How to Configure the Knowledge Base Self-Service Portal
In BoldDesk, you can set up the self-service knowledge base portal to control the information your customers see. These settings help you manage and customize the portal to display helpful content.
Check out this video for more details.
Follow the given steps to configure the knowledge base in the customer portal:
- Select the Admin Module in the left panel.
- Choose the Customer Portal under settings and click Knowledge Base.
- Select the Brand from the dropdown menu you want to configure in your customer portal.
Enable KB
You can enable or disable the knowledge base for the self-service portal.
If the knowledge base is disabled, customers won’t be able to access it in the customer portal.
KB Home Configuration
This section is used to customize the following items in the self-service portal home page.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Banner Heading | The main title or message displayed prominently at the top of the KB homepage that serves as a welcoming or guiding statement for users visiting the portal. |
| Banner Description | The text that appears just below the banner heading on the KB homepage that provides additional context to users visiting your support portal. |
| Banner Background | Refers to the visual background behind the banner heading and description on the KB homepage that helps set the branding of your support portal. |
| Background Color | Refers to the color setting used for the KB homepage’s banner section as part of the visual customization options that help you align the look and feel of your support portal with your brand. |
| Background Image | Visual image displayed behind the banner heading and description on the KB homepage as part of the customization options to personalize the look and feel of your support portal. When you click ‘Upload Image’, your device’s file browser or gallery will open, allowing you to select an image to use as the banner for your helpdesk knowledgebase. |
| Popular Articles | Highlights the most frequently viewed or accessed articles by users helping visitors to quickly find helpful content that others have found useful. |
| Portal Visibility | A setting that determines who can view a specific article or category within your customer portal. |
| SEO | Search Engine Optimization settings that help your KB articles rank better on search engines like Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo, making your support content more discoverable. |
| Meta Title | SEO-friendly title that appears in search engine results when someone searches for a topic covered in your KB article |
| Meta Description | A short summary that describes the content of a KB article for search engines helping improve its visibility in search results. |
| Open Graph Title | A metadata setting used to define how your KB article appears when shared on social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, or X (formerly Twitter). |
| Open Graph Description | A short summary that appears when a KB article is shared on social media platforms. |
| OG Image | The image that appears in link previews when a KB article is shared on social media platforms. |
The changes will be reflected in the areas highlighted below.
Portal Visibility Option
User visibility in the customer portal is managed through the Portal Visibility option.
The available visibility settings are:
- All Users - Everyone can access the customer portal
- Logged-in Users - Only users who are logged into the customer portal can access it
When creating or editing articles, you can control the visibility of your Knowledge Base article to either; Any Users, All Users or Logged in Users. However, you can also control category visibility for articles. Please check on this article for more information on category visibility.
| Visibility | Description |
|---|---|
| Any Users | Any user with the portal link can view the Knowledge Base Article. |
| Any Agents | The article is only accessible internally to agents. |
| Logged in Users | Only logged in users can access the Knowledge Base Article. |
Article Configuration
The article configuration is used to set up the article page with the following options:
| Configuration | Description |
|---|---|
| Author Name | The name of the agent who created the article that can be displayed publicly in the customer portal depending on your configuration settings. |
| Published Date | The timestamp that indicates when an article was made publicly available in the customer portal |
| Last Update Date | Shows the date and time of the latest update to the article, allowing users to assess how current the information is. |
| Table of Contents (TOC) | In BoldDesk, the Table of Contents (TOC) is an automatically generated panel that appears on the right side of the screen when a published article is opened in the Customer Portal. It helps users navigate long articles efficiently by listing eligible headings as clickable links, which automatically scroll the article to the corresponding section when clicked. The following rules apply to how the TOC is generated: - The TOC is generated only if the article contains at least two headings formatted as H2 or H3. - Headings formatted as H4, H5, or H6, as well as any text that is not styled as a heading, are excluded from the TOC. - The TOC can be enabled or disabled from the Customer Portal settings under Admin > Customer Portal > Knowledge Base. |
| Related Articles | Links to other articles that are contextually relevant to the one currently being viewed that help users discover additional information that might solve their issue or deepen their understanding. |
| Recent Articles | Refers to a section or feature that displays the most newly created or updated articles that helps users quickly find the latest information added to the knowledge base. |
| Articles in the same category or section | Refers to articles that are grouped together under a shared organizational structure. |
| Exclude Agent View count on Article | Means that when agents view a KB article, those views will not be counted in the article’s total view statistics. |
| Article Tags | Keywords or phrases that you assign to articles to help categorize and improve searchability. |
| Status Indicator | A visual or textual label that shows the current state of an article. |
| Share Option | Share Option allows users to easily distribute articles to others via various channels. |
| Estimated Read Time | The approximate amount of time it would take a user to read a particular article. |
| Comments | This is a feature that allows users to leave feedback, ask questions, or engage in discussions directly on a KB article. |
| Previous/Next Navigation | A feature that allows users to move between articles that are listed sequentially within the same section or category. |
To display the published date and the above options in the customer portal, please enable them within the Customer Portal settings under Knowledge Base.
The changes will be reflected in the areas highlighted below.
Enable AI Assistance in KB Search
This is a feature that enhances the search experience within your knowledge base by using artificial intelligence to deliver natural language answers. To enable this please follow the steps below;
- Go to Admin > Customer Portal > Knowledge Base.
- Enable AI Assistance: Toggle the option ‘Enable AI assistance in KB search’.
Once enabled, users can type natural language questions in the search bar. The first result will be AI-generated, and AI answers can also appear in the dropdown suggestions. For more insights on this, please check on this article.
Satisfaction feedback
When the Satisfaction Feedback option is enabled, you can gather feedback from customers regarding an article.
When users provide feedback, the details collected depend on the configured options.
SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comprises of Sitemap and Robots.txt.
Sitemap
In the Sitemap section, you can view your self-service portal’s Sitemap URL and configure the Change Frequency.
Robots.txt
In the Robots.txt Section, you can see your self-service portal’s Robots.txt URL and edit the Robots.txt content. To learn more about the knowledge base self-service portal, click here.
