The Foundation of Trust: Knowledge at the Heart of Modern Customer Service

From human agents to AI, everything starts with the right knowledgebase

Nobody enjoys calling a contact centre only to be put on hold while someone scrambles for the right answer. For customers, it is wasted time and growing irritation. For agents, it is the stress of not having what they need and the pressure of dealing with unhappy callers. For businesses, it is the risk of damaged trust, lost loyalty, and customers who may not come back.

If there is one thing we see time and again, it is that most companies have not given enough attention to documenting their knowledge properly. Many rely on what we call the “human glue”: the competent people who bridge the gaps by working things out on their own and helping others do the same.

It may feel like things are holding together for a while, but the cracks always show up eventually. A well-built knowledge base prevents those cracks from turning into bigger problems.

What a Knowledgebase is

A knowledge base should not just be a pile of articles sitting in a corner of your intranet. Done properly, it is the brain of your contact centre. It holds the answers to everyday questions, the fixes for recurring customer issues, and the policies that keep the business running smoothly.

Strong knowledgebases include things like FAQs, how-to guides, troubleshooting tips, and even videos. The goal is simple: make reliable information easy to find, use, and update. No more different versions of the same process floating around in spreadsheets or old emails. Everyone can tap into the same accurate, up-to-date information, whether they are a new agent, a team leader, a customer using the portal, or even a bot.

When it’s built and maintained well, a knowledgebase becomes:

• A training tool for new agents to learn quickly
• A support tool for experienced agents to deliver answers with confidence
• A self-service library for customers to help themselves
• A foundation for AI to draw from and learn

It is not just where information lives. It is the fuel that powers every part of the contact centre.

The Problem With Knowledge and “Human Glues”

Most companies already have knowledge stored somewhere. The issue is not that it does not exist, but that it is often hard to find, out of date, and scattered across too many places. A good knowledgebase fixes this with smart search, a self-service hub, simple structure, and feedback loops that keep content fresh.

Without it, agents spend more time searching than solving. Customers get inconsistent answers depending on who they speak to. And leaders struggle to maintain quality because there is no single, trusted version of the truth.

You might have been able to wing it so far, but ‘human glues’ only give the illusion that everything is fine. Because certain individuals can usually solve issues, the lack of proper documentation is ignored. But the moment they are unavailable, the cracks show and the same problems resurface.

It is also a culture thing. Knowledge building cannot be left to one person or team. Everyone has a role in keeping information accurate and alive.

Building the Modern Customer Service Experience

Getting knowledge right is about reducing frustration immediately while also creating a foundation that lets you scale, adapt, and keep customer trust over time. And this only comes with a commitment to keep knowledge accurate, accessible, and alive.It can be tough, but the right tools make it easier for teams to build and maintain a strong knowledge base. With Salesforce Service Cloud, for example, every time an agent closes a case, they have the opportunity to add or update knowledge so the whole system improves.

The rise of AI makes this even more important. Without reliable, well-structured knowledge, AI cannot work. With the right base in place, it can suggest the next step to agents, surface answers instantly, and power bots that deliver fast, accurate help,  while staying aligned with your company’s policies and workflows.

Salesforce Agentforce uses information from your company’s knowledge to guide agents in real time and to support customers directly through automation. When paired with omnichannel design, as we explored in Are You Running a Stone Age Contact Centre?, knowledge and AI together create a contact centre that feels seamless for both customers and staff. 

This is what makes an excellent modern customer service experience: trust, consistency, and service that can grow with the needs of your business.

How ProQuest Can Help

Building and maintaining a knowledgebase takes more than just good intentions. It needs the right design, structure, and technology behind it. That is where we come in.

As a leading Salesforce service partner in Australia, ProQuest helps organisations move beyond static knowledge storage and turn their information into a true business asset. We work with teams to develop strategies that support agents, empower customers, and prepare for AI.

Whether you are just starting to organise your knowledge or ready to take the next step with AI-powered service, we can help you design a solution that is practical today and future-ready tomorrow. Get in touch with us today to chat about your specific challenges in building a strong knowledge foundation.