A knowledge sharing software is a self-serve online library, containing information about a product, service, a topic or a department of a company.
It extends the functionality of a knowledge base with a lot of features. Among them multiple file-formats or deep search within content, a Q&A engine, and social interactions to keep knowledge current, trustworthy, and quickly findable.
It is built using data from various sources, but usually, it comes from several contributors who are familiar with the subject. If you’re wondering how to motivate team members to create knowledge, we’ve written an article about scalable learning, the new knowledge management strategy.
And still, why would a company need knowledge sharing software?
Companies need a way to store knowledge so that people can browse through the available information and find what they need with ease. There are many ways a knowledge sharing platform can positively impact your organization: it boosts employee engagement, it reduces onboarding and training costs, it helps generate new ideas and more.
How do you choose the knowledge sharing solution that is right for you?
There is a wide array of knowledge management solutions available on the market. This makes picking the one that’s suitable for your business a real challenge. Let’s go through a brief overview of the main issues you need to take into consideration when deciding what fits your needs.
7 steps to choosing the knowldge sharing software that’s right for you
1. It needs to be accurate
One feature you need to check for is the ability of the software to find what you’re searching, through commonly used phrases, from the information in your database. Finding the correct answers to your queries, and quickly is probably the most important feature of a knowledge management platform.
2. Speed is a must
Accuracy is an essential feature, and so is speed. Proper knowledge sharing software can provide the right answers instantly. After all, one of the problems it solves is reducing the time wasted looking for solutions. Just imagine how frustrating would be, for both employees and clients, to wait a few minutes until an answer is found.
3. Facilitates adding new content
A knowledge management platform should be constantly updated with fresh, new information. Therefore, making it easy for your staff to do this should be among the features of the solution you choose. A friendly interface, easy to navigate and intuitive features will allow you to keep your database up to date.