Exercise 13 - Configure knowledge management

A knowledge base is only useful if agents can find the right article at the right moment. Contoso Coffee's support team handles hundreds of coffee machine troubleshooting questions each week - without a well-structured knowledge base, every agent reinvents the answer. In this exercise, you will configure knowledge management settings, build a category structure for Contoso Coffee's product range, create a knowledge article template, and author a troubleshooting article.

This exercise should take approximately 40 minutes to complete.

Before you start

You must have completed Exercise 01 with Copilot data movement enabled.

Task 1 - Enable knowledge management for additional record types

By default, knowledge management is enabled for Case and Conversation records. Contoso Coffee also wants agents to see suggested knowledge articles when working with Account records.

  1. In Copilot Service admin center, in the left navigation under Support experience, select Knowledge.

  2. In the Record types section, select Manage.

  3. On the Record Types page, select + Add.

  4. In the Add record type dialog configure the following settings:

    • Select record type: Account
    • Set the toggle for Turn on automatic search to On
    • Provide search results using: Account Name

  5. Select Save and Close.

Task 2 - Configure knowledge general settings

  1. In the left navigation under Support experience, select Knowledge again.

  2. In the General Settings section, select Manage.

  3. Configure the following:

    • Search results display count: 15
    • Enable feedback: Yes

  4. Select Save.

Task 3 - Create article categories

Categories organize knowledge articles so agents can filter search results by product line or topic.

  1. In the left navigation under Support experience, select Knowledge.

  2. In the Categories section, select Manage.

  3. Select + New.

  4. Enter the following details:

    • Title: Contoso Products
    • Description: Top-level category for all Contoso Coffee product knowledge

  5. Select Save & Close.

  6. Select + New again to create a subcategory with the following details:

    • Title: Coffee Machines
    • Description: Troubleshooting and maintenance for Contoso Coffee machines
    • Parent category: Contoso Products

  7. Select Save & Close.

  8. Create one more subcategory with the following details:

    • Title: Warranty and Service
    • Description: Warranty coverage, claims, and service procedures
    • Parent category: Contoso Products

  9. Select Save & Close.

Task 4 - Create a knowledge article template

Knowledge article templates let you standardize the structure of articles so agents always include the same sections. You will create a troubleshooting template, then use it to author the LCD screen article.

  1. In Copilot Service admin center, in the left navigation under Support experience, select Knowledge.

  2. In the Article templates section, select Manage.

  3. Select + New.

  4. In the Choose language dialog, select English - United States and select OK.

  5. In the Name field, enter Contoso Troubleshooting Template

  6. In the template body, add the following sections using the formatting toolbar:

    Symptoms
Describe the issue the customer is experiencing.

Steps to resolve
Provide numbered steps to resolve the issue.

Escalation
Describe when and how to escalate if the issue is not resolved.

  7. Format the template using the rich text editor toolbar:

    • Select each heading (Symptoms, Steps to resolve, Escalation) and apply Bold.
    • Select each description line beneath the headings and apply Italic.

  8. Select Save & Close.

Task 5 - Author a knowledge article

Now that the template exists, you will use it to create the LCD screen troubleshooting article. This task takes place in Copilot Service workspace - the agent-facing app - rather than the admin center.

  1. Select the app switcher (the grid icon in the top-left corner) and select Copilot Service workspace to switch apps.

  2. In the left navigation, select Knowledge Articles.

  3. Select + New from template.

  4. In the Select Knowledge Article template dialog, select Contoso Troubleshooting Template and then select OK.

  5. On the Content tab, enter:

    • Title: LCD Screen Troubleshooting - Contoso Coffee Machines
    • Keywords: LCD, screen, blank, display, troubleshoot
    • Description: Step-by-step guide for resolving blank LCD screen issues on Contoso coffee machines.

  6. In the article body, replace the placeholder text with the following content. Replace each italic placeholder line with the corresponding text below:

    Under Symptoms, replace the placeholder with:

    The LCD screen on the Contoso coffee machine is blank or unresponsive.

    Under Steps to resolve, replace the placeholder with:

    1. Check that the machine is plugged in and the power outlet is working.
2. Press and hold the power button for 10 seconds to perform a hard reset.
3. Unplug the machine, wait 30 seconds, then plug it back in and power on.
4. If the screen remains blank after reset, escalate to Tier 2 support.

    Under Escalation, replace the placeholder with:

    If the issue persists after all steps above, create a service request and assign it to the Hardware team.

  7. Use the Preview feature to check how your knowledge article will look on different devices.

  8. Switch to the Summary tab.

  9. Select Save.

    [!NOTE] When you save the article, several fields on the Summary tab are automatically populated by the system, including Article Public Number (a unique reference ID), Version number, Created on, and Language. You don't need to fill these in manually.

  10. In the Related information section, you will find 5 icons: Related versions, Related translations, Related categories, Related articles, and Related products. Select Related categories.

  11. From the ellipses, select Relate category.

  12. In the Select Category to Associate with lookup, select Coffee Machines.

  13. Select Associate.

  14. Select Save to save the article.

  15. Select Approve And Publish to publish the article and make it available to agents. (You may need to expand the ellipses in the top menu to see all of the options.)

  16. Select OK in the Confirm approval of articles(s) dialog.

  17. In the Publish pane, set the Expiration date to a year from today.

  18. Set Publish approved related translations with Article to Yes.

  19. Select Publish.

    [!NOTE] Published articles are indexed for knowledge search and will appear in the agent's productivity pane knowledge search results.

Verification

This exercise is complete when:

  • Knowledge management is enabled for Account records with automatic search
  • Three categories exist: Contoso Products, Coffee Machines, and Warranty and Service
  • The Contoso Troubleshooting Template exists and contains Symptoms, Steps to resolve, and Escalation sections
  • The LCD Screen Troubleshooting article is published and assigned to the Coffee Machines category