Customer knowledge base: Benefits + 11 steps to create one

A well-established customer knowledge base is a treasure trove of insights, enabling companies to better understand their customers, tailor their products and services, and enhance overall customer satisfaction.

Whether you're a startup looking to gain a competitive edge or an enterprise-level brand aiming to refine your customer relationships–harnessing the power of a customer knowledge base is a strategic move that can help foster success and customer loyalty.

In this article, we’ll explain what a customer knowledge base is, the benefits of utilizing one, and outline the essential steps to create a knowledge base for your customers.

Studies show that 81% of consumers try to solve their problems before reaching out to a brand representative or tech support, and knowledge bases allow them to do just that.

A knowledge base built for customers is a repository of information about a brand’s products, services, and topics related to their industry or interests. Knowledge bases can include FAQs, blog posts, educational videos, infographics, manuals, and online brand communities. Enhancing an online community with the self-service functionality a knowledge base provides is a proactive approach to addressing customer inquiries.

It also allows consumers to find answers and solutions independently, whether through search engines like Google or directly on a brand's website through search bars, menus, and internal links.

Knowledge base example: Khoros Atlas

Khoros Atlas serves as a great example of a customer knowledge base. With 117,741 members and over 270,000 posts, Khoros Atlas provides a space for digital engagement professionals to connect, share best practices, attend relevant events, and discuss pressing industry topics.

More examples of great online communities include Visa’s developer community, HP’s support community, Telestra, and Virgin Mobile Australia, as each enables self-service, collaboration, and problem-solving for its members.

A well-constructed knowledge base reduces the strain on your company’s internal customer service teams. But it also provides users with instant answers, fostering a sense of self-sufficiency among current and potential customers. From streamlining operations to enhancing user satisfaction, a knowledge base can help brands in several ways.

Here are five essential benefits of building a knowledge base.

• Immediate access to information: Customers can quickly find answers to their queries, reducing their wait time and enhancing their overall experience.

• Reduced support costs: By deflecting common queries, brands can minimize the workload on their customer service teams, leading to decreased operational costs.

• Empowered customers: Knowledge bases promote self-service, allowing customers to solve issues independently and fostering a sense of autonomy and satisfaction.

• Consistency in responses: A centralized repository ensures that all customers receive uniform and consistent answers, irrespective of when or how they seek information.

Feedback loops: As customers interact with the knowledge base, businesses can gather insights on frequent issues or gaps in information, allowing for continual improvement and updating of content.

Step 1: Define your objectives

Understand what you aim to achieve with your knowledge base. Is it reducing support tickets, improving customer satisfaction, or something else? You need to define what you aim to achieve with this valuable resource, as it will serve as the guiding light throughout the knowledge base development process.

For enterprise brands, it’s a good idea to discuss goals with other department leaders, who may have ideas about how the knowledge base can support initiatives throughout the organization.

Step 2: Gather information

Collaborate with customer service teams to identify frequently asked questions and common issues. One of the best things you can do is survey customers to understand what information they'd find most valuable, then use that information to determine what type of content to include in your customer service knowledge base.

Step 3: Choose a solution

Decide whether to use a dedicated knowledge base software, integrate with your existing CRM, or build a custom solution. Ensure it's user-friendly, scalable, and optimized for mobile, as many consumers access the information found in these bases on the go.

When you're looking at options to build your knowledge base, make sure to check our Khoros' community management software–a solution trusted by the world's biggest brands and a consistent leader in customer satisfaction.

Step 4: Organize content

Organizing the content within your knowledge base is a pivotal step in creating a resource that's not only comprehensive but also user-friendly and easy to navigate.

Begin by categorizing your topics into logical groups. Think of these categories as the main sections of your knowledge base. Common categories often include troubleshooting, billing, product usage, FAQs, and best practices. It's also a good idea to create a miscellaneous category for customers to discuss things that don't fall into another group.

Pay specific attention to topics and questions that community members bring up repeatedly, as this may warrant creating a dedicated discussion area in your knowledge base.

