Importance of Knowledge Base and Ways to Create One for Call Center Services

Everyone has first-hand experience speaking to a call center agent. Oftentimes we notice that call center agents put our calls on hold or ask us to wait a moment as they wish to confirm or collect some pieces of information. The information they seek comes from a knowledge base built by an SME (Subject Matter Expert). A knowledge base is an effective tool that helps the call center agent reciprocate with accurate information.

In every call center, there is a strict protocol followed by every agent. No agent is allowed to disregard the protocol and it emphasizes delivering the right and accurate information to the customer. Whenever a customer calls for an inquiry or information, the call center agent is obliged to share the correct information. In case he doesn’t know the answer or has only partial information, he must cross-check the information from the knowledge base.

• Knowledge base serves as a life savior for every agent - it doesn’t matter whether they are new or experienced. Some information may get obsolete in time and might have been updated with the new one. It is the process head’s responsibility to keep the knowledge base updated at all times so that agents won’t get in trouble.
• Relaying correct and relevant information is one of the key metrics of call center services. Most of the Indian call center services are known to adhere to this protocol diligently every time. Indian call centers impress on referring to knowledge base even if the agent is 1 percent unsure.
• While the whole maneuver may sound very simple but it is critical because customers can be very critical about the information they receive from the agent. Customers have the right to sue the company for sharing wrong information. That is why having access to a knowledge base is paramount for every call center agent.
• A business process can be quite complex. Generally, a business is selling either product, service, or both. It is natural that the product and services may have elaborated descriptions. There might be a lot of details involved in the services or products offered by the company.
• Naturally, the customers will have to inquire about the product or service they are purchasing. To explain things better businesses situated overseas to try to hire Indian call centers as they have the best track record for complying with all the business protocols set up by the client companies.
• Indian call centers always strive to maintain the knowledge base so they can provide customers with accurate information instantly. That is why companies from across the globe entrust their business processes to be handled by Indian call centers.

Through all the discussions we had so far, it is pretty clear how important a knowledge base is. However, it is also equally important to have a concise and organized knowledge base so that the information stored in the knowledge base is easily accessible and understandable by the call agents. A knowledge base created in a haphazard way can create problems for call center agents as it becomes difficult to understand.

Sometimes knowledge base is properly created but SMEs or TLs of the process fail to update new pieces of information in the knowledge base. Having old and obsolete information is worse than having no information at all. That is why call center services in India make sure the knowledge base is always kept updated for the agents so that they can perform their duties with the least resistance.

Tips for Building a Knowledge Base

Now that we have understood the importance of a knowledge base, we need to look through some of the key things that make a knowledge base well-constructed. A knowledge base is primarily a database that is easily accessible, assessable, flexible, readable, and expandable. There are different ways of creating a knowledge base.

A simple excel file can help you to get started and some companies create an entire user interface for their agents where they can access the information depending on search input. Some companies have their own API for exchanging process information. Before getting into these things first think what all things you need to add to the database.

Abstract The Most Popular Inquiries

Once you begin creating a knowledge base, you will across a lot of inquiries made by customers over several years. It might feel quite overwhelming in the beginning so it is best to rule out the most searched and popular questions asked by customers regularly. You start creating a list of questions based on their frequency.

Do not get tempted to mention the questions that you deem important. Go with the mindset of a customer. From a customer’s point of view, some questions are more important. Start abstracting those questions and write concisely written answers for them. Set priorities for each question based on the frequent number of probes on the supposed topic.

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Categorize The Most Popular Inquiries

Categorizing is one of the most critical, tedious, and time taking tasks. You will need to analyze the whole call center data before you start making categories of inquiries. For a successful categorization of inquiries, you must have a thorough knowledge of the product or service. The inquiries are based on the product and services so it is quite obvious.

You might want to keep SMEs and technical experts in the loop while categorizing the inquiries. And at the same time, you need to go through all the customer inquiries made so far regarding the product and service. Categorizing the inquiries will help you to promptly add future inquiries in the respective categories easily.

Keep The Language Simple and Straightforward

Now comes the part when you are about to write the content of the knowledge base. Remember, keep every wording simple. It is best to use layman’s terms while describing a solution. Whenever you are writing for the public, make sure your writing should be easily understandable and should match everyone’s viewpoint.

Avoid using complex vocabulary because it can provide different connotations to different readers. The solution provided to a customer will be passed on to another customer in the same format. There is a chance of sending mixed messages in a typical solution. So, it is best you write everything conscientiously, simply, and straightforwardly.

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Optimize Content’s Layout and Design

There should be a common layout for your website and database. If you wish, you can construct the design and layout from scratch. The appearance of the knowledge base should be pleasing to the eyes and should not overwhelm the content of the knowledge base.

Many Indian call centers keep the layout and design in such a way that everyone who looks finds it quite familiar. Familiar designs help the readers to navigate through the headings and subheadings hassle-free.

There are so many designs available on the web. You can browse the web a little bit and find a suitable and aesthetically pleasing design for the database.

Include a Search Function

In case your knowledge base is vast and complex, it is imperative that you must include a search function. A search function allows visitors to locate their desired content easily, without having the need to scroll through endless content. Some people find it daunting to search through vast content so they usually avoid using a knowledge base.

Always remember, the objective of a knowledge base is to make it convenient for the call center agents to quickly locate solutions for the queries made by the customers. You will definitely want the agents to get lost between colossal content. An extensive search function can help locate appropriate content based on the respective keywords.

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Publish The Knowledge Base

We are all pretty aware of the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section on websites. Similarly, you can create a new section under the label “Knowledge Base”, and publish it on your website. This way you will allow the customers to directly seek answers to their questions. It will save customers’ time and reduce the workload on the agents too.

If you wish, you can also launch the knowledge base under a subdomain all by itself too. You may have to contact your DNS provider for deciding which way it would be better accessible. The purpose of the knowledge base is that it should be readily available to anyone who seeks it. Make sure of it and people will appreciate your efforts.

Take Customer Feedback

Feedbacks are an integral part of a customer-centric business. Once you have created and published the knowledge base, you must survey customers for the usability of the knowledge base. The knowledge base is supposed to be accessible and easily understandable to the customers. It should answer customer inquiries properly and adequately.

At the end of every conversation made, the call center agents can ask for small feedback requesting to share the customer’s view about the solution provided. If they were not able to completely understand the solution provided to them, then you will probably need to work on the knowledge base and make improvements based on the feedback received.

Conclusion:

Well, that was pretty much about the knowledge base. You can go through all the steps one by one to make sure you create a well-sorted knowledge base for your customers. A well-oriented knowledge base will help save the time and energy of agents and customers as well. Naturally, it will also improve customer experience too.