What is a knowledge base?

Any of the following can be considered a knowledge base:

• FAQs (frequently asked questions)
• PDFs
• Word documents
• Spreadsheets
• Web portals
• 위키
• Help center (content management system)
• Browser extensions that bring knowledge to the apps you love
• On-premise databases

An external knowledge base, also called a customer service knowledge base, stores information your customers and clients can use. An internal knowledge base, also known as an employee intranet or company wiki, stores your company’s private or confidential information and is accessible only by employees.

What is knowledge base software?

Knowledge base software is a powerful tool that can help businesses capture, organize, share, and update information efficiently. By leveraging the right knowledge base software, businesses can optimize their operations, enhance employee productivity, and improve customer satisfaction.

However, not all knowledge base software is created equal, and not every solution may be suitable for your particular business needs. 어떠한 소프트웨어를 투자하기 전에, 귀하의 특정 요구 사항을 평가하고 소프트웨어가 필요한 기능을 제공할 수 있는지 여부를 판단하는 것이 중요합니다.

내부 vs. 외부 지식 기반: 차이점은 무엇인가요?

An internal and external knowledge base are different systems organizations use to store, organize, and share information. Here are the main differences between the two:

Access

Internal knowledge base: Only members of an organization or a specific group within the organization can access it. It requires authentication and authorization to access the information.

External knowledge base: It is accessible to the public or a wider audience outside the organization. It may or may not require authentication, depending on the nature of the information.

Content

Internal knowledge base: It contains information that is specific to the organization, such as company policies, procedures, employee handbook, project documentation, and internal communication.

External knowledge base: Information for people outside the company, like customers, partners, or the public. This can include product documentation, user manuals, FAQs, and troubleshooting guides.

Purpose

Internal knowledge base: It supports the internal operations of an organization by providing employees with the information they need to do their jobs well.

외부 지식 기반: 그 주요 목적은 고객이나 파트너와 같은 외부 이해관계자에게 정보를 제공하고 지원하여 이들이 조직의 제품이나 서비스를 효과적으로 사용할 수 있도록 돕는 것입니다.

보안

Internal knowledge base: often holds sensitive or confidential information that is not meant for public access. Therefore, it requires strict security measures to protect the information from unauthorized access.

External knowledge base: information for public use, may not need as much security as internal knowledge base. However, it may still require some level of security to protect against spam or malicious content.

An internal knowledge base assists with tasks within a company. It provides information and assistance to employees. An external knowledge base offers information and help to individuals outside the organization. It serves as a resource for external users.

The main differences between the two lie in their accessibility, content, purpose, and security. 내부 지식 기반에 대해 더 깊이 파고들 것입니다.

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Types of knowledge base systems

There are five main types of knowledge bases. They include the following:

• Internal knowledge base
• Hosted knowledge base
• Self-hosted knowledge base
• Open-source knowledge base software
• Customer service knowledge base

Internal knowledge base

An internal knowledge base is created by your organization strictly for employees to access information as needed. Discover how a knowledge base integration with Guru can be so much more useful for your team than a traditional knowledge base.

Ways to use an internal knowledge base

An internal knowledge base is incredibly versatile in the way it can be used. Some ways to make the most of your internal knowledge base software include bringing in key information, such as:

• Answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about everything from employee benefits and onboarding protocols to brand guidelines and customer communications
• Company policies and handbooks
• Best practices and guides for sales strategies, handling customer issues and dealing with coworker conflicts
• Organizational structures and important internal contact information
• Recruitment, interviewing and employee assessment information for managers

Maintaining a well-organized, easily searchable, and accessible internal knowledge base means your employees can find answers quickly, without re-asking common questions.

Internal knowledge base software enables your company to focus your communications on new and critical information. Time spent introducing new employees to company policies and procedures, as well as training those taking on new roles, could be significantly reduced. 정보에 대한 더 쉽고 빠른 접근은 고객이 영업 팀의 신속한 질문과 우려에 대한 반응에 더 만족하게 만들 것이며, 귀하의 직원들이 보유한 집단적인 전문성이 향후 사용을 위해 안전한 위치에 저장되어 있다는 것을 알게 될 것입니다.

