The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Knowledge Base for Your Business

By Neeraj Shukla | March 14, 2023 9:29 am

In today’s fast-paced and competitive business world, providing excellent customer service is essential. Customers expect quick and easy access to information about products and services, and they want their questions and concerns to be addressed promptly. This is where a knowledge base comes in – it provides a centralized location for customers and employees to access information about your business.

In this guide, we’ll discuss what is knowledge base and what are the benefits of a knowledge base and provide practical tips and strategies for creating a comprehensive knowledge base that meets the needs of your customers and employees. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to improve your existing knowledge base, this guide will help you create a valuable resource for your business.

What is a knowledge base?

A knowledge base is a centralized repository of information and resources that provide quick and easy access to knowledge about a particular subject or topic. It can be used by customers, employees, or other stakeholders to access information about products, services, processes, or policies. A knowledge base can include articles, FAQs, how-to guides, troubleshooting instructions, and other relevant documentation. It is designed to provide accurate and up-to-date information to help users solve problems and find answers to their questions. A well-organized knowledge base with efficient help desk software can improve customer experience, increase productivity, and promote better collaboration and communication within an organization.

Types of knowledge bases

A knowledge base is a centralized repository of information and resources that provide quick and easy access to knowledge about a particular subject or topic. There are several types of knowledge bases that businesses can create, depending on their needs and objectives. However, there are two types of knowledge base options: internal and external. Let’s learn about both of them below:

Internal Knowledge Base

An internal knowledge base is a repository of information that is accessible only to employees or authorized personnel within an organization. It includes information about products, services, processes, policies, and other relevant documentation that is specific to the organization. The internal knowledge base can be used for several purposes, such as:

Onboarding new employees: An internal knowledge base can be used to provide new employees with information about the company’s history, culture, vision, mission, and values. It can also include information about the company’s organizational structure, policies, and procedures.

Providing training and support: An internal knowledge base can be used to provide training and support to employees on specific tasks, such as using software, managing projects, or handling customer inquiries. It can also include troubleshooting guides and FAQs to help employees solve common problems.

Facilitating collaboration and communication: An internal knowledge base can be used to facilitate collaboration and communication among employees by providing a centralized location for sharing information, ideas, and best practices.

External Knowledge Base

An external knowledge base is a repository of information that is accessible to customers or other external stakeholders. It provides information about products, services, pricing, FAQs, troubleshooting, and other resources that are specific to the organization. The external knowledge base can be used for several purposes, such as:

Providing self-service support: An external knowledge base can be used to provide customers with self-service support by providing answers to frequently asked questions, troubleshooting guides, and other resources that help customers solve problems on their own.

Improving the customer experience: Providing self-service support: An external knowledge base can be used to improve the customer experience by providing accurate and up-to-date information about products and services, pricing, and other relevant information that customers need to make informed decisions.

Reducing customer support costs: An external knowledge base can be used to reduce customer support costs by providing customers with self-service support options that reduce the need for contacting customer support representatives.

Why do you need a knowledge base?

Companies create knowledge bases to provide employees and customers with easy access to important information. By implementing a knowledge base, businesses can streamline their services and ensure consistent support, which can improve customer satisfaction. a knowledge base can also help employees do their jobs more efficiently by providing them with quick and easy access to the information and resources they need to perform their tasks effectively. This can save time and increase productivity, ultimately leading to improved organizational performance.

Moreover, a well-organized knowledge base can help businesses identify knowledge gaps, avoid duplication of efforts, and enhance decision-making processes by providing relevant information in a timely and efficient manner. By using a knowledge base to manage information, businesses can increase operational efficiency, reduce costs, and ultimately improve their bottom line. Therefore, implementing a knowledge base is a smart investment that can provide significant benefits for both employees and customers alike.

