Knowledge Base

A Knowledge Base is a central reference work for information and solutions in IT service management. It contains a structured collection of articles, instructions, FAQs, troubleshooting guides, videos or other formats that convey knowledge. The knowledge base is often integrated into the service portal so that users – whether support staff or end users – can easily search it. A distinction is usually made between an internal knowledge base (for employees, e.g. support teams) and an external one for customers or users.

An article in the knowledge base might be called “Printer not printing – what to do?” and offer step-by-step solutions. The knowledge base makes the organization's know-how centrally available: instead of every technician devising their own solution, they can draw on existing articles. Updating and maintaining the knowledge base is crucial – only then does it remain relevant and helpful.

In the context of the Self-Service Portal, a good knowledge base enables users to resolve many questions themselves without having to contact IT support directly, which in turn reduces the support volume and saves time for everyone involved. The quality of such content depends heavily on structured Knowledge Management. From the user's perspective, User Experience and Self-Service are particularly important.

See also: Knowledge Management and Chatbot.