{"id":559,"date":"2025-06-18T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.buywyo.com\/?p=559"},"modified":"2025-06-23T11:28:40","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T11:28:40","slug":"18-kcs-resources-to-bookmark-asap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.buywyo.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/18\/18-kcs-resources-to-bookmark-asap\/","title":{"rendered":"18 KCS resources to bookmark ASAP"},"content":{"rendered":"
When I worked in HubSpot Support, the real superstars weren\u2019t just the reps who could crush fifty cases a day. The ones I admired most were the team members who built deep expertise and product knowledge, and that\u2019s what knowledge-centered support (KCS) is all about.<\/span><\/p>\n Knowledge-centered support is a methodology focused on capturing, structuring, sharing, and improving the support\/service team knowledge. In my experience, it leads to higher-performing reps and better customer experiences. When every customer interaction becomes an opportunity to learn and improve, there\u2019s only one direction your support team can go: up and to the right. In this post, I\u2019ll explore knowledge-centered support, its benefits and challenges, and how to implement it within your organization.<\/p>\n In this article:<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Before we get down to business, I\u2019ve got to define some terms. If you\u2019re familiar with KCS or have been researching it, you may have noticed that the terms knowledge-centered support<\/strong> and knowledge-centered service<\/strong> are often used interchangeably.<\/p>\n I used knowledge-centered support in the intro above because that\u2019s how I first encountered the methodology as a support rep at HubSpot. And until recently, that was the most common term. KCS originated in the support team context, after all.<\/p>\n As more organizations began applying KCS principles across other service arms, such as customer success, ITSM, and even product, the term evolved into \u201cknowledge-centered service\u201d to reflect its broader scope.<\/p>\n For the remainder of this article, I will refer to it as knowledge-centered service, or simply KCS.<\/p>\n Now that I’ve got that out of the way, let\u2019s talk about what KCS is.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Knowledge-centered service (KSC) is the process of capturing, maintaining, and integrating knowledge from service interactions to improve the effectiveness of customer-facing teams. In KCS, knowledge isn\u2019t just the responsibility of a few subject-matter experts. It is owned by everyone, especially service team members who work directly with customers.<\/p>\n So what does that look like in practice?<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say I solve a customer issue and discover a new use case or workaround. Under KCS, I\u2019d capture that knowledge and contribute it to a shared knowledge base so the next rep (and the team as a whole) can benefit from it.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s another way I\u2019d sum it up:<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n So, how does KCS work in practice? It\u2019s a straightforward process that involves capturing knowledge during a service interaction, structuring it so it’s easy to find, and then reusing and improving it at the organizational level.<\/p>\n The original KCS framework breaks this process into two \u201cloops\u201d (Solve and Evolve), but I think it\u2019s a bit too academic and jargon-heavy for my taste. You can learn more about the KCS double loop process here<\/a>, but I\u2019ve distilled it into five easy steps for this article.<\/p>\n As a support rep, when I encounter a new issue, learn a workaround, or discover a customer insight, I don\u2019t just solve the case and move on. I jot down the knowledge I\u2019ve uncovered, intending to contribute it to our knowledge base.<\/p>\n Pro tip<\/strong>: Don\u2019t stress about writing a perfect knowledge base article at this stage. Just write down all the key details while they\u2019re fresh and clean them up later.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s where I\u2019ll take my raw case notes and polish them into usable, searchable knowledge content. Structuring the knowledge could be my responsibility as a rep, or it could fall to a dedicated editor. Either way, the goal is to create a knowledge article your team can find and use later. For discoverability, use search tags and headings containing relevant keywords.<\/p>\n Pro tip<\/strong>: Use a standardized template for knowledge articles so every team member can confidently contribute. Looking for a place to start? Here are five free self-service customer support templates<\/a> your team can start using today.<\/p>\n The whole point of KCS is creating a knowledge repository that team members can actually use. So, before writing a new article, it\u2019s my responsibility to search the knowledge base to see if someone else has already documented a solution to the problem I\u2019m facing. If I discover an article that is slightly off or outdated, I\u2019ll make changes on the spot.<\/p>\n Pro tip<\/strong>: Encourage service reps to include links to relevant knowledge base articles in case notes and follow-ups. It provides helpful insights to customers and team members and maintains visibility of applicable knowledge content.<\/p>\n KCS is a living, breathing process. At some point, the pace of new article creation will slow down, especially once you\u2019ve documented the most common issues.