Key Benefits of a Knowledge Base

A knowledge base is a centralized repository of information and data that can be accessed by employees, customers, and other stakeholders. It contains information on products, services, processes, and procedures, as well as frequently asked questions and troubleshooting guides. Here are some key benefits of a knowledge base:

Improved Productivity

One of the key benefits of knowledge bases is that they significantly enhance productivity. This is achieved by offering detailed help center articles and product guides, which enable customers to resolve minor issues independently, without requiring the assistance of your support team. This, in turn, allows your support team to focus entirely on delivering high-quality support to customers who do require their assistance. By utilizing knowledge bases, you can streamline your support processes, optimize the efficiency of your customer service team, and ultimately enhance overall productivity.

Reduced Training Time

A well-structured knowledge base can reduce the amount of time and effort required for employee training. By providing comprehensive information on various products, services, and processes in a centralized location, new hires can quickly get up to speed and gain a deeper understanding of their business operations. This can significantly decrease the amount of time and resources required for onboarding and training, as employees can easily access the information they need to perform their job duties. Additionally, a knowledge base can also serve as a valuable reference tool for existing employees, allowing them to quickly refresh their knowledge or learn new skills.

Increased Employee Engagement

A knowledge base can be a powerful tool for increasing employee engagement in the workplace. With a knowledge base in place, employees can quickly find answers to their questions and solutions to their problems, reducing the time and effort required to seek help from colleagues or managers. This can help to boost morale and job satisfaction, as employees feel more confident and capable in their roles. Furthermore, by encouraging employees to contribute to the knowledge base, organizations can benefit from the collective expertise of their workforce, leading to greater innovation and creativity.

Improved customer satisfaction and retention

A knowledge base is a valuable tool that can improve customer satisfaction and retention by providing customers with quick and easy access to information. With a well-organized and up-to-date knowledge base, customers can find answers to their questions and solutions to their problems at any time of day, without having to wait for support from a live agent. To ensure that your knowledge base is effective in improving customer satisfaction and retention, it is important to create high-quality content that is relevant, accurate, and easy to understand. This way, Building a knowledge base will help you keep customers happy and updated, which results in better customer retention.

Empower Remote Workers

With more and more employees working remotely, it’s essential to have a central repository of information that can be accessed from anywhere, at any time. A knowledge base can be a valuable resource for helping remote employees to perform their job duties effectively without having to wait for responses from colleagues or managers. Moreover, a knowledge base can also help to foster a sense of community and collaboration among remote employees. By encouraging employees to contribute to the knowledge base and share their expertise and experiences, organizations can create a culture of learning and development, even for those working outside of the traditional office environment.

Better Cross-Functional Collaboration

Improving cross-functional collaboration is critical for the success of any organization. By breaking down silos and promoting communication between departments, organizations can increase efficiency, reduce errors, and drive innovation. A knowledge base can be a powerful tool for achieving these goals by providing employees with quick and easy access to information and resources from different departments. This allows employees to quickly understand the context of a project, understand different perspectives, and make better decisions. Additionally, a knowledge base can streamline processes by eliminating the need for manual coordination between departments.

Increase Revenue & Sales

A knowledge base can be a valuable asset for businesses looking to increase revenue in today’s highly competitive marketplace. By providing customers and employees with easy access to information and resources, a knowledge base can help improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase customer satisfaction, all of which can contribute to revenue growth. A well-designed knowledge base can also provide customers with additional information about complementary products or services, leading to increased upsell and cross-sell opportunities. For example, if a customer is looking for information on a particular product, the knowledge base can suggest related products that may be of interest to them. This can help to increase revenue by encouraging customers to make additional purchases.

Analytics and insights

Analytics and insights are a key benefit of a knowledge base. By tracking user behavior and engagement with the knowledge base, companies can gain valuable insights into their customers’ needs, preferences, and pain points. This can help them identify areas where customers are struggling to find the information they need and make improvements to the knowledge base content accordingly. In addition, analytics can also provide insights into the effectiveness of self-service support. By tracking the success rate of customers who use the knowledge base to solve their problems, companies can determine how well their knowledge base is performing and make adjustments to improve its effectiveness.