What is internal knowledge base software?

Internal knowledge base software supports your employees by giving them a one-stop shop where they can search for the resources they need to best do their jobs. An effective internal knowledge base reduces employee frustration and promotes productivity by reducing the need for repetitive searches, integrating with employee workflows, encouraging contribution and collaboration, and ensuring content relevance and accuracy.

Some additional examples of software that could be considered internal knowledge base software include documents and spreadsheets, content management systems (CMSs), web portals, FAQs, or wikis. 

Some questions that can help you choose the best software for your team are: 

• Does this software let us share information with everyone who needs to see it?
• Is it easy to alert people about important articles?
• Are you able to quickly see when the article was last updated? And will the software prompt SMEs to update older information on a regular basis?

Internal knowledge base example

Hosted knowledge base

A hosted knowledge base collects and stores information for both your (internal) team and your (external) customers or stakeholders, keeping data well-organized and easily searchable.

Self-hosted knowledge base

이러한 유형의 지식 기반은 귀하의 조직의 자체 서버에 호스팅됩니다. This approach gives you more control over security, privacy, and uptime but also means you are responsible for handling concerns and fixing any issues that arise.

Open-source knowledge base 

Open-source knowledge bases are openly accessible to the public and may or may not be free of charge. Open-source knowledge base software can be helpful if your organization wants to allow developers or programmers to customize the source code according to business needs. 

Examples of open source knowledge bases

• Documize
• eXo
• myBase
• OpenKM

Customer service knowledge base

A customer service knowledge base organizes information to make it easy for your customers to access and use. Also called a customer knowledge base, it contains publicly accessible knowledge about a product and/or company. Because this is customer- or public-facing, it would not be appropriate for confidential or private information. Learn more about external knowledge bases here.

How is customer service knowledge base software used?

Customer service knowledge base software, also known as a help center software or external knowledge base software, is designed specifically for external, non-expert users to navigate and find information quickly. 내부 전문가가 유지 관리하지만 소프트웨어는 공개적으로 접근 가능해야 하며, 고객을 대상으로 하는 웹페이지에 삽입될 수 있어야 합니다.

Benefits of knowledge bases

Software that is intended to be used as a knowledge base has specific benefits over solutions that can be used many other ways, like long documents, PDFs, internal wikis, shared drives, or spreadsheets. 

• 정보 검색에 소요되는 시간 감소  목적에 맞춘 지식 기반 소프트웨어는 필요할 때 특정 지식을 더 쉽게 추출할 수 있게 합니다. This improves contact center efficiency by making it easy for agents to resolve customer issues on the first call. It also improves company-wide productivity by making it easy for everyone to find the information they need to do their jobs well.
• 더 빠른 온보딩  신규 채용 직원들이 첫 몇 주에 많은 질문을 할 필요가 없습니다. A quality internal knowledge base enables them to effectively self-serve and stops repeat questions from interrupting your most critical staff.
• 손쉬운 유지 관리  문서 및 스프레드시트는 쉽게 구식이 될 수 있고, 버전 관리는 중복 및 혼란을 초래할 수 있습니다. Knowledge bases allow users to update individual items as necessary (instead of having to update and republish an entire document). A quality knowledge base includes a simple way to quickly see whether information can be trusted, and automation to remind SMEs to keep their information up-to-date.
• 역할 및 권한  지식 기반은 세분화된 접근 및 편집을 허용합니다. While some other solutions (like Google Docs and Google Drive) can also be limited this way, the settings often require more time to maintain. 
• 워크플로우 내에서 사용하도록 설계됨  품질 높은 지식 기반 솔루션은 필요할 때와 장소에서 답변을 제공하기 위해 사용되도록 설계되었습니다. 반면, 다른 솔루션들은 주요 맥락 전환과 검색이 필요합니다. 예를 들어, Guru의 Chrome 확장 프로그램, Microsoft Teams, 및 Slack 통합은 모든 사람이 매일 사용하는 앱을 떠나지 않고도 필요로 하는 지식에 빠르게 접근할 수 있도록 합니다.