<\/p>\n However, that doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re off the hook. As a rep, every time I use a knowledge article, it\u2019s my responsibility to evaluate it for accuracy, relevance, and clarity. If an article needs updates, I\u2019ll edit or flag it for review.<\/p>\n Pro tip<\/strong>: Set up a quarterly review process to audit and refresh your most-used articles.<\/p>\n The success of your KCS system depends on consistent buy-in. That means encouraging reps and service team members to treat knowledge documentation as a core job responsibility.<\/p>\n One of the best ways to do that is by giving team members dedicated time to work on articles and celebrating contributions publicly. When reps see that their KCS work is making a real impact, they\u2019re far more likely to take ownership.<\/p>\n Pro tip<\/strong>: Send a monthly \u201cEditor\u2019s Picks\u201d email highlighting top-performing knowledge articles. Be sure to shout out the authors; a little recognition goes a long way.<\/p>\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n In summary: <\/strong>Knowledge-centered service is a methodology that helps organizations create a centralized knowledge base, supported by a loop of continuous capture, reuse, structuring, and improvement of knowledge.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for the perfect platform for starting your KCS journey, check out HubSpot\u2019s Knowledge Base Software<\/a>. It can help you:<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Knowledge-centered support has the power to transform your service team into a bastion of efficiency, continuous improvement, and customer satisfaction. Here are the key benefits of implementing KCS.<\/p>\n When KCS works as intended, support reps can easily access the knowledge documentation they need to resolve customer issues quickly. In my experience as a support rep, proper knowledge documentation is the difference between confidently solving problems and putting customers on hold while you scramble to troubleshoot or ping a colleague for help.<\/p>\n According to the Consortium for Service Innovation, KCS can improve resolution times by 25-50%<\/a> within the first 3-9 months of implementation.<\/p>\n When I joined the HubSpot Support team, I relied heavily on internal and external knowledge documentation to supplement my training. I can confidently say that I wouldn’t have reached proficiency nearly as fast without knowledge articles and the KCS framework that supported them.<\/p>\n The benefits don\u2019t stop at training, though. I relied on knowledge documentation daily to troubleshoot cases, and knowing it was consistently maintained gave me peace of mind when helping customers under pressure.<\/p>\n According to Atlassian, KCS can reduce the time it takes for new reps to reach proficiency by 70%<\/a>, making onboarding more efficient and setting reps up for long-term success.<\/p>\n As a customer myself, I\u2019d rather not pick up the phone if I don\u2019t have to. I\u2019d much rather find the answer to my problem online and move on. KCS supports this process by documenting the knowledge from every solved issue to create a continuously improving knowledge base or help center.<\/p>\n When I can find the answers I need via knowledge documentation, I feel empowered and much more satisfied having saved myself the time required to call in. The result? Reduced friction and improved customer satisfaction.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t just take it from me, though. 88% of customers expect access to self-service resources<\/a>, and KCS helps you meet and exceed those expectations.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Implementing KCS can improve your service organization, but it\u2019s not without its challenges.<\/p>\n Proper KCS requires complete buy-in from your service or support teams to treat documentation as a core part of the job. That can be a difficult cultural shift, especially if reps aren\u2019t used to prioritizing and relying on knowledge documentation in their daily work.<\/p>\n Getting complete buy-in requires a heavy lift from leadership to reinforce the idea that knowledge documentation is a core part of delivering excellent service.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also important to give team members extra time to incorporate knowledge capture into their workflows. Tacking on additional responsibilities to your already busy team members isn\u2019t likely to be a popular initiative if they are not compensated accordingly or afforded extra time.<\/p>\n The \u201ctoo many cooks in the kitchen\u201d effect is a risk when every team member contributes to your knowledge base simultaneously. Unchecked, knowledge articles could vary widely in tone, formatting, and depth, making for a chaotic and unhelpful knowledge base experience.<\/p>\n However, strong review processes and clear article templates can keep your knowledge documentation accurate and consistent. If your team is large, consider a dedicated editorial role for distilling raw knowledge into consistent, polished documentation.<\/p>\n Your knowledge documentation must keep pace with product updates, new features, and policy changes. Without regular maintenance, your knowledge base can quickly become outdated, eroding trust among your team and customers.<\/p>\n KCS is only effective when your knowledge is accurate and relevant. So, you\u2019ll need to build in time for article reviews and updates alongside the knowledge capture process.