How to Start using Knowledge base with Jira Service Management

Harnessing the power of a knowledge base in Jira Service Management (which you may know as Jira Service Desk) can transform how your team manages and resolves user inquiries. With the integration of Confluence, you can create a seamless connection that allows users to access helpful articles and resources, effectively reducing incoming requests by as much as 20% to even 30%.

This isn’t just theory; it’s been tested with a range of clients, both big and small, and the results speak for themselves. Imagine your users being able to resolve common issues, such as resetting a Wi-Fi router password, simply by starting to type in the search bar and having the necessary guidance pop up instantly.

Setting up this functionality is straightforward and doesn’t require a hefty investment. A common misconception is that every JSM agent must be mirrored with a Confluence user, which isn’t the case. You can leverage a free tier of Confluence to support your knowledge base without licensing every JSM user in Confluence. While the system has limitations, it’s a powerful tool that enhances the portal experience when configured correctly. Although there’s currently a hiccup when integrating forms with the knowledge base, there are workarounds and alternative solutions to tackle this minor setback.

Key Takeaways

• Integrating Confluence with JSM can significantly reduce routine support requests.
• A free version of Confluence can be utilised effectively for JSM knowledge bases.
• Certain limitations exist, but configuration and available solutions can bypass these effectively.

Investigating the Efficacy of Integrated Knowledge Solutions in Customer Support Frameworks

Integrating a knowledge base with your customer service platform, such as JSM, significantly enhances its functionality. When paired with Confluence, a synergy is created that allows for the streamlined handling of common service requests. This integration provides a wealth of resources directly to your users, potentially reducing incoming queries by up to 20%.

Key Benefits of Knowledge Base Integration:

• Improves self-service: Customers find immediate help for common issues like resetting Wi-Fi passwords.
• Adds multimedia support: You can enrich articles with videos, boosting engagement and comprehension.
• Efficiently reduces requests: Smart suggestions are made as users type in the service portal, encouraging self-resolution.

Configuration Steps for JSM and Confluence:

1. Connect your JSM instance to Confluence within project settings, under ‘Knowledge Base’.
2. Ensure that Confluence is configured. You can start with a free tier which can be scaled according to your needs.
3. Establish spaces in Confluence and connect them to your JSM, benefitting from the multiplicity of collaborative environments.

Setting up Your Support Portal:

• Automatic suggestions: Use the summary field in request types to trigger relevant knowledge base article prompts.
• Effortless portal configuration: Integrate knowledge base articles in the portal with default or custom settings.

Considerations and Limitations:

• Limited Field Integration: Currently, the knowledge base interacts only with the summary field, not with descriptions or custom fields.
• Forms and Knowledge Base: There is a limitation where forms don’t integrate directly with the knowledge base, but alternative methods are available to work around this issue.

Should you need guidance in implementing these features, professional assistance is available, offering expertise in not just knowledge bases but also in SLA management and report generation. With training options in areas like Big Picture and Tempo, you can capitalise on a comprehensive support service that caters to your unique JSM setup.

Establishing Connectivity between JSM and Confluence

Integrating a knowledge base (KB) into your J Service Management (JSM) can transform the way you handle customer inquiries. You’re empowered to link JSM directly to Confluence, creating a seamless bridge between the two. Best of all, this doesn’t mean an additional financial burden; you can leverage this powerful feature without extra costs.

Setting Up Your KB:

• Navigate to Project Settings in JSM.
• Select Knowledge Base from the sidebar menu.
• Connect to one or more Confluence spaces using your Confluence account.

If you don’t possess a Confluence space, don’t worry, acquiring one is hassle-free. You can start with a 30-day trial and continue with a free package offering thereafter. Once Confluence is in place, you only need a few users there, regardless of a larger number of JSM agents.

Creating Knowledge Articles:

• Use Confluence to craft educational articles.
• Incorporate multimedia, like videos, to enhance the learning experience.

Here’s an effective way to link your articles to the customer request process. When customers type in their queries, such as resetting a Wi-Fi router password, relevant articles will pop up – leading to potentially reducing ticket volumes by up to 20%.

Refining the Customer Portal:

• Your JSM portal auto-suggests KB articles based on what users type, particularly in the summary field of a request form.
• Specify keywords in your Confluence articles to tailor the suggestions on the portal.

Configuring with JSM:

• Remember, the integration is currently limited to the summary field only.
• Unfortunately, KB articles aren’t compatible with JSM forms at present, but alternative approaches are available.

