By now most people are familiar with knowledge base software. It’s a great tool for storing & retrieving organizational information. You may be using one for storing company knowledge, or providing information on your website, or a combination of both. Yet many people who have this everyday tool still underutilize it in the workplace. Here are a few suggestions to get the most from your company knowledgebase.
Knowledge Base Uses:
- Employee Training – Store forms, instruction manuals, policies, etc. to accelerate employee productivity while ensuring that proper practices are followed.
- Human Resources – Create a central repository of general information, policies and procedures for management & employees.
- Customer Support – Having information that customers can easily access on their own can result in huge savings for you by reducing support calls. Product information, FAQ’s, and ‘work arounds’ are just a few of the things you can place on your web site knowledge base.
- Disaster Preparedness – In the event of a crisis, having an off site, web-based location for important information such as insurance and licenses can be a lifesaver. Including policies for emergencies that can be accessed remotely is essential for restoring your operations as quickly as possible.
- IT Support – Store important information that support staff need to quickly manage requests.
Helpful Knowledge Base Features:
- Web Based Knowledge Base – A web-based solution allows you to use the application remotely, allowing users to gain access to it from any web browser.
- Advanced Search – To get the most from your knowledge base ensure it is equipped with a good search as well as a good navigation tool. It is also helpful if the application can search attachments such as Microsoft Word and pdf files. Search filters are also a plus.
- Work Flow – Articles that have been added or changed may require multiple people to make approvals. A work flow system provides a flexible method for automating approval tasks. Email notifications can be automatically sent to the appropriate person when tasks are completed or rejected.
So whether you are starting out with a new application purchase or optimizing an existing solution, take a look around your operation and utilize every benefit from a knowledge base system. It really will help you organize essential information in a way that will save you both time and money.