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n AI isn\u2019t here to replace customer service agents and make knowledge-centered service obsolete. Quite the opposite, in my opinion.<\/p>\n AI has the potential to supercharge KCS efforts and help reps create efficient, personalized customer experiences. In fact, one study found that AI-enabled customer service teams resolve customer issues 44% faster<\/a> and experience a 35% increase in the quality and consistency of support.<\/p>\n In the KCS world, AI can streamline knowledge capture and enable teams to create high-functioning help centers in record time.<\/p>\n If I had access to these tools back when I was working at HubSpot Support, I would have saved hours each week capturing and formatting documentation. Instead of manually turning case notes into polished articles, you can submit your knowledge to AI with formatting guidelines and instructions and receive a first draft instantly. Then, all you have to do is focus on reviewing for clarity and accuracy instead of taking the time to write a whole post from scratch.<\/p>\n AI tools can also analyze case history and chat logs at scale to identify recurring issues and knowledge gaps that previously would have gone unnoticed. It can even monitor your knowledge base and automatically flag outdated articles for review.<\/p>\n Bottom line, I\u2019m bullish on the role of AI in knowledge-centered service and customer support in general. The key is not to replace the human element with AI but to use it to optimize the process.<\/p>\n Excellent documentation will always require human context and judgment, but with AI handling the busywork, reps can focus on what matters: solving for the customer.<\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> If you’re looking for knowledge-base software to run your KCS system, check out Service Hub\u2019s knowledge base software<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for formal training, the KCS v6 Fundamentals certification<\/a> is a training certification targeted explicitly towards teams that use KCS to solve customer problems.<\/p>\n This paid, entry-level certification helps organizations develop a basic understanding of KCS. If you\u2018re interested, the KCS Academy includes a reading list that covers the course\u2019s principles, core concepts, and practices.<\/p>\n If you\u2018re interested in adopting KCS for your business, check out the resources I\u2019ve gathered below. The Consortium for Service Innovation<\/a> offers many resources to help you learn more about KCS. Here are some to bookmark.<\/p>\n This document offers a foundation for the KCS methodology. It also covers the four principles and ten core concepts crucial to KCS.<\/p>\n This guide describes the basic practices and techniques incorporated into the KCS methodology and provides a more in-depth look into the Solve and Evolve Loops.<\/p>\n This guide covers a step-by-step process for adopting KCS into your organization. It offers tips on successfully incorporating the methodology, including getting your team to embrace procedural changes.<\/p>\n These FAQs cover topics like how KCS was developed, who owns the methodology, and how to use and share KCS data legally. This will help your team avoid any legal trouble when using KCS.<\/p>\n Some KCS terminologies are confusing. This appendix provides essential definitions you’ll need to know when educating yourself or others on KCS.<\/p>\n This appendix lists the KCS metrics that your organization can use to analyze your performance. You’ll need this to measure how effective your new support system is.<\/p>\n This great tool helps your team structure your knowledge base articles. This guide covers everything from layout to style tips that you can use to optimize customer experience.<\/p>\n This matrix offers techniques for building and maintaining stakeholder engagement through every phase of your adoption process. You can use this resource to explain to stakeholders why KCS is a good move for your company.<\/p>\n This document provides an in-depth look at the short and long-term benefits that KCS can offer. It is essential for convincing employees and other stakeholders that KCS will benefit the business.<\/p>\n This paper introduces the New vs. Known study that assesses the health and effectiveness of an organization’s KCS practices. You can compare your business to the ones in this study to see if you can improve any function in your KCS system.<\/p>\n The following case studies discuss the experiences of different organizations that have adopted the KCS methodology.<\/p>\n Quest set a goal of publishing 90% of its solutions to its knowledge base before the support case is closed. Now, 70% of its support cases are solved using a knowledge base article.<\/p>\n HP used KCS to build a customer-centric knowledge base. Since its creation, HP has observed a 400% increase in customer self-service solutions. That means that more customers at HP are finding their solutions without reaching out to a service rep.<\/p>\n Omgeo focused on embracing the activities in the \u201cEvolve Loop.\u201d They analyzed groups of articles to see if there were any patterns in usage, traffic, or navigation. From its research, Omgeo highlighted more opportunities to improve the customer experience.<\/p>\n Mathworks used KCS to create a knowledge base to centralize customer information. By adding this resource, customers began engaging with the company more than they had. Mathworks saw a 50% boost in customer comments after the installation of its knowledge base. This gives the company more chances to interact with users, including opportunities to upsell and cross-sell.