knowledge-management

Organizing Your Support System with a Knowledge Base or FAQ

8 min read
Dec 21, 2022
knowledge base or FAQ

Introducing a knowledge base and FAQ system can be a great way to help streamline customer service operations.

A knowledge base is a store of information that contains everything your customers will need to know when using your products and services, while an FAQ section answers specific questions users may have.

Best of all, these resources can often serve as self-service solutions, meaning your customers can find the answers to their questions on their own from any device with internet access. To create an external knowledge base or FAQ system, you'll need to source relevant content and then design the layout for easy navigation.

Additionally, you should ensure the content is easy to read and modify or add new info according to user feedback or market changes in order to keep it up-to-date.

With these few steps, you're well on your way having an efficient and comprehensive customer service center!

Maintaining the Knowledge Base vs FAQ System - What are the Differences?

When it comes to finding the answers to common customer queries, businesses often ask themselves whether they should go for a knowledge base or an FAQ system.

While both are useful tools in their own ways, there are some significant differences between the two that could make one more suitable than the other.

In this part of the article, we'll explore these differences and determine which option is most advantageous.

Empower customers with a knowledge base

Maintaining an internal or external knowledge base not only keeps your customers informed, but also makes them feel empowered.

Knowledge bases allows customers to easily find answers on their own, without the need for interaction with customer service. It also serves as an internal knowledge repository for repetitive tasks and questions.

For a knowledge base to be effective, it's essential to keep information relevant and make it accessible. This means ensuring people have access to as much of the knowledge base as possible, so they can quickly and easily find answers to their questions.

You can help your audience find relevant content through search engines by implementing knowledge base SEO tips. Another way to introduce new customers to your how to guides and articles is by adding search functionality that will make it easier to scout for knowledge base articles - a search bar should be a part of any website, and a knowledge base is no different.

To improve access to information, you can also offer a live chat knowledge base.

Utilizing knowledge base software is key in making sure end users are always informed, so that businesses have a continuously updated knowledge base at their disposal.

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Supplement your customer service with FAQ pages

Keeping a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page is an important part of providing support because it reduces the need for potential customers to contact staff directly and allows them to find answers independently.

An FAQ page is generally made up of a list of frequently asked questions, each with an answer that explains the query in simple terms. While this is extremely beneficial, it should not be confused with a knowledge base.

A knowledge base goes one step further and offers solutions in more depth and detail, providing links to other relevant information resources. Not if you want your customers to get their answers quickly and simply, a FAQ page should be your go-to source.

You should consider adding FAQ pages as part of your information architecture. At this stage, developing a knowledge base content strategy is a good idea.

Using the Knowledge Base or FAQ System with Other Customer Support Channels

Combining customer support channels in a cohesive manner can make a huge difference to customer experience.

A customer's journey should be as effortless and enjoyable as possible, which is why it's important to have the knowledge base or FAQ system among your other support channels.

By integrating this system with other customer service initiatives, customer service agents are equipped to provide better customer service and ensure that customer inquiries are answered quickly and effectively.

Integrating self service solutions with live chat software

Integrating the knowledge base or FAQ system with other support channels, such as live chat, can be incredibly beneficial when it comes to helping customers.

By allowing support agents to access helpful articles in real-time while they're assisting customers, they can quickly and easily provide accurate solutions that fit their needs.

Furthermore, if support team is able to offer a self service option by providing searchable answers right within the live chat session, customers are more likely to get the help they need and be satisfied more quickly.

Adding a knowledge base or FAQ system into your support strategy will not only aid support agents in resolving customer issues efficiently but will also provide your customers with an improved service experience overall.

Provide your customers with fast, accurate answers to their questions in the most convenient way possible with KnowledgeBase integration with LiveChat.

Your support team will thank you as they no longer need to search through multiple resources trying to find a resolution - everything they need will appear right in their chat window. Plus, now that customers can access the help center any time, even when you’re not available, you'll see an overall improvement in customer satisfaction.

