1. Support Management
  2. Knowledge Base
  3. Creating Knowledge Base Solutions

Creating Knowledge Base Solutions

Solutions are answers to customer issues. They may include instructions, FAQs, or information on a product or service.

You may want to create topics and subtopics before creating your solutions. To create topics and subtopics, go to Cases > Customer Service > Topics > New.

For more information about publishing your topics and solutions, see Publishing a Knowledge Base.

You can attach solutions to multiple topics and subtopics to build knowledge bases. You can also attach solutions to support cases to allow a quick response to customer issues. For information on attaching solutions to cases, see Attaching Knowledge Base Solutions to Cases.

Note:

Knowledge Base must be enabled in Company > Setup > CRM > Support before you can create solutions.

To create a solution:

  1. Go to Cases > Customer Service > Solutions > New.

  2. Under Primary Information:

    1. Enter or edit a reference code/number in the code field. This field is already filled if auto-numbering is enabled.

      Note:

      Administrators can enable auto-numbering for solutions at Setup > Company > Auto-Generated Numbers.

      Screenshot of the Set Up Auto-Generated Numbers page, CRM subtab.

    2. In the Title field, enter a title or name for this solution.

      This title shows on the Solutions list and in a published knowledge base. When attaching solutions to cases or placing solutions in topics, you can search by code or by title.

    3. In the Assigned To field, select the employee this solution is assigned to.

      The employee could be the person that is assigned to maintaining the content of this solution or the person who is responsible for approving it.

    4. In the Status field, select one of the following:

      • Approved – This solution has been reviewed by a supervisor and is ready for publishing.

      • Unapproved – This solution has been created but not reviewed. Unapproved is selected by default.

      Unapproved solutions cannot be published.

      Note:

      You can allow only Approved solutions and solutions marked Display Online to be attached to case records. Go to Setup > Support > Support Preferences. Check the Only Link Approved Solutions to Cases box.

    5. Check the Display Online box to allow this solution to be displayed on your website.

  3. Under Solution Information:

    1. In the Abstract field, enter a brief description of what problem is resolved. The abstract appears alongside the title.

    2. In the Description field, enter the solution. You can include HTML and Javascript

  4. On the Topics subtab, select a topic or subtopic you want to categorize this solution under for publishing.

  5. Click Add.

  6. Repeat these steps for each topic or subtopic you want to place this solution under.

  7. On the Related Records subtab, do one of the following to attach a related solution to the solution you are creating:

    • Enter part of the name of the solution, and press Tab.

    • Click List to select a related solution from the solution list.

    • Click the New icon to create a new related solution.

  8. Click Add.

  9. Repeat these steps for each related solution you want to add.

  10. Click the Communication subtab to add notes relating to this solution.

  11. Click the System Information subtab and check the Inactive box if you want to inactivate the solution

    Note:

    After the solution has been created, Date Created and Last Modified timestamps are added to the System Information subtab.

  12. Click Save.

After you create solutions and attach them to topics and cases, you can publish your knowledge base. Go to Cases > Customer Service > Knowledge Base > New.

You can also create a solution from your response to a support case as you reply. To do this, click New Solution on the case record on the Communication subtab. A new solution record opens and the text from the Reply field is shown in the solution's Description field. For more information, see Attaching Knowledge Base Solutions to Cases.

You can quickly update your solutions from the Solutions list if you use the inline editing feature Screenshot of the Knowledge Base inline editing icon.. To edit solutions from the list, click the Edit link at the top of the list. If you want to change which fields show in the columns on the list, click Customize View. For example, you can add the Date Created and Last Modified date to the list view for quick reference. For more information, see Using a Saved Search as a View.

Note:

New solutions and updates to existing solutions are indexed nightly. Search results do not register changes you make until the next day.

Related Topics

General Notices