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Software Planner is a web-based solution for managing the software life
cycle. Tracks customer requirements, tasks,
defects, test cases and allows document sharing. |
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Remoteus
is remote desktop
sharing software used to simplify help desk support by allowing
your support team to connect to client PCs. |
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Web Information Center
is a web reporting
system that presents information from SQL databases in a
polished format. Pivot tables and Crystal Reports
integration. |
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Pragmatic Office
is a web-based office management tool for tracking
contacts (sales leads, vendors, customers, and other
contacts). It also allows teams to manage project
deliverables, share files, and manage their calendar
with Microsoft Outlook™
integration. |
Benefits of Knowledge
Sharing via a Knowledge Base
Ever feel like you are solving the same
issue over and over? Do your clients call you with similar issues
repeatedly? Do you wish you could share your knowledge with team members
so that everyone has the same understanding and are communicating the same
message when asked about specific issues? If you answered YES to any of
these items, it may be time to invest in a knowledge base.
Knowledge base systems have many
benefits, here are a couple of benefits:
-
Improved customer
support - By having a repository of knowledge, your team can
more quickly respond to customer questions and issues. By
providing consistent answers to questions and issues, your customer
is always assured of the right answer and consistent communications.
- Reduced costs
- A properly implemented knowledge base will reduce the number
of inbound customer support questions and will reduce the amount of time it
takes to respond to support issues. This can reduce the number of
support engineers needed, quickly reducing costs.
If you are convinced that a knowledge base is
beneficial, the next step is to begin setting up your knowledge base and
training your team. Depending on your budget and the flexibility
needed, you have several options to get your knowledge
base operational:
- Small Budget - If you are working on a very limited budget, you
can create a knowledge base using a spreadsheet system. Although not
ideal, this approach is beneficial, as you can keep track of issues that
arise often, along with the solution. Therefore, when an issue comes
up, you simply find the issue in your spreadsheet (along with the solution),
then you can quickly supply the solution to your client (or team).
This ensures consistent communication for issues and reduces costs, as your
team can reduce the time spent on communicating solutions for common issues.
The disadvantage of using a spreadsheet is that it is not easily shared
between team members. If a specific team member has the spreadsheet
open, others can not update it until no one else is using it. This can
be limiting, but it is much better than not having a knowledge base.
Another disadvantage is that you can not easily provide the knowledge base
to your clients, so that they first search the knowledge base prior to
calling your team for help.
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Sample Microsoft Excel Knowledge Base
Maximum Flexibility - If you prefer more flexibility, you will want
to opt for a knowledge base system that eliminates the disadvantages of the
spreadsheet system. A more flexible knowledge base will allow you to:
» Custom define the fields you wish to track
within the knowledge base
» Allow you to custom define workflow and state
transitions
» Allow file attachments
» Provide customizable email alerts so that all
your team members are alerted as new KB articles are posted
Choosing a Tool - When looking for a tool,
the ideal solution would be one that integrates with your other software
development life cycle (SDLC) tool. Here is an example of Software
Planner's SDLC tool that allows creation of a knowledge base using it's List
Manager feature:
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Using Software Planner's List Manager to create a Knowledge Base
Extending the Knowledge Base to your Customers
- To maximize the use of your knowledge base, it is a great idea to allow
your customers to search your knowledge base before calling in with
questions. This can eliminate unnecessary phone calls and allows your
clients to quickly get answers to questions. When choosing a tool,
ensure that the tool provides an API that allows you to present your
knowledge base to your clients, or they provide professional services for
creating a public interface to your knowledge base for your clients.
Below is an example of how we implemented a customer facing knowledge base
that is searchable by our clients:
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Helpful
Templates
Below are some helpful templates to aid you in
developing software solutions on-time and on-budget: |
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About the Author
Steve Miller is the President of Pragmatic Software (http://www.PragmaticSW.com). With over 21 years of experience, Steve
has extensive knowledge in project management, software architecture and test
design. Steve publishes a monthly newsletter for companies that design and
develop software. You can read other newsletters at
http://www.PragmaticSW.com/Newsletters.htm. Steve's email is
steve.miller@PragmaticSW.com.
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