Step 5: Focus on giving users clear and helpful information

When creating content for your audience in the form of a blog or FAQ page, it helps to keep things simple and steer clear of confusing jargon. If there's a complex process or concept to explain, consider using visuals like screenshots or videos to make it more understandable. Moreover, make sure your content is not just informative but also actionable, guiding the reader toward a practical solution to their problem or query.

If you're using an online community for your knowledge base, see if there's any user-generated content that people find especially helpful. You may discover that a user provides a better explanation in a post or comment than what the brand team wrote.

In that case, consider updating your content or directing people to the user's explanation. For example, in Apple's community, they've pinned a popular post where a user discusses common issues and fixes for updating the brand's software.

Step 6: Implement search functionality

Incorporating a robust search functionality into your knowledge base is a pivotal step that can significantly enhance the overall user experience. It's imperative to ensure that users can effortlessly search for specific topics or keywords, as this empowers them to find the information they need quickly.

A well-designed search feature functions as a gateway to your customer knowledge base, allowing users to bypass navigation menus and directly access relevant articles, FAQs, or solutions.

To make this step even more effective, consider implementing features like auto-suggestions, filters, and advanced search options, allowing members to refine their search results further.

Step 7: Integrate feedback mechanisms

Integrating feedback mechanisms fosters a dynamic and responsive user-centric environment. By enabling users to rate articles and posts, leave comments, or suggest edits, you create a direct channel for them to actively engage with the content.

This not only empowers users to voice their opinions and share their experiences–it also provides your team with invaluable insights for continuous improvement. User-generated feedback can unveil areas where content may be unclear, outdated, or in need of expansion, guiding your content creators in refining articles and addressing user pain points.

Brands establishing a knowledge base for their customers will also find it valuable to create dedicated ways to seek feedback on their offerings. For example, Fitbit’s online community has a section focused around product feedback, where users can share thoughts on products and submit ideas for new offerings or features.

Step 8: Maintain and update

Maintain the quality of your content by conducting regular reviews for accuracy. Keep articles up-to-date by making revisions in response to product changes, incorporating new frequently asked questions, or incorporating valuable user feedback.

Additionally, it's crucial to archive outdated information, ensuring that your knowledge base remains a reliable and relevant resource for your audience. This proactive approach to content management ensures that your users always have access to current and dependable information.

Step 9: Promote your knowledge base

Promoting your knowledge base is vital to ensure that your customers are aware of, and can access, this valuable resource. Begin by integrating links to your knowledge base strategically across various customer touchpoints, such as in email communications, on your website, or even on social media.

Remember that effective promotion not only raises awareness but also encourages customers to proactively use the knowledge base, reducing support requests and enhancing their overall experience.

Step 10: Monitor and analyze

Ensure the ongoing effectiveness of your knowledge base by implementing a robust monitoring and analysis process. This step involves tracking various metrics that provide insights into how your customers are both using and benefiting from the resource.

Start by regularly monitoring metrics such as page views, search queries, time spent on articles, and feedback ratings. These metrics offer valuable information about the knowledge base's performance and user engagement.

Step 11: Iterate and improve

The journey to maintaining a successful knowledge base doesn't end once it's up and running; it's an ongoing process of refinement and enhancement.

Continuously seek feedback from both customers and support teams. ​​Once you've collected feedback from both sources, take a systematic approach to address their concerns and suggestions.

Be ready and willing to make necessary adjustments, whether that involves updating existing articles, creating new content, or improving the user interface of the knowledge base for enhanced accessibility.

A customer knowledge base empowers users in a fast-paced, highly digital world. Beyond the tangible benefits of reduced support costs and consistent communication, it serves as a testament to a brand's commitment to customer-centricity.

For brands aspiring to elevate their online communities, Khoros Communities offers an unmatched platform not just to build your base but for it to thrive. Trusted by more than 2,000 companies, Khoros Communities helps accelerate organic brand growth, reduce acquisition costs, and foster a community among your customers, extending the value of your brand in their lives. It's time for forward-thinking brands to set a gold standard in customer experience by tapping into the potential of Khoros Communities and harnessing the dual power of information accessibility and community engagement.

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