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You know that frustration – when you can’t find the information you need to do your job? Believe it or not, you are not alone.
A study shows that employees spend nearly 29% of their week (11.6 hours) searching for the key information they need to do their work. But you don’t need to continue suffering.
Building a knowledge base where you can easily organize, and access organizational information is the perfect solution.
In this guide, we will help you build a knowledge base in just 8 easy steps.
Table of contents
What Is a Knowledge Base?
A knowledge base, as the name suggests, is a database for all your organizational knowledge. It is a system where you can store, organize, and share all the information your users need.
There are 2 main types of knowledge base:
#1 Internal Knowledge Base is created to help employees easily find information related to their job functions, processes, or company policies. It Includes company policies, standard operating procedures, troubleshooting guides, and more.
#2 External Knowledge Base is created to provide self-service support to customers or detailed information to partner clients. It includes FAQs, how-to guides, product or service documentation, and other information that helps users solve their problems quickly.
Learn about the transformative power of building a robust knowledge base
8 Steps to Build a Knowledge Base
#1 Define the Purpose of Your Knowledge Base
Determine the main objectives of your knowledge base. Is it for customers, internal employee training, or another purpose?
Understanding who your users are and what they need from your knowledge base will help you decide the content.
#2 Choose the Right Knowledge Management Tools
Select software like a knowledge management system to host your knowledge base. Consider factors such as ease of use, accessibility, scalability, and integration capabilities.
This will help you make your knowledge management more accessible by embedding it into your website, app, or internally used software like CRMs.
The Beginner’s Guide To Knowledge Management
#3 Decide on the Content Topics
Identify the range of topics that your knowledge base needs to include. Consider user needs, frequently asked questions and the important policies or procedures that need to be included.
#4 Organize Content Topics into Categories
Organize your topics into logical categories, making it easy to navigate. Your categories could be based on product lines, user roles, problem types, or other relevant criteria.
#5 Gather the Information You Need
Collect all the information that needs to be included in the knowledge base – and ensure that it is accurate and up to date.
This can involve compiling existing documents, manuals, FAQs, and insights from subject matter experts.
#6 Start Creating the Content
Start creating new content for your knowledge base using the information you collected.
But you don’t have to always start from scratch. You can also repurpose existing content into dynamic content formats – like FAQs, step-by-step picture guides, and next-best-action workflows.
#7 Review and Publish the Content
Before going live, review the content for accuracy, clarity, and comprehensiveness. Having multiple reviewers, including subject matter experts and end-users, might be helpful.
#8 Regularly Update and Improve
Lastly, regularly update your knowledge base content to keep it relevant and useful.
Schedule reviews to revise articles, add new information, and remove outdated content. Monitor usage patterns and feedback to identify areas for improvement.
Rethink Knowledge Management with Knowmax
How Jupiter Won the CX Game with a Robust Knowledge Base?
Knowmax is a guided knowledge management platform powered by AI. It empowers your CX team to deliver mistake-proof service across touchpoints with the right knowledge.
In 2019, Jupiter’s employees were struggling due to:
- Scattered and unorganized SOPs
- Longer agent learning curves
- Outdated and wrong information delivery
Knowmax helped Jupiter overcome these challenges by building a guided knowledge base for their CX teams.
As a result, they claim:
“Be it voice, chat, or email, we’ve seen a consistent improvement in overall service delivery. We’ve observed a drop in our AHT, and it has resulted in outstanding CSAT. For our long-term CX goals, Knowmax is one of our most preferred Partners.”
Group Customer Service Head at Jupiter.
Uncover the full story here.
