We will help you to see more clearly what knowledge management software (or knowledge base) is all about. In the age of data, corporate knowledge is stored in more and more different tools. Silos are created, information can get lost in a flood of e-mails, messages, and in more and more collaborative work spaces. Knowledge management is therefore becoming a priority, and the question arises of implementing knowledge management software.
Yes, but do you really need to set up a knowledge base? Let's find out.
A knowledge base is a store of online information accessible to everyone. It centralises all the information on a given subject in your company, it is a real gold mine!
Data can be found from anywhere, and usually people who are knowledgeable about the subject enrich the knowledge base by adding information. You can find data on the legal department or HR, but also training on a product or simply information on a customer.
This means that as much information as possible is shared with your employees.
Today, many knowledge bases are known to use artificial intelligence to meet users' needs. And others are only indexed encyclopaedias.
A knowledge base is often included in knowledge management. The practice of knowledge management is based on a knowledge base. This must be accessible to everyone in order to create, classify and share information within your company in a simple and efficient way.
In a world of fast-moving technology, we need quick access to information. And requesting information by e-mail, telephone or directly from a colleague can be time consuming.
This waste of time has consequences for the performance of your employees and the quality of the work done. The lack of information sharing is a source of problems for your company, which is why you need a rich and detailed knowledge base.
Every organisation has a need for a knowledge base, which will be used differently depending on its activity.
For example:
Companies that want to improve the responsiveness of their customer service or invest in customer experience on a large scale have everything to gain by implementing a knowledge base.
With a solid knowledge base and data management adapted to your sector, your company will be more responsive and efficient in its value proposition.
The implementation of a knowledge base allows your employees to be more autonomous thanks to the self-service availability of information and documents, but also allows others to share their knowledge and to propose regularly updated versions of documents in order to avoid duplication.
The company's employees can refer to the same documents and data. Information from each department is accessible by all teams (sales, IT or HR).
The knowledge base reduces the risk of confusion and employees work more consistently within the company.
An in-depth and enriched knowledge base makes it possible to be more efficient, no need to keep the customer waiting because you haven't found the right information. It saves time by providing answers to recurring questions. It is much easier to get answers to your questions thanks to the integration of a knowledge base.
Training new recruits can be expensive in terms of time and money, and at the same time it can be poorly done. This is why a knowledge base can help by offering all the necessary information on a self-service basis to new employees. The company will be offered a better working environment through better integration, and it can reduce costs.
By offering the implementation of an enriched knowledge base, supported by a knowledge management plan, you enable your employees to find the right information at the right time. In this way, everyone in the company can concentrate on their tasks without having to respond to requests from colleagues.
To create an in-depth knowledge base, follow these steps:
🔎 Determine what you need
Ask yourself how much research and solicitation time you could save with a knowledge base. Look at customer satisfaction and your productivity targets. If your organisation can do better, then a knowledge base is needed.
📁 Group your documents
Put them all in one place so that all your employees have access to them.
👌 Maintain consistency
By creating a graphic charter you will allow your teams to follow the harmony and coherence in adding new documents. This will make it easier to find and classify documents.
These three steps will enable you to create a knowledge base that you can continually develop.
Today, several tools can be used as a knowledge base.
Outmind is a very different knowledge base from the usual ones, as it is integrated on top of your existing tools (SharePoint, server, Salesforce, email, etc). All your data is classified and made easily findable without you having to make heavy changes to your current organisation.
It is therefore very easy to implement gradually, without affecting the habits of the company's employees.
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