingly.
A Knowledge Base is essential for organizations aiming to deliver customer support on autopilot, especially when using Omni24’s Knowledge Base Tool. Centralizing valuable information allows for easy access by both employees and customers, streamlining communication as well as reducing the time spent addressing common inquiries.
Omni24’s Knowledge Base Tool enhances profitability by minimizing operational costs associated with customer support and reducing redundancy in information handling. Quick access to solutions enables employees to resolve issues faster, improving overall service quality while maintaining a consistent customer experience.
Client engagement also improves significantly through this tool, as it offers customers self-service options to find answers independently. Increased customer satisfaction fosters loyalty, driving long-term success while freeing support teams to focus on more complex issues.
Omni24’s DCX platform harnesses automation and AI to deliver unified customer experiences across digital channels, while keeping human touch.
Having a knowledge base is crucial for businesses as it saves time and resources by reducing the need for constant customer support. There are scenarios when customers look for immediate assistance and the support may not be available. Having a knowledge base empowers users to find information quickly and easily, without the need to get in touch with the support team. It eventually leads to improved customer satisfaction and a positive user experience.
In order to create an effective knowledge base, you should start by identifying the most common customer queries or issues. Organize your content in a logical manner using categories and subcategories. Use clear and concise language, provide step-by-step instructions, and include visuals such as screenshots or videos for better understanding.
A comprehensive knowledge base should include a frequently asked questions (FAQs) section, troubleshooting guides, product or service documentation, video tutorials, user manuals, and a search function to allow users to quickly find the information they need.
Knowledge base accessibility depends on your business and the target audience. While some companies prefer to have public knowledge bases that can be accessed by anyone, others may have specific sections that are only available to registered users or paying customers. Consider your industry, customer base, and overall objectives when deciding on the accessibility of your knowledge base.
Promoting your knowledge base is essential to ensure users are aware of its existence and utilize it effectively. Some effective strategies include adding links to your website’s navigation menu, creating educational blog posts or videos that direct users to your knowledge base, sending periodic newsletters highlighting new articles, and integrating the knowledge base within your customer support interactions.
Knowledge bases should be regularly updated to reflect changes in your products, services, or industry. Set a schedule for reviewing, revising, and adding new content to ensure accuracy and relevance. Encourage user feedback to identify any gaps in information or areas that need improvement.
Absolutely! There are numerous software and tools available that can help you create, organize, and manage your knowledge base effectively. Some popular options include Help Center platforms, content management systems, and knowledge base software that offer user-friendly interfaces and features designed specifically for knowledge base management.
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