A knowledge base (KB) is a centralized, searchable collection of documentation—how-to articles, troubleshooting guides, policy explanations, and FAQs—that captures a team's institutional knowledge. KBs can be internal (agent-facing), external (customer-facing), or both.
Why it matters for support teams:
- Enables self-service, reducing inbound ticket volume
- Gives agents a consistent, authoritative source during live interactions
- Shortens onboarding time for new hires
Key metrics include article views, self-service rate (tickets deflected per KB session), search queries with no results, and article feedback ratings (helpful/not helpful). A well-maintained KB requires regular audits—stale or inaccurate articles erode customer trust and create agent confusion. Many teams tie KB health to a content owner or use flags triggered when an article hasn't been reviewed within a set time period.