A Knowledge Base is a centralized repository of information used to share and manage knowledge with internal and external users of a company. It is a collection of both structured and unstructured data, including articles, documents, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and other types of content organized to make it easy for users to access the information they need.
A Knowledge Base provides self-service support that help users find answers to FAQs without contacting customer service or technical support. There are many uses, such as delivering product or service information, troubleshooting instructions, or training resources.
Benefits
- Improves customer satisfaction
- Reduces the workload of support teams
- Promotes self-service
- Captures and preserves institutional knowledge
- Improves collaboration and communication
- Facilitates the onboarding of new employees or customers
- Supports diverse learning types
- Collects customer insights to identify troublesome areas
Overall, the Knowledge Base is a powerful tool that helps organizations improve efficiency, productivity, and customer service by making information easily accessible and searchable.
When to Build a Knowledge Base?
Generally, from the beginning of your project. Whether your organization is growing or consolidating and maturing, your Knowledge Base needs to exist and be understandable and organized in a way that is easy to navigate to find a solution.
Creating a Knowledge Base can be a complex process, but here are some general steps you can take to get started:
- Define the scope and purpose of your Knowledge Base: The first step is to decide what information you want to include in your Knowledge Base, and why you want to create one. Will it be for internal use within your organization, or will it be accessible to your customers? Will it cover a specific topic or many topics?
- Identify your target audience: Knowing your target audience is important as it will help you determine what information is relevant and how to present it.
- Determine the structure of your Knowledge Base: Decide how you want to organize your information. You may choose to organize it by topic, category, or department.
- Choose a platform or software: There are many Knowledge Base software options available, such as Confluence, Zendesk, and Freshdesk. Or you can create your own using a content management system like WordPress.
- Create and curate content: Start creating content for your Knowledge Base. This can include articles, FAQs, video tutorials, and more. Make sure the content is accurate, up-to-date, and easy to understand.
- Put in place a feedback mechanism: Allow users to provide feedback on the content to ensure it's helpful and relevant. This can help you identify gaps in your Knowledge Base and improve the content.
- Promote your Knowledge Base: Once your Knowledge Base is up and running, promote it to your target audience so they know it's available and can enjoy it.
Example
Table of Contents
- Getting Started
- FAQ (quick assists)
- Core Workflows
- Categories with Specific Topics
- Popular Articles
- Advanced Topics
Key Takeaways
Remember, a Knowledge Base is a living document that should be updated regularly to reflect changes in your business, new product features, and customer feedback. It's important to have a process in place for keeping your Knowledge Base up to date so that it remains a useful and relevant resource for your audience.
It is essential to prioritize the most important information in your knowledge base. While it can be tempting to include everything, you know about a topic, it's better to focus on the most relevant and useful information for your audience. This will ensure that your Knowledge Base is easy to use and does not overwhelm your audience with too much information.
A Knowledge Base can help you save time, improve your productivity, and make it easier to find the information you need.
References
1. Meredith Metsker (2022). How to Build a Customer Service Knowledge Base: A Detailed Guide. The Stonly Blog. https://stonly.com/blog/customer-service-knowledge-base/
2. Oliwia Poswiat (2022). 4 Challenges of Knowledge Management in Organizations. Atlassian. https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Team-managed-projects-articles/4-challenges-of-knowledge-management-in-organizations/ba-p/2183891
3. Matthew Patterson (2022). The Ultimate Guide to Using a Knowledge Base for Self-Service Support. HelpScout. https://www.helpscout.com/playlists/knowledge-base/
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