What is a knowledge base?
The first thing you need to know is that...a knowledge base is not a database.
In basic terms, a knowledge base is an online library of information used to help employees or customers.
Unlike an organized and structured database, where each piece of information has its place (a first name field, a last name field...), a knowledge base aims to store information that will be used by a large number of people.
The resources it contains share details about a product, service, department or subject. The information and data can come from specialized collaborators within the company or external experts in the field.
The content and information in this type of system varies depending on the industry and the purpose of the library. The information and documents it contains can range from industry reports to detailed product manuals. A typical knowledge base contains such things as installation manuals, FAQs, troubleshooting guides, user manuals, video tutorials, product manuals, brochures, articles and technical papers.
Most companies have some type of knowledge center. The most common type is used to accompany a software program and is created and overseen by the technology or IT department. The legal and human resources departments may also compile and use these bases, depending on the size and complexity of the company.
A knowledge base can be used to help employees, customers or both. It is now common practice for companies to share theirs openly on their website, allowing the pages to appear in search engine queries and help gain additional web traffic.
Main types of knowledge bases
There are two main forms of knowledge base:
Machine-readable bases, designed for artificial intelligence. They store data that AI can access and analyze. Machine learning algorithms interpret the source data and respond to user input and requests for information. In other words, when a user enters a query, the software helps intelligently narrow down the results to the most likely solution(s) and presents them to the user.
Human-readable databases, text documents that humans can access directly. They are manual and require more time to find a specific solution than the alternative, as the user has to navigate manually.
Benefits of creating a knowledge base
A recent report revealed that more than 69% of customers are inclined to solve a problem on their own. In other words, customers expect to be offered trusted guidance to solve their problems in the first instance, rather than talking to a customer service agent.
A good, well-maintained knowledge library has the potential to solve your customers' problems quickly, thus improving the overall customer experience.
You can also help your organization offer faster, more reliable self-service and provide regular updates. This helps improve customer satisfaction and retention.
The most important benefits that a knowledge base can offer are:
Define the scope
To create a solid and complete knowledge base, you first need to examine the customer or employee care you have at the moment and decide what you need to offer. You need to answer the following questions:
Create content and organize it
Now that you've defined the scope, it's time to compile your resources. Search existing resources for FAQs, user guides, product manuals, documentation and other content. If there are gaps, you'll need to create new content. This can be the most challenging part of developing a knowledge library. It is vital that all content collected and created is correct and solves relevant problems in a clear and engaging way.
Choose a style
They usually come with a style guide. A style guide defines the look and feel of your brand. Once you have decided on its format, typography and tone, you must maintain consistency throughout the content.
Manage your knowledge base
The next step is to make sure you properly maintain your knowledge base. For larger bases, you should designate a manager or team to make sure it is up to date and maintained. The worst thing you can do is to allow the information you have in your knowledge base to become obsolete or irrelevant, as this reflects badly on your business.
The correct organization depends on two main variables: who consults it and who feeds it.
Who consults it?
The first step is to put yourself in the place of the person who is going to consume the information. The users of the knowledge base, and therefore consumers of this information, must find the answers to their questions as soon as possible, and as accurately as possible.
Then you can consider the implementation of keywords, the linking of articles on similar topics, the activation of a search engine or the preparation of a list of frequently asked questions.
You should adapt the organization of the information according to the expected objectives.
Implementing a knowledge base is good, but keeping it updated is even better. It is therefore essential to have a person in charge of this knowledge base who will ensure that the files are updated.
Who feeds it?
Sometimes, the knowledge base can be fed by the users themselves. The role of the person in charge consists, in this case, in moderating the publication of articles and checking the relevance and coherence of the information.
The knowledge base can also stimulate collaboration, how? By setting up a rating system for knowledge files consulted by users. Example: One star: the card is incomplete. Five stars: the card met my expectations perfectly.
You should allow your customers to provide feedback to highlight any redundant information and let you know which sections are useful.
Examples of knowledge bases
CANVA
Canva has a comprehensive and well-presented knowledge library on its website, which provides most of the information and support customers need. The content is properly categorized for easy navigation, relevant FAQs, and a smart search function that accurately narrows down results.
Efficy
At Efficy, we took our time to develop a comprehensive and clear knowledge center to help people use our feature-packed CRM. In addition to useful information on how to implement and use a CRM, we also share several helpful resources on various aspects of business and sales.
Combining your knowledge base and your CRM
Integrating your CRM system and your knowledge base generates a number of benefits:
The first thing you need to know is that...a knowledge base is not a database.
In basic terms, a knowledge base is an online library of information used to help employees or customers.
Unlike an organized and structured database, where each piece of information has its place (a first name field, a last name field...), a knowledge base aims to store information that will be used by a large number of people.
The resources it contains share details about a product, service, department or subject. The information and data can come from specialized collaborators within the company or external experts in the field.
The content and information in this type of system varies depending on the industry and the purpose of the library. The information and documents it contains can range from industry reports to detailed product manuals. A typical knowledge base contains such things as installation manuals, FAQs, troubleshooting guides, user manuals, video tutorials, product manuals, brochures, articles and technical papers.
Most companies have some type of knowledge center. The most common type is used to accompany a software program and is created and overseen by the technology or IT department. The legal and human resources departments may also compile and use these bases, depending on the size and complexity of the company.