Improved SEO

A knowledge base can be a valuable tool for improving your website’s search engine optimization (SEO). By providing relevant and high-quality content, a knowledge base can help increase the visibility of your website in search engine results pages (SERPs). When customers search for information related to your products or services, having a knowledge base with relevant content can increase the likelihood that your website will appear in the search results. This can help drive traffic to your website and increase your visibility online. This way, a knowledge base can be a valuable tool for improving your SEO and increasing the visibility of your website.

Enhanced brand reputation

Another key benefit of a knowledge base is that it can help enhance your brand reputation by providing customers with a reliable and trustworthy source of information. When customers have questions or need help with your products or services, they want to know that they can rely on your company to provide accurate and helpful information. By creating a comprehensive knowledge base that covers a wide range of topics related to your products or services, you can demonstrate your expertise and commitment to customer support. This can help build trust and credibility with your audience, which can enhance your brand reputation and differentiate you from competitors.

How to Create a Knowledge Base?

A knowledge base is a valuable tool that can help organizations provide effective and efficient support to their customers. However, creating a knowledge base can seem overwhelming, especially if you’re starting from scratch. The process involves identifying your audience, defining your topics, organizing your content, and choosing a platform, among other steps. By following best practices and taking the time to create a comprehensive knowledge base, you can provide your customers with the support they need while also improving the overall user experience.

Here are some steps to help you create an effective knowledge base:

Identify your audience

Identifying your target audience is a crucial step in creating a successful knowledge base. Your audience could be your customers, employees, partners, or a combination of these groups. Understanding who your audience is will help you determine what kind of information they need and how to present it in a way that is most useful to them.

To identify your audience, consider the demographics of your customer base, the types of questions or issues they commonly have, and the level of expertise they have with your products or services. This information will help you determine the tone and complexity of the content in your knowledge base.

Moreover, you should consider how your audience prefers to access information. Do they prefer written content, videos, or step-by-step tutorials? Understanding these preferences will help you create content that is most effective for your audience.

Define your topics

Once you know your audience, define the topics you want to cover in your knowledge base. These topics should be relevant to your audience’s needs and should cover a wide range of information related to your products or services. To do this effectively, start by reviewing common questions and issues that your audience faces. This can include frequently asked questions, support tickets, and customer feedback.

Once you have identified these common questions and issues, group them into broader topics. For example, if you run an e-commerce website, you may want to create topics such as “Ordering and Shipping,” “Returns and Exchanges,” and “Product Information.” It’s important to make sure your topics are clear and specific. Avoid creating broad categories that may be confusing or overwhelming for your audience. Each topic should cover a specific aspect of your products or services and should be easy for your audience to navigate.

Create content

When creating knowledge base content, it is essential to use categories and subcategories to group related topics together and make it easy for users to find the information they need. To achieve this, start with broad categories that encompass the main topics of your knowledge base content. For instance, if you’re creating a knowledge base for a software product, your broad categories might include “Installation,” “Features,” and “Troubleshooting.” Once you have your broad categories, create subcategories to group related topics together. Use clear and concise names for your categories and subcategories, which will help users understand what topics are included in each one.

Be consistent with your category and subcategory structure throughout your knowledge base content. Lastly, use visual aids like icons or images to help users quickly identify categories and subcategories, making it easier for them to scan and find the information they need. By following these tips, you can create a well-organized knowledge base that makes it easy for users to find the information they need.

Use multimedia

Incorporating multimedia elements such as images, videos, and infographics can significantly improve the effectiveness of your knowledge base content. By using multimedia, you can create more engaging and informative content that captures the attention of your users. Images can be used to illustrate your points, break up text-heavy articles, and make your content more visually appealing. Videos can provide step-by-step demonstrations, tutorials, or explanations, which can be particularly useful for complex topics.

