Tier 1 technicians can handle most recurring IT issues. However, without a centralized MSP knowledge base, they lose time searching for answers, make the same mistakes, and may escalate tickets that could have been resolved right away. In turn, this reduces efficiency, frustrates clients, and adds unnecessary workloads.
To avoid such circumstances, a technician-centered knowledge base (KB) changes this. By capturing solutions directly from solved tickets, encouraging technician contributions, and embedding knowledge capture into daily workflows, you can turn MSP patterns into reusable fixes.
This guide details how to create a usable KB that will help contribute to faster resolutions, smoother technician onboarding, and fewer escalations.
Essentials for building an internal knowledge base
Creating a useful and comprehensive knowledge base involves not only the tools you use. It shapes processes so frontline technicians can capture, update, and use this knowledge as part of their workflow.
📌 Prerequisites:
- Before you begin, you and your MSP need to agree on the KB’s scope, with a focus on Tier 1 and recurring issues.
- The platform where the articles are published needs to be simple and searchable so technicians can access them quickly during live tickets.
- Defined and standardized article templates so technicians can follow them easily.
- Make KB contribution a part of every technician’s role.
Key components of a technician-focused KB
Above all else, a technician-focused IT support knowledge base needs to be practical and usable. Articles and guides should be short, searchable, and built from real tickets technicians solve every day. The aim should be speed and consistency so technicians can solve issues quickly.
📌 Use Cases:
- This will give Tier 1 technicians quick answers to recurring and common issues.
- Improve onboarding by providing new employees with a library of real-world fixes.
- Reduce escalations by giving first-contact staff easy-to-follow guides.
📌 Prerequisites:
- You will need an RMM or a ticketing system that allows easy export or linking to resolved tickets.
- Standard templates so all KB entries will look consistent when read.
Here are the essentials of an MSP knowledge base:
| Task | Description | Purpose |
| 1. Capture real-world tickets. | This turns actual fixes into reusable KB entries. | Technicians will know what to do when a similar error, or one close to it, arises. |
| 2. Write for speedy resolutions. | KB articles should be written in a way that makes them quick and easy to understand. | Technicians will be able to read and understand the entries quickly and solve issues promptly. |
| 3. Record screenshots and scripts. | You need to use images, specifically screenshots, and scripts. | This will remove ambiguity and copy and paste errors, so fixes are applied correctly the first time. |
| 4. Use a problem–solution format. | Articles should clearly contain the root cause, the issues, and how the problem was solved. | This will help technicians quickly understand the issues and immediately work on resolving them. |
| 5. Address client-specific quirks. | List quirks like legacy systems, exceptions, or unique setups. | This prevents avoidable mistakes, cuts diagnosis time, and helps technicians adapt to the client-specific issues. |
| 6. Utilize a searchable content structure. | Make solutions searchable and use appropriate keywords. | This will enable technicians to find solutions in seconds. |
| 7. Use two layers, one for techs, another for clients. | This protects technician notes while giving customers simple and safe guidance. | This gives technicians technical notes they can understand, while also giving customers business-facing language they can follow. |
Automation touchpoint: ticket-to-KB reminder script
You can use a simple PowerShell script that reminds technicians to turn solved, recurring issues into short KB entries right after a fix.
📌 Use Cases:
- This lets you capture repeatable fixes at the point of resolution, ensuring knowledge is preserved.
- Reduces duplicate work by turning common tickets into KB entries that Tier 1 technicians can reuse.
- This will help improve onboarding and training materials.
📌 Prerequisite:
- Access to your Professional Service Automation (PSA) API or cmdlets to query resolved tickets.
Here is a PowerShell script technicians can use to identify recurring support issues and convert them into knowledge base (KB) articles.
| # Prompt techs to convert recurring tickets into KB entries $tickets = Get-PSATickets -Filter “Status=’Resolved’ and ResolutionTime -ge (Get-Date).Date” |
This supports knowledge capture at the point of resolution before the insight fades, ensuring the fix won’t get lost.
Best practices for workflow adoption
A knowledge base will only work if technicians actually use it and contribute. You can do this by putting KB practices into daily workflows.
📌 Use Cases:
- This will ensure technicians contribute regularly without slowing down ticket resolution.