In conclusion, even with some limitations, such as the integration being confined to the summary field of JSM request types and incompatibility with JSM forms, the use of a Confluence-powered KB in JSM is a robust tool, adding significant value to your customer interaction experience. While it’s fairly straightforward, you’re not alone in this – for assistance in optimising your KB and other JSM configurations, consider reaching out for support.

Integrating Knowledge Bases in Jira Service Management

Setting Up System Prerequisites

Certain criteria must be satisfied to successfully integrate a Knowledge Base with Jira Service Management (JSM). Firstly, ensure your JSM is actively linked with Confluence. Notably, you don’t necessarily need a paid Confluence subscription; a free version is available which can be sufficient, depending on your team size and usage needs.

Linking Multiple Content Repositories

It is feasible to connect JSM to numerous Confluence spaces, enhancing the utility of your knowledge base. To establish these connections:

• Navigate to your project’s settings in JSM.
• Select ‘Knowledge Base’ from the sidebar.
• From there, you can integrate several Confluence spaces that house your knowledge content.

Handling Knowledge Content

When managing articles within your knowledge base, consider the following:

• Creation: Initiate spaces and pages in Confluence to house your articles.
• Curation: Arrange and update pages that contain solutions to common issues, such as password resets for Wi-Fi routers or laptops.
• Access: When users begin typing in a query, relevant articles will automatically appear below the search bar on the JSM portal, giving immediate access to potential solutions.

Please note, while knowledge base articles auto-populate in certain places, they are currently limited in their integration with forms. Hence, alternative methods need to be considered where forms are central to your operations. However, for standard usage, the knowledge base efficiently diverts a significant percentage of common requests, providing immediate assistance and potentially reducing tickets by up to 20%.

Enhancing the JSM Knowledge Hub

Embedding Knowledge Base Content

You can link your JSM with a Confluence space to display relevant help articles directly on your service portal. This functionality allows users to access self-help resources, possibly reducing incoming requests by a significant percentage. For instance, common inquiries such as changing Wi-Fi or laptop passwords can trigger automatic suggestions of related articles. By entering keywords into the search field, users are presented with a dropdown list of articles that include instructional content and embedded videos to resolve their issues.

How to display help articles:

• Connect your JSM to one or multiple Confluence spaces.
• Set up a Confluence space if not already available. You can start with a free version of Confluence.
• Create and publish help articles within the connected Confluence space.
• Ensure each article contains keywords relevant to the inquiries it addresses.

Note: The integration leverages the summary field to match keywords from user queries.

Providing Smart Suggestions Based on Keywords

As you configure this integration, focus on how automated suggestions streamline the user experience. When a customer begins to type a query, your system will automatically suggest relevant knowledge base articles based on the input. This feature can direct users to helpful information, potentially reducing the quantity of direct support requests.

Steps to configure automated suggestions:

1. Ensure your JSM and Confluence are connected in your project settings.
2. Navigate to the ‘Knowledge Base’ section in the project settings to manage connections to Confluence spaces.
3. On your portal, as a service request is initiated, the summary field will be your main filter. Inputting a term like ‘password’ will prompt a list of articles related to password issues.

Important Consideration: Currently, knowledge base articles can’t be associated with forms. However, most scenarios will be covered by using the summary field and related keywords.

Keywords and Automation:

• The keyword ‘password’ can be an example of a trigger for displaying relevant guides.
• Articles should include keywords in their content to ensure they appear as suggestions for users.
• Automation relies on the linkage between the keyword entry on the service portal and the knowledge base content in Confluence.

Challenges and Solutions for Information Integration

Difficulties with Forms and Knowledge Resources

When attempting to integrate interactive forms with the knowledge base in J Service Management, you will currently encounter compatibility issues. These forms, despite their robust capabilities, do not yet function in tandem with the knowledge base. This means that when customers are filling out forms, the related knowledge articles designed to guide and assist them won’t automatically surface as they do in other parts of the service portal.

To illustrate, when working within the IT help section, if customers begin typing a query like ‘resetting a password’, related knowledge articles will not pop up for immediate assistance. Despite the fact that these articles might contain valuable instructions or even step-by-step video guides, they remain disconnected from the forms component of the support process.

