Depending on where you are in the help center, you can use any of the following search methods to locate content: instant search, native search, article suggestions, or Knowledge in the context panel.
Using instant Help Center search to get content suggestions
Instant search is used when you first start typing in the search field. As you type, article titles that match your search appear. Keep typing to reduce the list of articles.
Instant search:
- Uses a partial word search
- Includes article titles only, not body text or labels of articles
- Does not include community posts
You can click any matched article to go directly to the article without going to the search results page. If you don't see any articles that fit your criteria, press Enter, and the native Help Center search is applied.
Instant Search is available by default, in standard themes and themes that were customized after the release of instant search on July 5th, 2016. In standard themes you can disable Instant Search if needed.
Using native Help Center search for specific results
Native search is used when you type in the Help Center search field and click Enter. Search results appear as a list on the search results page.
Native search:
- Uses full word search, not partial word search
- Includes titles, body text, and labels
In this example, you'll see results for content that includes the words instant or search, with the first results containing both instant and search. See searching for content for tips on how to find phrases and operands to perform specific searches.
By default in standard themes, the number of votes and comments appear next to each result on the search results page. You can filter your result set first by content type (knowledge base article or community post) and then by category or community topic.
Using Knowledge in the context panel to search for articles
Agents can use the Knowledge section of the context panel while working with tickets to conveniently get information and answers relevant to the conversation they're in.
The knowledge section uses Zendesk bots to automatically provide relevant suggestions you can use to answer questions in your tickets. You can also manually search your help center to find additional content, then you can link to content or quote content directly in the ticket. See Searching, linking, and quoting content in tickets.
Using article suggestion search when an end user submits a support request
Article suggestion search is used when an end user submits a support request in the help center. As the end user types in the Subject field, articles are suggested.
Article suggestion search:
- Includes titles, content, and tags or labels
- Uses a relevance score to order suggested articles
If a user clicks a suggested article, they are taken to the article directly, and the support ticket is not opened.
For information about deactivating article suggestions, see How can I remove "Suggested Articles" from the ticket submission form?.