A knowledge base is a tool for your business to centralize the important information that your employees or customers need. With the addition of artificial intelligence, knowledge bases are transformed into dynamic, smart systems that can sort vast amounts of information, saving you time, effort, and money.
What is an AI knowledge base?
An AI-powered knowledge base uses AI to powerfully and efficiently manage this library of essential information. Your business’s knowledge base is a centralized repository of important information covering everything from your brand story to accounting practices to IT instructions. The knowledge base can serve either internal or external users and makes it possible for them to easily find what they need.
How to use an AI knowledge base in ecommerce
If you’ve ever gone to a company’s website and had a chat box pop up asking if you need help, you’ve encountered an AI system that’s plugged into the business’s knowledge base. If you run an ecommerce business, an AI knowledge base has several different applications:
- Streamline customer self-service. AI can free up your customer service agents from solving common and simple problems, allowing them to focus on more complicated customer issues.
- Identify knowledge gaps. An AI-driven knowledge base with a chat function can find needed information, point out what’s missing, and suggest ways to incorporate real-time customer feedback.
- Identify out-of-date information. AI can identify old or outdated information for review.
- Train employees. An AI knowledge base can help train new employees on your company’s current policies and procedures.
How do AI knowledge bases work?
A traditional knowledge base depends on individuals to manually input information. Though the human touch is sometimes crucial, AI can use machine learning and natural language processing to constantly increase and adapt your knowledge base to user needs.
Once a knowledge management system is integrated with AI functionality, the information repository is continually updated through customer and user interactions. The AI uses natural language processing to identify patterns in the words and phrases users search on your site, and updates your knowledge base accordingly. Then, it uses machine learning to generate more accurate and useful results for future users.
Types of AI knowledge base content
There are three main content categories of an AI knowledge base:
Structured
A structured knowledge base is the category most similar to an appliance’s user manual. Structured knowledge content includes articles, guides, and answers to common questions that the AI selects based on relevant predefined parameters. The hierarchy of organizational knowledge will ideally show your customers the most relevant information first, helping them find the answer quickly. This structure has traditionally relied on human intervention to organize the content into a useful format.
Unstructured
Unstructured content in a knowledge base is more like a sprawling collection of information outside of the organizational knowledge hierarchy. This can include entire emails, user call recordings, social media interactions, and any other uncategorized information. Historically, unstructured data has been notoriously difficult to categorize, store, and access efficiently. AI can use natural language processing to organize this data without a human having to read through and qualify it.
Automated
An AI knowledge base can use generative AI to process real-time issues from customer queries, content updates, or customer interactions, and adjust the knowledge base as needed. For example, if several customers struggle with the same troubleshooting tutorial, your AI knowledge base can flag that recurring problem. These systems can identify user intent, then respond directly to customers in a chat with accurate and relevant information from the knowledge base. It can also conduct data analysis, flag issues, and suggest changes to a business’s administrative processes.
AI knowledge base apps for ecommerce
If you’re looking for AI knowledge base software, there are a few apps that offer seamless integration into your Shopify store:
HelpCenter
HelpCenter is a popular Shopify app that uses ChatGPT to power an effective AI knowledge base. HelpCenter includes powerful customer-facing features, like an AI-powered search engine that uses natural language processing to understand user queries, then deliver relevant information through an FAQ page or live chat. This allows for advanced search functionality and immediate responses with minimal human intervention.
Pricing: HelpCenter offers a limited free plan. Costs for other plans are $4.99 per month for the basic plan, $19.99 per month for the standard plan, and $49.99 per month for the advanced plan.
BetterDocs
BetterDocs is an AI-based knowledge base with key components geared toward your users’ customer support experience. The core of BetterDocs is its responsive FAQ page and instant chat options, which can interpret human language, and let customers access up-to-date company information like service updates, new FAQ articles, and troubleshooting guides. BetterDocs integrates with Messenger chat and WhatsApp and uses natural language generation so customers feel like they’re getting help from a friendly customer service rep.
Pricing: BetterDocs offers a free basic plan and a pro plan for $9.99 per month.
AskTimmy.ai
AskTimmy.ai is a knowledge base software with an emphasis on a chatbot feature. AskTimmy.ai appears on your site as a search box or “quick ask” box. It can act as a customer service rep, giving relevant data and links to useful web pages, or as a shopping assistant. It can promote specific products based on user input, so the customer experience feels helpful and natural. Plus, the chatbot can generate human language so customers don’t feel like they’re chatting with an AI.
Pricing: AskTimmy.ai offers a free basic plan and a standard plan for $49.99 per month.
AI knowledge base FAQ
How do you create a knowledge base with AI?
The first step to creating an AI-powered knowledge base is to decide which knowledge base software best meets your needs and budget. Filter your choices based on features such assearch functionality,powerful content creation, or customer service management.
What is an example of an AI knowledge base?
If you've interacted with customer service on the internet, there's a good chance you've already dealt with AI-powered knowledge bases. For example, when you visit a site and click “Contact support,” a chat box might appear that responds to simple prompts and tries to provide relevant search results by drawing on a centralized repository of information.
What is the difference between a knowledge base and a chatbot?
A knowledge base is a centralized repository of information that can include FAQs, help articles, guides, and other important data. A chatbot is an interface that uses natural language processing, machine learning, and sentiment analysis to understand and mimic human language. Though each can exist independently, a chatbot operates as an interface for employees or customers to access your company's knowledge base.
