Want to optimize your call center efficiency? Discover how building a knowledge base can help you!
With 81% of consumers wanting more self-service options to resolve queries and issues, it is more important than ever for businesses to make that information available.
Building a knowledge base can be a great way to explain how your products and services work, or to simply share general tips and advice that can position your brand as an authority.
A knowledge base works as a centralized repository, aggregating and collecting information into one useful source of institutional knowledge, rather than leaving valuable information in disparate online sources, or sending more customers to busy call centers staffed by agents.
A knowledge base comes in different forms, from a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) to web portals, wikis to help centers and various file types such as PDFs, Word documents and spreadsheets. You can also opt for on-premise databases to store all that information in one place and manage it easily.
Crucially, your knowledge base can either be internal - a repository that is accessible only by employees, likely storing private information for internal use - or external, which is intended for customer service, storing information that can be used by customers and clients.
So, why do you need a knowledge base?
Creating a knowledge base can bring multiple benefits to your business, whether you are planning it for your customers or for your staff.
Faster problem resolutions
Your company will be more agile and consistent in responding to customer queries, with standardized information prepared and readily available. This consistency can also give a boost to your problem resolution rates.
Efficient onboarding and training
With a database of information ready to equip new and existing employees, your onboarding and training programs can be made faster and cost less, bringing employees up to speed more quickly.
Reliable self-service options
With the rise in customers preferring self-service facilities to resolve their issues, an external knowledge base can help them find the information that they want with reliable, 24/7 support.
Reducing wait times
An array of self-service options, allowing customers to help themselves, means that wait times are reduced. This, in turn, reduces the burden on your human customer service agents to resolve more complex queries.
Easier data management
As it’s a centralized source of information, the upkeep is relatively easy to maintain. It is simply a case of adding new information about a particular product or service.
Retaining knowledge
With higher employee turnover and a rising frequency of people leaving their jobs, a knowledge base reinforces your institutional knowledge, ensuring there isn’t a brain drain when talented and experienced employees depart.
How do I build my knowledge base?
To get started with building a knowledge base, you need to consider the design and structure. It’s key that customers or employees can easily discover what they’re looking for. Maybe think about how to categorise your information into easily understandable areas, and make sure that navigation is smooth and clear.
Looking through your history of customer support interactions is a great place to start and will help you narrow down the most useful topics for inclusion.
Then, to begin populating your knowledge base, you’ll need to devise a content creation strategy and think about the type of content that is most relevant and valuable for your business.
In terms of content writing, it’s possible that creating your knowledge base will be like creating educational blog content with plenty of descriptions and links to resources. Helpful visuals and infographics will support your written content effectively.
As with other content elements of your business, your knowledge base should also reflect your brand. Consider carefully how the user experience (UX) design, visuals, tone and style best communicate your brand’s ethos.
Remember that once your knowledge base is built, it isn’t complete. As your business grows, there will always be new and updated content to add. Outdated content reflects badly on your brand, so make sure to actively update.
What should be included in a knowledge base?
The type of content included in your knowledge base will differ depending on if the knowledge base is internal, employee-facing one, or external and customer-facing.
An internal knowledge base is intended to support your employees in performing their jobs effectively, providing information and resources that are often private and confidential.
This means that your internal knowledge base will likely require additional security, such as a login procedure, and permission management to determine which individuals or departments can access specific information.
The type of information stored in an internal knowledge base could include policy information, processes and procedural guides, background operational information, troubleshooting guides, benefits for current employees and internal company announcements and updates.
An external knowledge base, allowing you to share information with clients and customers about your company and the products or services that you offer, functions as a resource for anyone to see and learn from.
It’s likely to require fewer security functions than an internal knowledge base, although you might still use a login. In supporting your customers, you might decide to include troubleshooting guides, contact information and how-tos for requesting help or setting up an appointment.
You could also include physical location information, billing details (such as ‘how to pay’), information on deliveries, returns and tracking items or information about your company and its history. You likely won’t include any private information about your company, especially about policy or procedures.
There are of course features shared by both internal and external knowledge bases, especially regarding the framework and structure. Both types of knowledge bases will possibly have search functionality, content creation tools and storage space. There may also be usage reports and analytics.
What makes a great knowledge base?
Creating a great knowledge base means designing it with the end user in mind, whether it’s internal or external. The interface should be user-friendly, perhaps with search functionality, allowing users to quickly find and access the information they need.
This means categorisation is important. Your knowledge base should have intuitive, sensible categories and subcategories of information so it’s easier to navigate.
The most valuable knowledge bases are well-maintained. It’s important to keep it regularly updated to reflect any new products or services your business may offer. This could also mean eliminating outdated information. Make sure you schedule subject matter reviews often.
Many great knowledge bases also allow easy sharing of information. Some formats, like wikis and forums, are built with collaboration and knowledge sharing in mind, with interactions between users made seamless and smooth.
Knowledge base metrics
To get a sense of the effectiveness of your knowledge base, there are a number of metrics that you can apply. Most of these are only relevant when considering external knowledge bases.
For example, you can take a look at knowledge base views, essentially, the traffic to your knowledge base and how many customers are accessing it. This also means considering organic traffic, how many visitors find their way there via organic search results. You can track the most popular reads to find out which topics are the most popular areas of interest for your customers.
Missed queries are a very valuable metric, as this tracks what users have been searching for most frequently and identifies if they’ve been successful in finding what they’re looking for. If your knowledge base has any gaps, this metric will quickly inform you. You can also check customer feedback for a direct way to keep your finger on the pulse.
The average age of the last update is a critical metric for analysing exactly what you’re supposed to do with a knowledge base - keep it alive and regularly updated! If updates are years old, it will likely turn off visitors knowing that they can’t find recent, relevant information.
These are just a few key metrics to consider. It’s likely that the profile of your business and the motivation of your knowledge base will change which metrics are most valuable for you to track.
Best knowledge base tools
There’s a great selection of tools available to help you build and maintain your knowledge base, and the right format depends on your specific needs.
You might opt for a troubleshooting guide with step-by-step instructions to resolve basic issues or a FAQ page to assist customers in self-service. AI-powered chatbots can also enhance your knowledge base by providing 24/7 automated support, guiding users to the right answers instantly.
A customer portal can offer visitors key resources, account details, and a ticketing system for prioritizing issues while ensuring access to human agents when needed. Community forums allow businesses to interact directly with customers—or encourage customers to support each other.
No matter which approach you take, you’ll need the right software to structure it. Zendesk, for instance, provides a help desk solution with its Zendesk Guide tool, offering flexible, scalable options for both internal and external knowledge bases. If you’re focused on internal knowledge sharing, Guru is another strong option, featuring seamless browser extensions and Slack integration for real-time knowledge access.
A well-structured knowledge base improves institutional knowledge, adaptability, and efficiency, empowering internal teams with instant access to critical resources. And to take it even further, integrating an AI-powered chatbot can revolutionize the experience—helping users find information without delays, enhancing self-service, and continuously updating the knowledge base based on real interactions. Discover more about AI-powered knowledge bases here.