Infographics can present information in a visually appealing and easy-to-digest format, making it easier for users to understand complex information. Overall, incorporating multimedia into your knowledge base content can improve the user experience and make it more likely that your users will find the information they need to solve their problems or answer their questions.

Define your style guide

Defining a style guide for your knowledge base is essential for creating a cohesive and professional user experience. A style guide should include guidelines for formatting, tone, and voice that are consistent across all content. A consistent format for all content, including font size, typeface, headings, and subheadings, is necessary to make the content easily readable and understandable. Additionally, the tone and voice that you use in your knowledge base should be determined by your target audience and your brand’s voice and style.

Consistency in tone and voice will help create a cohesive experience that resonates with your users. Guidelines for grammar and spelling should also be established to ensure that all content is free from errors. Lastly, accessibility guidelines should be taken into consideration, such as using alternative text for images and videos, ensuring that all content is easily readable, and using a color scheme that is friendly for those with visual impairments.

Organize your content

When creating a knowledge base, the organization is one of the most important factors. It is essential to use categories and subcategories to group related topics together and make it easy for users to find the information they need. To achieve this, start with broad categories that encompass the main topics of your knowledge base content. For instance, if you’re creating a knowledge base for a software product, your broad categories might include “Installation,” “Features,” and “Troubleshooting.”

Once you have your broad categories, create subcategories to group related topics together. Use clear and concise names for your categories and subcategories, which will help users understand what topics are included in each one. Be consistent with your category and subcategory structure throughout your knowledge base content. Lastly, use visual aids like icons or images to help users quickly identify categories and subcategories, making it easier for them to scan and find the information they need. By following these tips, you can create a well-organized knowledge base that makes it easy for users to find the information they need.

Test and refine

After creating your knowledge base, it is important to test it with your target audience and gather feedback to make necessary improvements. Testing can be done through surveys, focus groups, or user testing sessions. Gather feedback on the effectiveness of your knowledge base and identify any areas that need improvement. Analyze the feedback and make changes to the content as necessary.

Refine your content based on the feedback and improve the overall user experience. Consider making changes to the layout, design, and navigation of your knowledge base to make it more user-friendly. Keep testing and refining your knowledge base until you feel confident that it is meeting the needs of your target audience. Remember, the key to a successful knowledge base is to continuously gather feedback and make improvements based on that feedback.

Maintain your knowledge base

Maintaining your knowledge base is crucial to ensuring that it remains relevant and useful for your users. Regularly updating your knowledge base with new content and retiring outdated content will help you keep your users engaged and informed. Adding new content to your knowledge base should be done regularly to ensure that your users have access to the latest information. This can be accomplished by creating new articles, guides, or tutorials as new information becomes available. You can also keep an eye on trending topics or questions that your users are asking and create content around those topics.

Retiring outdated content is also important to keep your knowledge base relevant. Information that was once accurate may no longer be valid, so it is important to periodically review your content and remove or update any outdated information. This will help ensure that your users have access to the most accurate and up-to-date information.

Choose a platform

Choosing the right platform to host your knowledge base is crucial to the success of your knowledge management efforts. You have two main options: a dedicated knowledge management software or a content management system (CMS) that includes a knowledge base feature.

A dedicated knowledge base software like Appy Pie Knowledge is designed specifically for knowledge management and includes features such as advanced search, analytics, and collaboration tools. These tools are specifically tailored to support knowledge management and may offer more robust features than a CMS with a knowledge base feature.

On the other hand, a CMS with a knowledge base feature can be a good option if you are already using the CMS for other content creation and management tasks. This can make it easier to integrate your knowledge base with your existing workflows and reduce the need for additional training. Whichever platform you choose, make sure it meets your specific needs and provides a user-friendly experience for both content creators and users.

Provide user feedback options

Include a feedback mechanism in your knowledge base software that allows users to provide feedback on the usefulness of the information and report errors or inaccuracies. By including a feedback mechanism, you can gain valuable insights into how users are engaging with your content and identify areas where you can improve. There are different ways you can incorporate feedback options into your knowledge base.

