10 Best Features for an Internal Knowledge Management Software
Milton Herman
In the Information Age, a person’s expertise is a type of intellectual capital. As a result, more businesses are investing in platforms to categorize and preserve internal knowledge.
What is an Internal Knowledge Management Tool?
Knowledge Management Definition
Knowledge management refers to the processes used to deal with the knowledge found within a company. It deals with two types of knowledge: formal and tacit.
- Formal knowledge is knowledge that can be understood in a straightforward manner As a result, it can be transferred to others with ease. It includes anything that can be shared in written form, such as a manual, instructions, etc.
- Tacit knowledge is difficult to express and challenging to share with others. These kinds of abilities include innovative thinking, art appreciation, and interpreting body language.
Internal knowledge management software is used as a virtual library to store a company’s proprietary information, policies, procedures and more. Users can access the information on an as-needed basis. They can also distribute it to their work group. An internal knowledge base’s contents are not meant to be shared with those who are not employed by or associated with the company.
The company’s internal knowledge management system is a great place for the company to store its best practices, handbooks and guidelines. As a collaboration tool, it can also store information shared between departments to boost productivity.
Benefits of an Internal Company Knowledge Base System:
Why would you invest in knowledge management software? Here are a few reasons:
- A searchable online library makes it easy for employees to find information and is an effective way to share information within the company
- A centralized hub is a logical choice to encourage team collaboration
- A knowledge base also helps with onboarding new employees by giving them a virtual point of access to everything needed
- Finally, an internal system can lead to better governance of company data and internal intellectual capital
Knowledge Sharing – Insights, Applications & Best Practices
Knowledge Sharing: Collaborate, Innovate and Scale
10 Key Internal Knowledge Base Software Features
1. Fast-loading Information
According to a study conducted by Microsoft Corp., an individual’s attention span starts to wander after the eight-second mark. This is just shy of the nine-second attention span attributed to a goldfish! Internet users are accustomed to pages loading quickly and if the page with relevant information is slow to load, the viewer is likely to not have actionable insight. This defeats the purpose of trying to deploy a knowledge management system for team members to access.
Someone looking for a form, a manual, an in-house expert, or the answer to a question does not have minutes to wait. A team member working in customer service who needs to provide an answer to a question or a concern quickly is expected to have the required information at their fingertips – literally.
2. A Highly-effective Search Engine
A search engine’s effectiveness can be measured using its speed and the quality of its results.
The knowledge base solution’s search engine must perform well using misspelled words, two-word search terms instead of three, inexact phrases for search terms and more. It must sort through these types of partial search terms to produce the desired results rapidly. In other words, its algorithm must be sophisticated enough to make the connection between what the user types into the search box and what they are looking for.
3. Measure User Analytics and Provide Feedback
Unless the knowledge base software can measure user experience, executives and managers will be left in the dark without knowing who is using the company intranet, how often they are accessing it, and which pages they find most relevant. Even though the intranet is used for internal communication, it is helpful to think of team members as customers. What do they need to have a positive user experience?
- Content should be updated regularly.
- It should be easy for users to contact IT support directly from the knowledge base system.
- Company knowledge stored in the system should always be relevant and up-to-date.
Failing to provide these essentials means low “customer” satisfaction levels from users. Bounce rates for content will jump. Productivity may drop, too.
4. Employee Learning Center
LumApps' Employee Learning Center serves as a comprehensive hub for all educational materials, establishing itself as a pivotal component of the organization's knowledge management framework. This central repository includes a wide array of resources such as onboarding guides, training videos, and professional development tools, essential for fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth.
By centralizing these resources, LumApps simplifies the learning process for employees, facilitating easy access to necessary training materials. This streamlined approach not only enhances employee development but also reinforces the effectiveness of the organization’s knowledge management strategies. The integration of such a robust learning center within the knowledge management system ensures that employees have the tools they need to succeed and grow, directly contributing to the overall productivity and expertise within the company.
LumApps, the Employee Experience Platform
5. Communities of Practice
Communities of Practice allow team members to access the specific expertise their colleagues possess. This customizable community makes knowledge sharing among team members and across departments a much easier process.
The community can be focused on specific functions or areas of interest. It gives experts at your company a chance to showcase their various areas of expertise and mentor others.
Team members can access the Communities of Practice to collaborate with experts from all departments. They can ask questions about projects they are working on, share their experiences, and get help in solving issues. The experts are available to provide valuable feedback and support.
6. Video Center
A video can get a message across to a viewer in an interesting and entertaining manner. It can often be more effective than asking someone to read a block of text. A video grabs a viewer’s attention and holds it in a way that reading may fail to do. Consider using videos for onboarding and training tools, making announcements, and for educational purposes.