<\/p>\n There are also great KCS resources that were created outside the KCS Academy and the Consortium for Service Innovation. We listed a few below.<\/p>\n This blog post covers the definition, history, loops, benefits, and uses of KCS. This is an excellent post for someone who wants to gain all the information in the resources above, but in a more concise format.<\/p>\n This blog post briefly describes KCS and how it can be evolved and used in the future. It is a good read for employees looking for a quick explanation of KCS.<\/p>\n This LinkedIn article covers KCS’s goals, key concepts, and additional management resources. It is a great way to understand its basic fundamentals.<\/p>\n Find out how the ITIL Knowledge Management process is used by organizations to collect organizational knowledge, improve accessibility, and eliminate redundancies.<\/p>\n Editor’s note: This post was originally published in December 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.<\/em><\/p>\n When I worked in HubSpot Support, the real superstars weren\u2019t just the reps who could crush fifty cases a day. The ones I admired most were the team members who built deep expertise and product knowledge, and that\u2019s what knowledge-centered support (KCS) is all about. Knowledge-centered support is a methodology focused on capturing, structuring, sharing, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":561,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.buywyo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/559"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.buywyo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.buywyo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.buywyo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.buywyo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=559"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.buywyo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":565,"href":"http:\/\/www.buywyo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/559\/revisions\/565"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.buywyo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.buywyo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.buywyo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.buywyo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a><\/p>\n
\n
Knowledge-Centered Service vs. Knowledge-Centered Support<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What is <\/strong>k<\/strong>nowledge-<\/strong>c<\/strong>entered <\/strong>s<\/strong>ervice (KCS)?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
How Knowledge-Centered Service Works<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. Capture<\/strong><\/h3>\n
2. Structure<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3. Reuse<\/strong><\/h3>\n
4. Improve<\/strong><\/h3>\n
5. Reward<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
Benefits of KCS<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Improved Resolution Times<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Faster Onboarding and Smarter Reps<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Improved Self-Service and Customer Satisfaction<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Challenges of KCS<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Implementing a Cultural Shift<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Quality Control<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Ongoing Maintenance<\/strong><\/h3>\n
KCS in the AI Era<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
KCS Training and Resou<\/strong>r<\/strong>ces<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Certification and Training<\/h3>\n
Resources From the Consortium for Service Innovation<\/h3>\n
1. <\/strong>KCS Principles and Core Concepts<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
2. <\/strong>KCS v6 Practices Guide<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
3. <\/strong>KCS v6 Adoption Guide<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
4. <\/strong>Frequently Asked Questions about KSC v6<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
5. <\/strong>Glossary of KCS Terms<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
6. <\/strong>Metrics Matrix<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
7. <\/strong>Article Quality Quick Reference Guide<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
8. <\/strong>Stakeholder Engagement Matrix<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
9. <\/strong>Measurement Matters<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
10. <\/strong>New vs. Known Methodology<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
Case Studies<\/h3>\n
11. <\/strong>Quest<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
12. <\/strong>HP Enterprise<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
13. <\/strong>Omgeo<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
14. <\/strong>MathWorks<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
Other Learning Resources<\/h3>\n
15. <\/strong>What is Knowledge Centered Service? KCS Explained<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
16. <\/strong>What is KCS and Why Does it Matter?<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
17. <\/strong>Do you know about Knowledge-Centered Service?<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
18. <\/strong>IT Jargon Explained: Knowledge Management<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"