One common method is to include a simple form at the end of each article that asks users to rate the usefulness of the information and provide any comments or suggestions for improvement. You can also include a link to a more detailed survey or feedback form elsewhere on your site. It’s important to make it easy for users to submit feedback and respond to their feedback in a timely manner. Consider setting up notifications or alerts to ensure that you don’t miss any feedback submissions.

Integrate with other support channels

Integrating your knowledge base with other support channels can help ensure that your users can easily access the information they need, regardless of their preferred support channel. For example, you could include links to relevant knowledge base articles in your email templates and live chat responses. This can help users quickly find the information they need without having to wait for a support agent.

Additionally, you can use your knowledge base to supplement phone support by directing customers to relevant articles or guides that can help them resolve their issues. This not only saves time for the customer but also reduces call volume for your support team. This way, integrating your knowledge base with other support channels can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your support operations while also providing a better experience for your customers.

Train your team

Training your team on how to use the knowledge base effectively is essential for improving the efficiency and productivity of your organization. A well-structured and comprehensive knowledge base can help your team members quickly find the information they need, resulting in faster and more accurate problem-solving. A well-designed knowledge base can help reduce the risk of human error. When team members are unsure of the correct procedures, they may make mistakes that can be costly or time-consuming to correct. By providing them with a centralized and easily accessible source of information, you can help ensure that they are following the correct processes and procedures.

Furthermore, a knowledge base can also help improve consistency and standardization across your organization. When team members have access to the same information and best practices, it can help ensure that they are all working towards the same goals and objectives. This can be particularly important for businesses that operate across multiple locations or have a distributed workforce.

What makes a good knowledge base?

A good knowledge base should be comprehensive, accurate, accessible, and easy to navigate. Here are some key characteristics of a good knowledge base:

Comprehensive: A good knowledge base should cover all relevant topics related to the product or service it supports.

Accurate: The information in the knowledge base should be up-to-date, correct, and verified. This ensures that customers can trust the information they find.

Accessible: The knowledge base should be easily accessible to customers through a user-friendly interface. It should be available in multiple formats such as text, images, and videos.

Easy to navigate: The knowledge base should be organized in a logical and intuitive manner so that users can find the information they need quickly and easily.

Searchable: A search function is crucial for a knowledge base to allow users to quickly find relevant information.

Consistent: The knowledge base should follow a consistent format and tone throughout so that users can easily recognize and understand the information provided.

Interactive: The knowledge base should allow for user feedback, comments, and questions, allowing for continuous improvement and updates.

How to measure the impact of your knowledge base?

Measuring the impact of a knowledge base can help you understand how effective it is in serving your customers and meeting your business goals. Here are some ways to measure the impact of your knowledge base:

Customer satisfaction: One of the most important metrics is customer satisfaction. You can measure this through customer feedback surveys or by tracking the number of customer support tickets.

Self-service usage: Measure how often customers use your knowledge base to find answers to their questions. This can include tracking the number of searches, views, and clicks on articles.

Time to resolution: Measure the time it takes for customers to find the answer they need in the knowledge base. This can help you identify areas where the knowledge base can be improved.

Cost savings: Calculate the cost savings from reducing the number of customer support tickets. This can help demonstrate the ROI of your knowledge base.

Content effectiveness: Track the effectiveness of individual articles by measuring views, feedback, and user engagement. Use this data to identify areas where content can be improved or updated.

Search effectiveness: Measure the effectiveness of the search function by tracking the number of successful searches versus unsuccessful ones. This can help identify areas where the search can be improved.

Knowledge gap analysis: Identify areas where customers are still submitting support tickets despite having access to the knowledge base. This can help you identify gaps in your knowledge base and prioritize areas for improvement.

