Make the right thing the easy thing to find
· 1 min read
People do not ignore the knowledge base on purpose. They take the path they can see, which is often the phone.
In brief
Most people do not ignore the knowledge base on purpose. They just cannot see the path to the answer, so they take the path they can see: the phone. A typical knowledge menu is organised the way the team that built it thinks, with categories named after systems, lists sorted by date created, and twelve links where three would do. The person arriving does not think in systems. They think in problems: they cannot log in, their laptop is slow, they are starting on Monday. Every extra click is a small decision to give up. Not a big one. Just enough that ringing someone feels quicker, and it usually is. This article sets out a few plain habits that help. Name menus after what people need, not who owns it. Put the most used answers first, not the newest. Show fewer links, chosen on purpose. Check that the views your agents use are the ones customers would want too. Then watch what people actually do. Where they click, and where they stop, is your to-do list. Good self-service is not about having the answer somewhere. It is about putting it where people already look.
Most people do not ignore the knowledge base on purpose. They just cannot see the path to the answer, so they take the path they can see. The phone.
Look at a typical knowledge menu. It is organised the way the team that built it thinks. Categories named after systems. Lists sorted by date created. Twelve links where three would do.
The person arriving does not think in systems. They think in problems. "I can't log in." "My laptop is slow." "I'm starting on Monday."
Every extra click is a small decision to give up. Not a big one. Just enough that ringing someone feels quicker. And it usually is.
A few plain habits help
- Name menus after what people need, not who owns it.
- Put the most used answers first, not the newest.
- Show fewer links, chosen on purpose.
- Check the views your agents use are the ones customers would want too.
Then watch what people actually do. Where do they click, and where do they stop? The gap between the two is your to-do list.
Good self-service is not about having the answer somewhere. It is about putting it where people already look.
Next step
What is the one thing people can never find in your knowledge base? Join the conversation on ESM's Exchange: https://exchange.esm.institute
Tags: knowledge management, service management, self-service, ESM
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