A knowledge base can be used to help employees, customers or both. It is now common practice for companies to share theirs openly on their website, allowing the pages to appear in search engine queries and help gain additional web traffic.
Main types of knowledge bases
There are two main forms of knowledge base:
Machine-readable bases, designed for artificial intelligence. They store data that AI can access and analyze. Machine learning algorithms interpret the source data and respond to user input and requests for information. In other words, when a user enters a query, the software helps intelligently narrow down the results to the most likely solution(s) and presents them to the user.
Human-readable databases, text documents that humans can access directly. They are manual and require more time to find a specific solution than the alternative, as the user has to navigate manually.
Benefits of creating a knowledge base
A recent report revealed that more than 69% of customers are inclined to solve a problem on their own. In other words, customers expect to be offered trusted guidance to solve their problems in the first instance, rather than talking to a customer service agent.
A good, well-maintained knowledge library has the potential to solve your customers' problems quickly, thus improving the overall customer experience.
You can also help your organization offer faster, more reliable self-service and provide regular updates. This helps improve customer satisfaction and retention.
The most important benefits that a knowledge base can offer are:
- Convenience: with a centralized library and document repository, everyone in your organization, regardless of department, can access the information they need quickly and easily.
- Prevent confusion: sometimes called the "single source of truth," they help prevent misinformation, thus improving operational consistency.
- Improved training: gathering information and making it widely accessible allows new employees to be trained with the latest information and consistent guidance.
- Increased efficiency: employees can find the answers themselves quickly, freeing up time and increasing productivity. Without a good knowledge resource, more experienced team members may be distracted from their work by answering other employees' questions.
- Improved reputation: a company with a good knowledge base appears more organized, competent and trustworthy in the eyes of customers and employees.
- More effective support: it makes it easier for customers to access the information they need. It also makes life easier for the customer service team, as customers can solve smaller problems on their own, freeing up agent time to focus on more complex problems.
- Reduce customer wait times: Improving the efficiency of your customer service helps reduce wait times for customers with more complex issues that require the attention of an agent.
- Improve search engine optimization (SEO): when a customer types a question into a search engine, your online knowledge base can provide them with the answer, which generates website traffic and promotes your product or service at the same time.
Define the scope
To create a solid and complete knowledge base, you first need to examine the customer or employee care you have at the moment and decide what you need to offer. You need to answer the following questions:
- What type of inquiries do you currently receive, what type of calls does your support team receive?
- Will your base handle all inquiries or just some of them?
- What products and services will you focus on?
- How often will you update it?
Create content and organize it
Now that you've defined the scope, it's time to compile your resources. Search existing resources for FAQs, user guides, product manuals, documentation and other content. If there are gaps, you'll need to create new content. This can be the most challenging part of developing a knowledge library. It is vital that all content collected and created is correct and solves relevant problems in a clear and engaging way.
Choose a style
They usually come with a style guide. A style guide defines the look and feel of your brand. Once you have decided on its format, typography and tone, you must maintain consistency throughout the content.
Manage your knowledge base
The next step is to make sure you properly maintain your knowledge base. For larger bases, you should designate a manager or team to make sure it is up to date and maintained. The worst thing you can do is to allow the information you have in your knowledge base to become obsolete or irrelevant, as this reflects badly on your business.
The correct organization depends on two main variables: who consults it and who feeds it.
Who consults it?
The first step is to put yourself in the place of the person who is going to consume the information. The users of the knowledge base, and therefore consumers of this information, must find the answers to their questions as soon as possible, and as accurately as possible.
Then you can consider the implementation of keywords, the linking of articles on similar topics, the activation of a search engine or the preparation of a list of frequently asked questions.
You should adapt the organization of the information according to the expected objectives.
Implementing a knowledge base is good, but keeping it updated is even better. It is therefore essential to have a person in charge of this knowledge base who will ensure that the files are updated.
Who feeds it?
Sometimes, the knowledge base can be fed by the users themselves. The role of the person in charge consists, in this case, in moderating the publication of articles and checking the relevance and coherence of the information.
The knowledge base can also stimulate collaboration, how? By setting up a rating system for knowledge files consulted by users. Example: One star: the card is incomplete. Five stars: the card met my expectations perfectly.
You should allow your customers to provide feedback to highlight any redundant information and let you know which sections are useful.
Examples of knowledge bases
CANVA
Canva has a comprehensive and well-presented knowledge library on its website, which provides most of the information and support customers need. The content is properly categorized for easy navigation, relevant FAQs, and a smart search function that accurately narrows down results.
Efficy
At Efficy, we took our time to develop a comprehensive and clear knowledge center to help people use our feature-packed CRM. In addition to useful information on how to implement and use a CRM, we also share several helpful resources on various aspects of business and sales.
Combining your knowledge base and your CRM
Integrating your CRM system and your knowledge base generates a number of benefits:
- Time savings: integrating knowledge resources with your CRM allows you to automate and speed up information retrieval for your customer service agents.
- Increased productivity: eliminates the need for agents to switch between a CRM tool and a browser or documents.
- Improved customer experience: more efficient and productive customer service agents lead to shorter wait times and faster query resolution.