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What makes a great knowledge base?

• Clear and concise organization: a great knowledge base is well-organized and easy to navigate, with intuitive categories and subcategories that make it easy for users to find what they need.
• Up-to-date and accurate information: a great knowledge base is regularly updated to ensure that the information is accurate and relevant, through a combination of automated updates and regular reviews by subject matter experts.
• User-friendly interface: a great knowledge base is designed with the end-user in mind, with a user-friendly interface that allows users to quickly find the information they need.
• 검색 기능: 훌륭한 지식 기반은 사용자가 필요로 하는 정보를 빠르게 찾을 수 있도록 하는 견고한 검색 기능이 포함되며, 사용자의 질문에 따라 관련 결과를 제공하는 검색 기능이 있습니다.
• Collaboration tools: a great knowledge base encourages collaboration and knowledge sharing, including tools that allow users to contribute to the knowledge base such as wikis, forums, and commenting features. This helps to keep the information up-to-date and relevant, while also fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous learning.

How do I choose a knowledge base?

먼저, 내부 지식 기반 internal knowledge base 가 필요한지, 아니면 외부 지식 기반이 필요한지를 결정합니다. 그 다음, 귀하의 지식 관리 전략을 고려하십시오. 이 두 가지 요소의 조합은 귀하의 기술적 요구 사항에 대한 감각을 제공해야 합니다.

• 외부 고객을 위한 도움 센터를 운영하고 연간 1-4회 업데이트가 필요하다면 콘텐츠 관리 시스템(CMS)이 최선의 옵션일 수 있습니다.
• 귀하의 지식이 보안상의 이유로 특정 사무실에서만 접근 가능하다면, 온프레미스 컴퓨터에서만 접근할 수 있는 데이터베이스가 적합합니다.
• 1-2명의 사용자가 월 1회 업데이트하지만 다수의 사용자가 읽는 내부 지식 기반이 필요하다면 위키 솔루션이 유용할 수 있습니다.
• 여러 번 읽고 많은 사람들이 업데이트하는 내부 지식 기반이 필요하다면 웹 포털이 최선의 선택일 수 있습니다. 그 사람들이 여러 앱에서 작업한다면, 브라우저 내 확장 기능이 있는 앱을 찾아보십시오.

왜 지식 기반이 필요합니까

지식 관리 솔루션은 주제 전문가(SME)가 본인의 전문성을 그들이 필요에 따라 업데이트하고 편집할 수 있는 온라인 리소스에 뇌를 활용할 수 있도록 합니다. 이렇게 하면 팀원이 질문이 있을 때 실제 출처에 방해받지 않고 직접 답을 찾을 수 있습니다. 그리고 Guru의 검증 기능과 같은 기능은 사용자가 제공되는 정보가 신뢰할 수 있고 최신임을 알려주어, SME와 이중 확인할 필요를 없애줍니다.

지식 기반이 필요한지 알아보는 방법 

인사팀이 모든 직원이 올바른 복리후생 정보를 보고 있는지 확인해야 한다면, 누가 어떤 정보를 읽었는지를 보여줄 수 있는 중앙집중식 접근 위치가 필수적입니다. 그곳이 바로 지식 기반이 필요한 곳입니다.

효율적으로 신규 직원을 온보딩 및 교육하고자 하는 관리자에게도 같은 것이 적용됩니다. 팀의 구성원이 자신의 복리후생, 보상 또는 회사 정책에 대한 정보가 필요한 경우에 해당합니다. 조직이 시간을 절약하고 생산성을 높이며 직원에게 배포된 지식의 응집력과 정확성을 높일 기회를 보았다면, 귀하는 내부 지식 기반 소프트웨어의 혜택을 받을 수 있습니다.

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