Knowledge base software is an important tool that helps to make the company’s documentation accessible and reusable. With a knowledge management system, your company’s documentation becomes a valuable asset rather than just an information silo.
Without knowledge base software, a company may struggle to effectively manage and organize its information, which often leads to inefficiencies, lack of standardization, and difficulty in accessing and sharing knowledge. This can result in decreased productivity, a higher likelihood of errors, and increased reliance on employees’ individual knowledge and memory. Additionally, without a knowledge base, onboarding new employees and transferring knowledge within the organization can be more challenging.
In this blog, we will explain how using knowledge base software can enhance a company’s ability to effectively leverage its knowledge and information assets.
What Is a Knowledge Base Software?
Knowledge base software is a centralized platform that allows organizations to store, manage, and retrieve information, documents, and resources. It is designed to facilitate knowledge sharing, enhance collaboration, and provide a repository for best practices, FAQs, troubleshooting guides, and any other useful information. Typically, knowledge base software includes features such as content categorization, search functionality, version control, and access control to ensure that information is organized, easily accessible, and secure. Additionally, some knowledge base software may include analytics tools to track usage and user feedback to continuously improve the content.
Knowledge base software is often confused with content management systems (CMS). Actually, both are used to manage and publish content, but they serve different purposes and have specific features.
A knowledge base software is a specialized tool designed to help organize and manage information such as articles, FAQs, user guides, and other documentation. It is typically used for creating and maintaining a repository of knowledge or information that can be easily accessed and searched by users.
On the other hand, a content management system (CMS) is a broader tool. CMS platforms allow users to create and edit content, manage user permissions, and customize the design and layout of web pages. They often include features such as a WYSIWYG editor, templates, and plugins for additional functionality.
In summary, while both knowledge base software and CMS are used for managing and publishing content, knowledge base software is more focused on organizing and presenting informational content, while CMS is more geared towards managing and publishing digital content on a broader scale.
Types of Knowledge Base Software
The most popular types of knowledge base software are listed below:
- Knowledge Management Systems. These systems facilitate the creation, organization, and storage of a wide variety of information, including documents, images, videos, demos, and other media. In fact, KMS refer to Document Management Systems (DMS) that are designed to store, manage, and track electronic documents, making them a popular choice for organizations looking to build a knowledge base of instructional documentation, manuals, and reference materials.
- Collaboration Platforms. Certain collaboration platforms include knowledge base capabilities to enable teams to share and access internal knowledge, best practices, and other important information.
- Content management systems (CMS) help businesses create, manage, and distribute digital content. They are often used as knowledge base software to store and organize information for internal and external use.
- Project Management Systems. Some project management systems include knowledge base functionality to store project documentation, process guidelines, and other project-related information for easy reference.
- Enterprise Content Management Systems. These platforms provide tools for creating, managing, and organizing a company’s documents and other content, often including knowledge base features. Enterprise search software: ECMS usually include search software that helps organizations index, search, and retrieve information across multiple sources, making it easier for employees to find the information they need within the system.
- Wiki Software allows users to collaboratively create and edit content, making it a popular choice for building knowledge bases within organizations. This type of knowledge base software is popular in organizations that need to document and share information internally.
- CRM Software. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software often includes knowledge base functionality to store and manage customer-facing information related to customer interactions, preferences, and history.
- Customer Self-Service Tools. These tools are designed to provide customers with easy access to relevant information and resources, allowing them to find answers to common questions and troubleshoot issues on their own.
- Help Desk Software. Help desk or IT service management software often includes knowledge base features to provide support agents with access to troubleshooting guides, FAQs, and other helpful resources. These platforms help businesses manage customer inquiries, provide support articles, and track customer issues. They often include knowledge base functionality to store and share information with both customers and support agents.
It should be noted that it is hard to draw a strict borderline between KMS, DMS and collab platforms as sometimes KMS offer an advanced set of tools and features allowing users to create documents online and collaborate on the platform.
Features of Knowledge Base Software
Knowledge base software can offer your company a lot of valuable features:
- Centralized repository. Knowledge base software provides a centralized repository for storing and organizing knowledge and information. This allows for easy access and retrieval of information for both employees and customers.
- Search functionality. Knowledge base software typically includes robust search functionality, allowing users to quickly find the information they need using keywords or phrases.
- Categorization and organization. Knowledge base software allows for the categorization and organization of information into logical groupings, making it easier for users to navigate and find relevant content.
- User permissions and access control. Many knowledge base software solutions offer user permissions and access control features, allowing organizations to control who can view, edit, and delete content within the knowledge base.
- Collaboration and contribution. Knowledge base software often includes collaboration and contribution tools that allow multiple users to contribute to and edit knowledge base articles. This can help ensure that information is accurate and up-to-date.
- Customization. Many knowledge base software solutions offer customization options, allowing organizations to tailor the look and feel of the knowledge base to align with their brand and meet the specific needs of their users.
- Analytics and reporting. Knowledge base software often includes analytics and reporting features that provide insights into how the knowledge base is being used, including which articles are most popular and where users might be experiencing difficulties.
- Integration with other tools. Many knowledge base software solutions offer integration with other tools and platforms, such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems, help desk software, and chatbots, allowing for seamless access to knowledge base content from other systems.
- Multilingual support. Some knowledge base software solutions offer multilingual support, allowing organizations to provide information in multiple languages to serve a diverse user base.
- Self-service capabilities. Knowledge base software enables organizations to provide self-service capabilities to employees and customers, allowing them to find answers to their questions and troubleshoot issues on their own.
Overall, knowledge base software can help your company improve knowledge sharing, streamline processes, and improve productivity.
Why Do You Need a Knowledge Base Software?
A company may choose to do without knowledge base software for several reasons, including cost concerns, perceived lack of need, or reliance on other methods of managing knowledge.
However, not using knowledge base software can lead to inefficient access to information. Without a central knowledge base, employees may spend more time searching for information or may not have access to the most up-to-date or accurate information.
Another drawback is inconsistent knowledge sharing. Teams may have different ways of storing and sharing information, leading to inconsistencies and potential errors. This also leads to difficulties in onboarding new employees. A knowledge base can be a valuable resource for new employees to quickly get up to speed on company processes, procedures, and information. Without it, onboarding may be more time-consuming and less effective.
The most significant risk, however, is the risk of knowledge loss. If employees leave the company or change roles, their knowledge and expertise may not be effectively transferred or retained without a knowledge base to store and share it.
In general, while a company may attempt to operate without knowledge base software, there are clear benefits to implementing it, including improved access to information, better collaboration, and reduced risk of knowledge loss.
The advantages of introducing knowledge base software in the business process of a company can be summarized as follows:
- Centralized information. Knowledge base software allows companies to store all pertinent information in one location, making it easily accessible to employees and customers.
- Knowledge sharing. It facilitates the sharing of best practices, troubleshooting guides, and other useful information among employees, leading to greater collaboration and efficiency.
- Customer support. Knowledge base software provides a platform for creating FAQs, guides, and tutorials that can assist customers in finding solutions to common issues, reducing the burden on customer support teams.
- Training and onboarding. It can be used to create and share training materials, documentation, and resources to help new employees onboard effectively and learn company processes.
- Remote work. With an increasing number of remote and distributed teams, knowledge base software provides a central source of information that can be accessed from anywhere, supporting employees working from different locations.
Summing up, knowledge base software serves as a valuable resource for companies, promoting information accessibility, collaboration, and efficiency, while also improving customer support and satisfaction.
