5 knowledge base KPIs for better self-service (and a healthier IT service desk)
Nothing’s more frustrating for your end users (or support agents) than outdated, irrelevant, or hard-to-find information. Good knowledge management makes life easier for everyone – but it’s an ongoing process. If your IT team is like most, your knowledge base needs to keep up with new tools, workflows, and support challenges every week. Tracking knowledge base KPIs helps you understand how your knowledge base is performing, where to improve, and how it’s impacting support ticket volume, user experience, and your IT team overall.
What are knowledge base KPIs?
Knowledge base KPIs are knowledge management metrics that help IT teams measure the number, performance, and impact of knowledge items. Focusing on such key performance indicators shows IT teams how well self-service is working and ensures that knowledge management aligns with broader business goals.
- Good knowledge base KPIs help you answer questions like:
- Are users finding helpful answers to their questions?
- Are we reducing support requests?
- Are our articles up-to-date and relevant?
- Is traffic to your knowledge base increasing?
By tracking and improving knowledge base KPIs, you’ll not only reduce your average time to resolution and increase efficiency, but also create a better experience for your end users and support agents alike (both of whom should be using the knowledge base).
Why knowledge base KPIs matter
Here’s why you should be tracking knowledge base KPIs:
A more efficient IT service desk: End users usually try to resolve issues themselves first. That means a strong knowledge base can deflect tickets, cutting down on the total number of support tickets reaching your team.
Cost savings: Providing IT support through more traditional channels like phone or email is more expensive than using a self-service knowledge base. While exact figures vary by organization and support model, even small improvements in ticket deflection – where users resolve issues on their own without contacting your support team – can result in significant cost savings.
Better end user experience: When end users can quickly find accurate answers to their questions, they’re more satisfied and more likely to use your knowledge base again.
Culture of knowledge sharing: Tracking knowledge base KPIs not only helps measure self-service success but also improves knowledge sharing across the organization, making sure important knowledge is regularly updated and maintained by all team members.
To truly reap the benefits of knowledge management for your IT department, read our blog on knowledge management best practices.
5 vital knowledge base KPIs
Here’s a list of important metrics that will help you identify what’s working and areas for improvement in your knowledge management process.
1. Self-service success rate (or ticket deflection rate)
What it tells you: How often users resolve their issues using your knowledge base instead of submitting a ticket.
Why it matters: A high ticket deflection rate means your knowledge base or self-service portal is doing its job and is successfully handling a significant portion of support requests, which can lead to substantial cost savings over time. A low rate means it's time to revisit your knowledge items and check for relevance.
How to track it:
(Total number of users who viewed articles and didn’t submit a ticket) ÷ (Total number of users who visited the knowledge base)
2. Knowledge item usefulness rating (based on end user feedback)
What it tells you: Are users actually getting value from your knowledge items?
Why it matters: Measuring article feedback (thumbs up/down, stars, comments) gives you direct insight into the quality of your knowledge items and how end users engage with them.
Pro tip: Track the number of knowledge items rated ‘not useful’ to flag outdated or unclear articles, then prioritize these for improvement.
3. Average time spent per knowledge item
What it tells you: Are users spending too long trying to understand your knowledge items? Or are they quickly skimming and moving on?
Why it matters: A long time spent on your knowledge items may mean your content is too complex and difficult to understand. On the other hand, if users barely spend any time on your knowledge items, this suggests they didn’t find the knowledge item very useful.
Pro tip: Combine this metric with user feedback to pinpoint exactly which knowledge items need a rewrite.
4. Percentage of knowledge items recently updated
What it tells you: How fresh and accurate the content in your knowledge base is.
Why it matters: Stale content erodes trust. If end users run into outdated info, they’ll stop using the knowledge base to get answers to their questions and return to submitting tickets.
KPI target: Aim for 20–30% of knowledge items to be reviewed or updated every quarter (depending on the size of your knowledge base).
5. Knowledge item coverage vs support requests
What it tells you: Are you creating knowledge items for the right topics?
Why it matters: By measuring the number of new knowledge items in relation to incoming support tickets, you can see if you're keeping up with demand.
Pro tip: Track how many support requests are resolved using existing knowledge items versus support requests that need new documentation. Tracking the number of support requests resolved by existing knowledge items can help you understand how much time is saved by proactively addressing recurring issues. Any gaps here indicate areas for improvement in your knowledge items.
Other knowledge base KPIs
If you’ve got the basics down, here are a few more knowledge management metrics to take your knowledge management to the next level:
Knowledge use per (sub)category: Keeping track of this metric shows you which topics are most (or least) useful and helps you adjust your knowledge management strategy.
Average time to publish a new knowledge item: Tracks your team’s speed and efficiency in turning new support issues into documented knowledge in the knowledge base.
Operator contribution rate: Measures how active your team is in updating or adding knowledge items to the knowledge base.
Tracking knowledge base KPIs with a knowledge management solution
Tracking the performance of your knowledge base is much easier with the right tools in place. Most ITSM software offers built-in knowledge base software, along with dashboards and reporting, to help you monitor and improve knowledge management in real time.
TOPdesk’s ITSM software is designed to help you work smarter, not harder. You can add recurring solutions directly to your knowledge base so agents can reuse them from incident cards – speeding up resolutions and freeing up time for more complex issues.
But the real value lies in sharing this knowledge with your end users. Through TOPdesk’s Self-Service Portal, users can access FAQs, manuals, and how-to guides 24/7. The portal is easy to use, fully customizable, and lets users submit requests, track progress, or find answers on their own. Built-in reporting shows you exactly which articles are working and where there’s room to improve.
Where does your knowledge base stand?
If you’re not yet tracking the knowledge base KPIs outlined above, now’s the time to start. And if you’re already measuring them, great – now it's time to dig deeper. Use this data to identify areas where your knowledge base can be improved, where your end users need more help, and where you can free up your team’s time.
By aligning your knowledge management metrics with business goals, you’ll:
- Reduce time and money spent on repeat support tasks
- Give end users a better experience with your support team
- Make your support desk more efficient and more enjoyable to work in
Improve your knowledge management process
Knowledge is power – but only when it’s shared well. Download our 32-page knowledge management e-book to learn everything there is to know about effective knowledge management, including:
- How to lower lead and resolution times using Knowledge Centered Service (KCS)
- Why you should invest in knowledge management
- How much knowledge management will save you – including a calculator
- A step-by-step guide to implementing KCS
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