Unlocking the untapped potential of customer insights for knowledge base content creation

In the world of knowledge management, particularly within businesses, there exists a curious paradox. On one hand, we have an ever-growing emphasis on customer-centric strategies; on the other, a surprising underutilization of one of the most valuable resources at a company’s disposal – the Voice of the Customer (VoC). As we delve into this phenomenon, it becomes evident that this oversight is not just a missed opportunity but a substantial gap in the way knowledge base managers and content creators approach the creation of new materials.

The overlooked goldmine: Customer feedback

Traditionally, knowledge managers have relied heavily on metrics like search queries within their help centers to guide content creation. This approach, while logical, scratches only the surface of what users are actually experiencing or needing. There’s a deeper layer of insight that often remains untapped – the direct feedback from customers.

Why is customer feedback underutilized?

1. Limited access and integration: In many organizations, the systems that collect customer feedback are not seamlessly integrated with the tools used for knowledge management. This disconnect makes it challenging for content creators to access and use this feedback effectively.
2. Volume and complexity: The sheer volume of customer feedback can be overwhelming, and without proper tools to analyze and categorize this data, valuable insights can be lost in the noise.
3. Perceived irrelevance: Some knowledge managers might perceive direct customer feedback as too specific or anecdotal, not recognizing the broader patterns and trends that this feedback often reveals.

The power of customer insights for content creation

When customer feedback is effectively harnessed, it can transform the way content is created for knowledge bases. This feedback provides real-time insights into what customers are struggling with, what solutions they are seeking, and how they are using products or services.

1. Targeted content: By understanding the specific issues and questions customers have, knowledge managers can create content that directly addresses these areas, making the knowledge base more relevant and useful.
2. Proactive problem-solving: Instead of waiting for issues to become prevalent enough to show up in search queries, customer feedback allows knowledge managers to anticipate problems and provide solutions proactively.
3. Enhancing user experience: Incorporating customer feedback into content creation ensures that the language, examples, and solutions used are closely aligned with the users’ perspectives and experiences.
4. Improving customer support ROI: Informative knowledge bases lead to reduced number of customer support tickets. Shifting help desk spend to knowledge base results in higher customer support ROI (return on investment).

Bridging the gap: Strategies for incorporating VoC into knowledge management

1. Integrate systems: Ensure that customer feedback systems and knowledge management tools are interconnected, allowing for seamless access and use of customer insights.
2. Invest in analytics: Utilize advanced analytics tools to sift through customer feedback, identify trends, and extract actionable insights.
3. Train and empower teams: Equip content creators with the skills and authority to leverage customer feedback in their work. This involves training them to interpret feedback and encouraging them to use it as a primary source for content creation.
4. Foster a culture of listening: Cultivate an organizational culture that values customer feedback, not just for resolving issues but as a crucial input for all knowledge-related initiatives.

Prepping your help center or knowledge base for AI chatbots

Are you a knowledge manager who would like to harness customer feedback / voice of customer data but can’t due to

• data not being in a useful format/spreadsheet accessible,
• data being free-form text, so there’s no way to add it up, aggregate, or quantify,
• tagging/categorizing each customer feedback being time consuming?

Idiomatic solves these 3 issues by

1. integrating with your customer feedback sources (including Salesforce and community sources) to get all the data in one place,
2. building a taxonomy of tags/categories to organize your data,
3. going through every single customer comment and tagging them at scale with our models.

So that you no longer have to guess from search queries what article would most help your customers. You can see directly what the issues your customers are having and address those issues in your help center or knowledge base with confidence. 

Watch the video below to learn how Idiomatic can assist you in preparing your help center, knowledge base or self-service content for an AI chatbot.

 

Request a demo of Idiomatic

The potential of customer feedback as a source for creating knowledge base content is vast and largely untapped. By bridging the gap between customer experience feedback and knowledge management, businesses can create more relevant, useful, and proactive content. This not only enhances the utility of knowledge bases but also aligns them more closely with the needs and experiences of customers, ultimately driving better business outcomes. The key lies in recognizing the value of VoC, integrating systems, and empowering teams to harness this rich source of insights.