Workflow of Knowledge articles (from Zendesk)

Define a Knowledge Article Workflow in ZenDesk

Problem Statement

We currently do not have a Knowledge workflow that will allow users to create knowledge articles from tickets, or independently of tickets. knowledge should also be available for users to "update" or modify the knowledge article

Workflow

Using the "Create Article" button in ZenDesk

  • Article should/will be in “DRAFT” status when article is created -  
    • Support Engineer write and Saves the article
  • Articles need to be REVIEWED
    • Article is added to knowledge list where a Subject Matter Expert (SME) based on Permissions cam approve” content.
  • Articles need to be PUBLISHED
    • Articles AFTER review can be Published by the Reviewer (based on permission set)

Screenshot 2025-03-05 at 8.26.59 AM.png

MIRO: https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVLg8-m9Y=/

Create article

(based on Template choice - Break/Fix, Question/Answer, How-To, Troubleshooting, Process, etc. )

  1. Article is in DRAFT state (Author Click Save) (Permission Set 1)
  2. Article is in Knowledge List (Permission Set 2) #12
  • The Draft Article Should be Accessible in SEARCH (From within the ticket for INTERNAL ONLY). Support should be able to search/view/use/modify the article while in draft
  • Customers should NEVER see a DRAFT article. Only when the article is PUBLISHED should it be visible to customers
  • Draft Articles should start with VERSION 1.0.
  • If/When the article is modified (placed back in DRAFT) the version number should increment to another Version.
  1. Reviewers approves article & Publishes (with appropriate knowledge permissions- Permission Set 2) →
  2. Reviewers should have Technical knowledge. Review for technical accuracy/steps and Best practices followed
  3. Article goes to the appropriate Knowledge Page based on Choice made by Reviewer (Permission Set 2)
    • All Users Knowledge Page (Global)
    • US Government Page (Federal)
    • Both Pages
    • (Should we have an INTERNAL Page as well?)

Modify Article

  1. Article must be in Draft State (Permission set 1) (if modified, the version must increment)
  2. Article is modified/updated (Permission Set 1) It must be reviewed again
  3. Article history tracks changes (Permission set 3) History must be tracked - Zendesk keeps a basic history of changes made to an article. You can see who made changes and when they were made,
  4. Article is Reviewed & Published. (Permission set 2)
  5. Article is updated on appropriate Knowledge page (Permission set 2)

Notify Reviewer of article that needs to be Reviewed/Published:

We can use Automation to route knowledge articles to Reviewers:
Automations are rule-based actions that can be set up to trigger specific actions when certain conditions are met. We can set up an automation to notify reviewers or assign specific users to review articles once a new article is created or modified..

Steps to create the automation (rule) for Reviewers

  • Go to Admin > Business Rules > Automations in Zendesk.
  • Click Add Automation and create a new rule.
  • Set the conditions for when an article needs to be reviewed (e.g., after an article is created or updated).
  • Set the action to Notify the reviewer (via email) or Assign the article to the reviewer (you can assign a specific Reviewer or team) .
  • Define the timing, like setting a delay for when the notification should be sent 

Triggers can also be used (for more immediate action):
Triggers can send notifications, assign tickets, or execute other actions immediately when certain conditions are met.

Steps:

  • Go to Admin > Business Rules > Triggers.
  • Create a new trigger to automatically notify a reviewer or assign the article when a new knowledge base article is submitted.
  • You can trigger actions based on article status (e.g., when an article is in a draft state or when an update is published).
  • Set the action to either send an email notification to the reviewer or assign the task to a reviewer group or a specific user.

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What is the problem?

We currently do not have a dedicated knowledge workflow (KCS) designed within Zendesk. This leads to less knowledge articles being created, and a process not defined.

Proposal

Follow the process outlined in the workflow https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVLg8-m9Y=/

Screenshot attached as well

Slide 39 here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1flmNz8K6SF5JLMFSFSV00v3lt1Z53UtuH3FgHtNQJEc/edit#slide=id.g3379390ae3e_0_0

DRI

@KirstyAllen

PERSON will act as the DRI for this issue.

Required Resources

NA

Potential Roadblocks/Things to consider

NA

Desired Outcome

Utilize Zendesk for creating and modifying articles. Utilize ZenDesk knowledge to stay IN Zendesk.

What does success look like?

Higher adoption of knowledge capture/creation, modifying articles, having a full KCS Process outlined for GitLab.

How do we measure success?

We will measure knowledge Usage, creation, searches, reviews, Feedback.

Where would future feedback go?

Feedback should be captured within the Zendesk (Explore) - TBD

Related Issues/MRs/Epics/Tickets

Epic: &332

Edited by Kirsty Allen