- This will improve the quality and accuracy of KB entries through review and feedback while keeping it fresh, relevant, and visible.
📌 Prerequisites:
- A PSA or help desk integration and usage guidelines
- You must have established solid rules for KB contribution, review, and retirement.
Here are some of the best practices for workflow adoption:
| Best practice | Purpose | How to do it |
| Make KB creation a part of ticket resolution | Captures fixes while they’re fresh and streamlines workflows by not making it a separate chore. | Add a KB reminder step when closing tickets. Add this step during technician onboarding. |
| Peer review | Improves clarity and accuracy of KB articles. | Assign colleagues to review drafts before publishing. |
| Make KB articles searchable | Speeds up resolution by allowing technicians to easily look up answers. | Integrate KB search with your PSA or help desk. Alternatively, you can also utilize. |
| Track usage | Shows which articles are useful and which ones are not being utilized. | Monitor article views and feedback from fellow technicians. |
| Recognize contributors | This will encourage technicians to add and improve KB entries. | Highlight top contributors in team meetings or dashboards, and reward consistent authorship. |
| A quarterly review | Keeps KB relevant. | Schedule cleanups during reviews; remove outdated and obsolete articles. Promote new or trending ones. |
Governance and visual management
A technician-centered MSP knowledge base needs to be managed and maintained well to stay useful. Without oversight, articles will become outdated, inconsistent, hard to find, and difficult to understand.
📌 Use Cases:
- This will help prevent outdated or duplicate content from cluttering the KB.
- This adds value and usefulness to the KB and shows technician progress and contributions.
📌 Prerequisites:
- You must have a designated KB coordinator or lead with expertise and authority to perform review processes.
- A reporting or dashboard tool that can pull usage and contribution data from the KB system
Here are the tasks involved in managing your knowledge base:
| Task | Purpose | How to do it |
| Appoint a KB coordinator | It will keep the KB consistent, appropriately tagged, and reviewed regularly. | Assign a lead technician or manager to maintain structure, tagging, and review cycles. |
| Track drafts and usage via a dashboard | Makes KB more useful and measurable | Track pending drafts, most-used articles, overdue reviews, and team contributions. |
| Treat KB health as a service metric | Ensures KB is maintained as an essential part of your workflow and service | Include KB health in team KPIs, discuss in meetings, and measure its impact. |
⚠️ Things to look out for
| Risks | Potential Consequences | Reversals |
| No KB coordinator assigned | Articles will become outdated, inconsistent, and hard to trust. | Assign a coordinator role and rotate if necessary. |
| Overly strict review processes | Slows down contributions while discouraging technicians. | Keeps reviews light. Focus on clarity and usability only. |
| Treating KB as optional | Low adoption and usage | Make KB upkeep a part of your service metrics and review regularly. |
| Ignoring peer reviews and technician feedback | KB articles might possess inaccurate information and drift away from your needs. | Collect feedback from technicians on the usefulness and update accordingly. |
How NinjaOne can help build your knowledge base
NinjaOne integrations and tools can help build your knowledge base with its many integrations and features.
What can NinjaOne do? | What it is | How it helps |
| Link KB articles to tickets | Connects KB entries and IT documentation directly to tickets in NinjaOne | Gives technicians instant access to solutions during triage |
| Auto-populate resolution notes | Uses scripting modules to draft KB articles from ticket notes | Captures knowledge without adding extra work for technicians |
| Store KB summaries in asset records | Adds client-specific KB tips to NinjaOne asset records | Helps techs handle quirks of specific systems faster |
| Custom dashboards | Visualize KB usage by ticket type in NinjaOne. | Shows which KB articles are practical and where gaps exist |
| Flag repetitive tickets | Identifies low-effort tickets without KB coverage | Highlights opportunities to create new KB entries and reduce repeats |
Turning technician knowledge into your MSP’s advantage
Though building an effective MSP knowledge base can take time and a monumental team effort, it grows one ticket at a time. A KB can become a real business asset through technician contributions, consistent updates, and light yet effective review processes.
Capturing ticket knowledge will speed up resolution time, ease technician onboarding, and make your workflows more efficient.
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