Don’t misunderstand the title… we LOVE Salesforce Knowledge, everyone should be looking at implementing a public knowledge base – great for customers, partners, internal organizations – spread the knowledge! But (like many other technical folks) our experience with the Salesforce PKB app framework is a source of frustration.
If you look at the reviews of Salesforce Knowledge PKB3, it rates a measly 2.7 out of 5 – mostly related to the frustration of structure, implementation and ability to customize. Gotta love one reviewer’s comment: “Terrible app, needs such massive customization, easier to have built help site from scratch.”
A great knowledge base strategy starts with requirements (from LOTS of departments). Guess what? Requirements=customization. Anyone in the midst of trying to work with the out-of-the-box framework starts to quickly bump up against the limitations:
So, enough about the problems… You know the adage – stop complaining and fix it. So, we did. And clients like HomeAway and ShoreTel Sky (to name a few) were happy with the customized results. And if you are just starting down the public knowledge base brick road, Salesforce Knowledge is the way to go, but seek alternatives to using their framework. Or buy a few bottles of Excedrin and be prepared for some long nights of programming anguish.
Learn more about best practices for Salesforce Knowledge in our new eBook: To PKB or not to PKB.
