Customer Support · Self-service and knowledge · Component
The findability
Whether the answer can be reached faster than asking a person — because that is the only comparison the customer is making.
The deliverable
What it is
A perfect article nobody can find is worth nothing. Findability is the constraint and it receives a fraction of the attention that writing does.
The answer should be in the first paragraph. Customers scan, and an article that builds up to the answer is abandoned before it arrives.
One level in
What it is made of
Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.
The search
Whether the article surfaces for the words customers use.
3 attributes: Search term · Surfaces · Position
LearnThe structure
Whether the answer is visible immediately.
3 attributes: Answer first · Words to answer · Scannable
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Customers search with the words for their problem, not the words for your feature.
The other components in self-service and knowledge
The content
What exists, driven by the questions actually asked rather than by what someone thought should be documented.
LearnThe deflection
Whether reading it actually avoids a contact — because a visit followed by a contact is a failed article counted as a success.
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