Get KnowledgeBase integrated with LiveChat today for an all-in-one solution for customer support!

Put knowledge to work

Knowledge base software for lightning-fast customer support and effortless self-service.

Trusted by 2,500+ companies

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Don't forget email or phone support

When customer service agents are armed with comprehensive and accurate information about customer queries, they are able to provide more efficient customer service. This can be true as much for online and offline customer service channels, like email and phone support.

The customer service team can leverage the information available in the knowledge base or FAQ to ensure that customer inquiries are answered quickly. This will not only provide customers with timely resolutions to their issues but can also reduce customer service teams' workload significantly, resulting in more time for addressing more complex customer inquiries.

Integrating knowledge bases and FAQs into customer service channels is a great way to provide consistent customer support and to improve customer satisfaction.

Develop a Knowledge Management Strategy for Your Support Team

By having a comprehensive strategy for managing knowledge in place, customer service teams will have access to helpful resources that will enable them to provide customers with the best possible support.

This strategy should also be regularly revised and adapted as customer needs change and evolve. Whether you create an internal knowledge base or customer facing FAQ pages, the approach is similar and consists of the following steps.

Update your self service pages regularly

Keeping customer self service pages relevant is essential for successful customer service.

Regular updates to your knowledge base ensure that customer inquiries are managed correctly and efficiently. To do this, it's important to be on the lookout for new resources on a regular basis, categorizing those pieces of information into relevant areas, and continuously authoring new articles that can provide insights into customer issues.

By keeping your customer self service pages relevant, you will be able to assist customers faster and build better customer relationships.

Not sure where to start? Read how to use reporting capabilities of your knowledge base while conducting an audit of your pages.

Keep an eye on performance metrics

Keeping an eye on knowledge base metrics is one of the most important aspects of customer service performance.

Doing so helps teams to keep track of which knowledge resources are helping customers the most, and allows them to make improvements, if necessary. It’s a good way to ensure that teams are constantly refining their knowledge base, in order to maximize their ability to help customers.

The better educated the knowledge base, the more customer service representatives will be prepared for any situation. This means less time waiting on someone else for answers and more time providing personalized, helpful solutions.

Include customer feedback

Collecting customer feedback is an essential part of providing long-term, high-quality service.

It's like a free focus group at your fingertips: when customers offer their opinion on their experience, they can quickly clarify what solutions are and are not working with regards to knowledge management.

Keeping track of your customers' feedback over time can provide valuable insights that help bolster knowledge base content and — in turn — improve prospects for long-term customers. After all, businesses should be striving to respond to customer needs in the most effective way possible.

Implement a Knowledge Base Software at Your Support Team

Establishing a knowledge base or FAQ system can often seem daunting, but the rewards are numerous.

A system like this helps to free up personnel so they can focus on providing customer service that is more personalized and valuable. It also allows a business to use fewer resources in sharing all of the required data, while still providing customers with key information in an easy-to-access and quick manner.

To make sure that your efforts don’t go to waste, remember to regularly maintain the knowledge base or FAQ system so they produce optimal results; ensuring both you and your customers get the most out of it!

Ready to start building knowledge base that truly meets the needs of your customers? Find out how KnowledgeBase can help you create a self service support system that will benefit both your customers and your business.

Adding KnowledgeBase widget to LiveChat makes customer service a breeze! Your customers won't have to wait long for resolutions to their queries now - the KnowledgeBase widget allows you to easily integrate your help documents with the chat experience, so answers are just a click away.

The widget's intuitive design means customers can copy and paste responses within seconds, saving them time and effort in trying to solve their problem.

Make your customer service game even stronger by adding KnowledgeBase widget today!

Put knowledge to work

Knowledge base software for lightning-fast customer support and effortless self-service.

Trusted by 2,500+ companies

Free 14-day trial