Key Statistics about Help Desk Software

• The help desk software market share is projected to reach $11 billion by 2023. (Transparency Market Research, 2021)
• 78% of customers have backed out of purchase due to a poor customer experience. (Glance)
• 91% of customer service teams agreed that the help desk system increases productivity. (Hubspot 2022)
• Nearly 80% of American consumers say that speed, convenience, knowledgeable help and friendly service are the most important elements of a positive customer experience.(PWC)
• According to a survey, 80% of executives responsible for service oversight, such as CEOs, service VPs, etc., consider customer service as the primary means of enhancing the customer experience.(Salesforce)
• 72% of B2B buyers say the pandemic has increased their customer service expectations.(Salesforce)
• The global help desk software market was valued at around US$ 9.9 Bn in 2021. With a projected CAGR of 9.4% for the next 10 years, the market is likely to reach a valuation of nearly US$ 26.8 Bn by the end of 2032.(FMI)
• Due to poor customer service, about $62 billion is lost by companies in the US every year.(Forbes)
• About 75% of the shoppers coming to the customer support channels expect high consistency.(Forbes)
• Helpdesks can help companies to be more effective at providing consumers with accurate information. According to Microsoft, 30% of customers say talking to a knowledgeable and friendly agent about their issues is crucial to their customer service experience.(Microsoft)

Knowledge base FAQs

Why Create a Knowledge Base?

Creating a knowledge base is important because it can improve the customer experience, reduce support costs, and improve internal knowledge sharing and collaboration within an organization. A knowledge base can also help improve productivity and efficiency by providing employees with easy access to information they need to perform their jobs effectively.

What types of information should be included in a knowledge base?

The information included in a knowledge base will depend on the organization and its goals. Some common types of information that may be included are product documentation, user guides, troubleshooting tips, frequently asked questions (FAQs), best practices, and training materials.

What are some common challenges of creating and maintaining a knowledge base?

Common challenges of creating and maintaining a knowledge base can include identifying the most relevant information to include, ensuring the information remains accurate and up-to-date, getting employees to contribute to the knowledge base, and encouraging users to use the knowledge base instead of contacting support.

What are some common features of a good knowledge base?

A good knowledge base should have a clear and concise organizational structure, search functionality, and a mobile-friendly design. It should also include easy-to-understand language and use visuals such as screenshots, diagrams, or videos to enhance understanding. In addition, it should be regularly updated to ensure that the information remains accurate and relevant.

What are some best practices for creating a knowledge base?

Best practices for creating a knowledge base can include starting with a clear plan and strategy, involving subject matter experts in content creation, testing the knowledge base with users, and continually updating and refining the content.

How can a knowledge base improve customer satisfaction?

A knowledge base can improve customer satisfaction by providing quick and accurate answers to common questions, reducing the need for customers to contact support or wait for a response.

What is the difference between a database and a knowledge base?

A database is a structured collection of data that is organized and stored in a computer system. It is typically used for storing and retrieving data, such as customer information or financial transactions.

On the other hand, a knowledge base is a repository of information that is designed to help people find answers to their questions quickly and efficiently. It typically includes information such as product documentation, user guides, frequently asked questions (FAQs), best practices, and training materials.

How can you make a knowledge base user-friendly?

To make a knowledge base user-friendly, it should be designed with the user in mind. This can include clear and concise language, easy-to-navigate pages, visual aids such as screenshots or diagrams, and a search bar. Regularly updating the content and soliciting user feedback can also help ensure that the knowledge base remains user-friendly.

Final Thoughts

A knowledge base can be an incredibly valuable tool for any business looking to improve customer satisfaction, reduce support costs, and enhance internal knowledge sharing and collaboration. By following the best practices outlined in this guide, businesses can create a comprehensive and user-friendly knowledge base that helps their customers and employees find the information they need quickly and easily. From identifying the most relevant information to continually updating and refining the content, the key is to create a knowledge base that is informative, accessible, and actionable. With the right approach and ongoing dedication, a knowledge base can become an invaluable asset for any business looking to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced digital landscape.