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GUEST BLOG: Creating an effective Knowledge Base

960 640 Stuart O'Brien

By Helen Thain, Content Manager, Adexchange

The mind of a Contact Centre Manager is constantly whirring with ways to reduce agent workload whilst improving customer experience. An impossible task?

I don’t think so. Behind every good agent is a solid and reliable Knowledge Base.

An effective Knowledge Base, to help resolve customers simple and frequently occurring issues more quickly, lies behind the success of multiple channels. Emails, phone calls and chatbot dialogues all rely on a good, comprehensive and well written library of Knowledge Articles and Videos – giving agents exactly what they need at the click of a button.

Not only is the Knowledge Base there to help agents but as consumers we’re becoming increasingly tech-savvy and expect companies to evolve technology to meet the needs of our busy lives. Technology in the customer service industry is developing quickly and, when used effectively, can significantly reduce workload. Customers are more than happy to help themselves – it’s satisfying and painless for them and means fewer calls and emails for agents to handle!

75% of customers see self-service as ‘a convenient way to address customer service issues’ – Nuance Enterprise.

This multi-channel approach gives us plenty of scope to create separate Knowledge Bases for internal and external use.

Knowledge Articles vs. Video Articles

We already know that a great Knowledge Base is going to reduce agent workload and improve Contact Centre performance but what should we be including in this Knowledge Base?

Knowledge Articles are great for giving agents clear and effective answers to any of our customers’ more frequently asked questions. Just copy and paste the sections you need, add a bit of a personal touch and hey presto you’re done! But is that enough?

Did you know ‘the human brain can process video 60,000 times faster than text’? – Psychology Today

This can make a plain, text-based Knowledge Article seem a little behind the times.

A Video Article can take your plain, text-based article and turn it into an efficient and effective tool for both agents and customers.

Professional Video Articles, that last anything from 30 to 90 seconds, give viewers visual journeys with audio prompts (and a soundtrack!) – it’s the Contact Centre equivalent of an Oscar winning movie! Watch them online or on the go on your smart phone. Simple, effective and all absorbed 60,000 times faster than a Knowledge Article equivalent.

What makes a good Knowledge Base?

The dream Knowledge Base will have the perfect mix of classic text-based articles and professional videos. A Video Article is perfect for explaining processes like changing your login details or amending an order but probably won’t work so well when trying to explain why a customer’s order hasn’t arrived yet – that’s where the trusty, text-based Knowledge Article comes to the rescue.

Our Top Tips

  • Keep the Knowledge Articles short – people will lose interest and forget key information if they have to read a long piece of text
  • Use clear and simple layouts – short paragraphs and bullet points will help to highlight key information
  • Keep Video Articles under 2 minutes – any longer and the viewers’ attention will begin to fade
  • Finally, give the content of your Knowledge Base a K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple Silly)

Great Knowledge Article content, clear layouts and streamlined Video Articles work together to create an effective Knowledge Base for agents – giving customers a faster, better and more effective response.

The result? An efficient and low-cost Contact Centre delivering exceptional customer service.

Want to know more? Get in touchwith us here at Adexchange to see how we can help improve the performance of your Knowledge Base.