Why You Should Invest in a Knowledge Base for Your Company

Have you ever had a day when all your working hours have been dedicated to answering customers’ queries? Or one of those days when each customer who calls seemingly has the same questions to ask?

If you or your staff spend too much time fielding customers’ questions, it is likely that apart from losing efficiency, you are also losing clients. If you have ever felt that the time you spend answering questions could easily be used for something more productive, there is some good news for you! There is a way in which you can reduce call volume and meet customer demand at the same time – all you need to do is build a knowledge base for your customers. By creating a knowledge repository, you will not only enhance customer support, but also improve profits and boost employee morale. An effective knowledge base will allow your employees to access important information, address customer service issues, resolve problems and provide insight for workforce collaboration. And what’s more, creating a knowledge base doesn’t have to be a Herculean task. By following the steps listed below, you can have a knowledge base for your company up and running within months!

Get Set, Go!

To create a knowledge repository for your company almost immediately, just collect customers’ questions and provide answers in an easy-to-access and easy-to-search format on your company’s website. For questions that haven’t yet been answered, create a system that allows customers to submit queries online. Instruct your sales support team to answer these queries within a single business day and add the question to your database. To create a relevant knowledge base, you will need to add important questions to it, including frequently asked questions, as well as all major guidelines and frameworks within your company.

Build Separate Sections and Categories

For optimum user experience, make sure that the information contained in your knowledge base is well organized. Place information in separate sections for each subject or category, such as product questions, installation questions, shipping questions, or warranty and terms of sales, so that it is easy for customers to find the questions that they are looking for within the company’s knowledge base.

Ensure Quality of Information

Always encourage your customer support staff to be mindful of the quality of the information provided to customers. All questions posted by clients should be answered as if they will be added to the database. Additionally, you could have a senior staff or content expert review each question to ensure that it has been answered in a comprehensive and professional manner. Also ensure that the knowledge base is frequently updated, so that the information contained in it is relevant and recent, and offers consistent value and insight. You could also ask your employees to add their insight within your private system. This will help in improving customer service and employee knowledge.

Pay Attention to Your Metrics

Once your knowledge base is launched, you will probably experience a dramatic reduction in call volume. At this time, you should monitor your website analytics. A fall in call volume related to customer support should be accompanied by an increase in the average time spent by customers on the company website, as well as in the average number of pages visited.

A well-organized knowledge base will save your company money by reducing the amount of time you or your employees spend in answering questions about the organization’s products, policies and procedures. It is one of the most cost-effective channels to provide customer support and information.