Implementing Alternative Strategies

However, there are other methods to streamline information access within J Service Management. These workarounds ensure that customers can still benefit from the knowledge base even if direct integration with forms isn’t possible:

• Curate Dedicated Spaces: Create multiple spaces within Confluence that are connected to J Service Management, establishing a well-organised and rich knowledge repository.

  Space Name	Description	Accessibility
  IT Support	Articles on common IT issues.	Public

• Strengthen Keyword Strategy: Utilise specific keywords within your articles so that associated help topics become more searchable and visible. Prioritise the inclusion of common queries such as ‘password issues’ within the article content.

  • Password assistance
  • Connection troubleshooting
  • Software setup guides

• Guide Users Proactively: Introduce steps on your portal that instruct users to refer to the knowledge base prior to utilising forms, possibly embedding links to relevant articles or directing them to search within the knowledge base.

Remember, even if you have numerous agents in your service management system, you don’t need an equal number of Confluence users. Take advantage of the free tier or trial versions offered by Confluence, especially since users who access the knowledge base through J Service Management’s portal do not require Confluence licences. By configuring your system intelligently, you can bypass current limitations and maintain a functional, comprehensive support experience for your users.

Wrap-up and Support Offer

Wrapping Up

You’ve now gained insight into the integration of a knowledge base (KB) with J service management (JSM) and Confluence. This synergy is designed to make information retrieval seamless, directly impacting the efficiency of handling requests by diverting significant traffic, potentially up to 20%. By including a database of common solutions, such as steps to reset WiFi or laptop passwords, users benefit from instant access to articles and multimedia resources that answer their queries as they type into the service portal.

Additionally, it’s important to understand how the licensing works to your advantage. Counterintuitive as it may seem, a large number of JSM agents does not translate to an equivalent need for Confluence licenses. With the right setup, a mere few licenses on Confluence suffice, even for a sizable team on JSM.

Set-Up Assistance

To connect your JSM to a KB in Confluence:

1. Navigate to your project settings in JSM.
2. Select ‘Knowledge base’ in the sidebar to link to the desired Confluence space.
3. Utilise Confluence’s free package if necessary, starting with a trial and then opting for the free version.
4. Create your spaces and articles in Confluence as required for integration.

Remember, configuring this effectively allows you to tap into the powerful feature set without the need for a large number of licenses on Confluence.

A Note on Limitations and Alternatives

While integrating a KB offers powerful benefits, there are limitations to note. Currently, KB articles link only to the summary field within request forms. Moreover, KB’s cannot be used with forms directly, posing a challenge – but alternative approaches exist to circumvent this.

Help Is at Hand

If setting up or optimising your KB seems daunting or you’d prefer to streamline the process, professional assistance is available. By reaching out, you can not only save time but also potentially reduce costs and capitalise on the expertise gained through assisting a broad range of clients, from large-scale organisations to smaller enterprises.

For a tailored consultation, consider scheduling a discovery call. This can cover more than just KB setup, extending to service-level agreements, reporting, or even in-depth training on tools such as Big Picture or Tempo.

Do take a proactive step towards enhancing your service management capabilities by tapping into available support that can refine your use of JSM and KB integration.

Support Connectivity and Available Functions

Contact Us: If you’re seeking assistance or wish to discuss the specifics of your project, our team is ready to engage. Book a complimentary discovery session lasting 20-30 minutes through the contact details found in the video description.

Available Services:

• Integration and Optimisation: Tailoring the integration between your JSM (Jira Service Management) and Confluence to utilise the knowledge base effectively.
• Portal Configuration: Customising the client-facing portal to streamline the user experience.
• Specialised Training: Offering comprehensive training sessions for BigPicture and Tempo to enhance your team’s skills.

Capabilities:

• Reduce up to 20% of routine inquiries using the knowledge base to address common issues like password resets for Wi-Fi routers or laptops.
• Include multimedia, such as instructional videos, within your articles for enhanced support.

Limitations:

• At present, the knowledge base doesn’t integrate with forms, but we are equipped with alternative solutions to mitigate this.

Efficiency Enhancements:

• Utilise fewer Confluence licenses than JSM agents, potentially qualifying for a free version of Confluence and thereby reducing costs.
• Link multiple spaces within Confluence to your JSM for a comprehensive support network.

For in-depth support tailored to suit your needs—from setting up Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to generating reports or if you require another form of consultation—don’t hesitate to contact us. Remember, our expertise has already aided nearly 100 clients, including prominent companies and organisations.