The Video Center keeps all of a company’s videos in one place. They can be hosted internally or you can link to them externally. To make the content easy to find for users, thumbnails or a list format can help.
7. Ideation Corner
The Ideation Corner is a place where a company can start its next change initiative. Team members can become part of the process by providing their thoughts and opinions. It is also a place for the following:
- Brainstorming for ideas around solving problems, better processes, or new products.
- Including opportunities for voting on and refining ideas currently under consideration.
By providing access to the Ideation Corner across devices, team members can share their ideas easily.
Knowledge Sharing – Insights, Applications & Best Practices
Knowledge Sharing: Collaborate, Innovate and Scale
9. User-friendly Text Editor
Not everyone is confident about their writing abilities and they may find it challenging to face a blank screen when asked to contribute something to share with others. To encourage participation, a text editor that is easy for them to use is important. The goal is to make this process comfortable for employees so they can focus on sharing their thoughts.
10. Security Protocols
It’s a given that companies must have stringent security in place for an internal knowledge base, since it is one of a company’s most valuable assets. The information it contains allows a team to work more independently, interact more meaningfully, and provide top-notch customer support.
Setting appropriate authentication and permissions for each team member so that they can access the documents and information they need to do their jobs is important, as is limiting access to sensitive information that should only be shared with authorized personnel.
Enhancing Employee Experience with Advanced UI
LumApps enhances the digital employee experience through sophisticated employee management software that features a user-friendly and well-designed UI. This carefully crafted user interface prioritizes ease of use, enabling employees to navigate the platform efficiently and access essential tools quickly. The intuitive layout of the employee management system dashboard further elevates the user experience by providing streamlined access to frequently used features and offering quick insights immediately, which significantly boosts operational productivity.
The comprehensive design of LumApps' UI is tailored to meet the demands of modern workplaces, integrating seamless navigation with powerful functionality. This makes it an indispensable tool for managing the types of knowledge management processes required in today’s enterprises. By reducing complexity and improving the accessibility of key functions, LumApps ensures that all users, regardless of their tech savviness, can fully benefit from its features.
Knowledge Sharing – Insights, Applications & Best Practices
Knowledge Sharing: Collaborate, Innovate and Scale
Enhancing Your Organization with Knowledge Management and AI-Powered Tools
Having an effective knowledge management strategy is essential. It’s no longer just about storing information; it’s about making it easily accessible, actionable, and continuously updated. This is where AI-powered knowledge base software comes into play.
The Importance of a Robust Knowledge Management Strategy
A well-crafted knowledge management strategy can transform how your organization operates. Leveraging AI-powered tools allows businesses to efficiently manage both explicit knowledge (documented information) and implicit knowledge (tacit expertise). By integrating these tools, companies can enhance collaboration, streamline processes, and drive innovation.
Streamlining Employee Management: Unveiling the Power of LumApps
Managing employees effectively is key to increasing productivity and building a positive workplace culture. A sophisticated employee management app like LumApps plays a crucial role in simplifying many administrative tasks, while also boosting employee engagement and improving internal communication. Among the various options available, LumApps stands out as the best choice, offering a comprehensive and integrated solution for managing employee interactions and streamlining workflows, supporting various types of knowledge management processes within the organization.
The exceptionally well-designed UI of LumApps makes it easy for both managers and employees to navigate and complete tasks efficiently. The employee management system dashboard enhances this experience by centralizing essential data and metrics, allowing for informed decision-making and real-time insights into team performance and individual metrics.
This robust platform addresses the foundational aspects of employee management and includes advanced tools and functionalities tailored to the complex needs of modern organizations. By integrating LumApps, businesses can achieve smoother workflow management, better resource allocation, and a more unified organizational environment, making it an invaluable asset for any enterprise aiming to refine its human resource operations in the digital era.
Key Benefits of AI-Powered Knowledge Management Software:
- Find Answers Faster: AI can quickly sift through vast repositories of information to find answers, reducing the time employees spend searching for data.
- Enhance Collective Knowledge: By capturing and sharing knowledge across the organization, AI tools help build a repository of collective knowledge that benefits everyone.
- Real-Time Updates: Regular updates ensure that your knowledge base is always current, providing real-time access to the latest information.
- Boost Efficiency: Automating routine tasks through artificial intelligence frees up employees to focus on more strategic activities.
Centralized Communication Hub
Acting as a modern digital head office, LumApps serves as a knowledge management platform, centralizing all communication and operational needs within a single space. This centralization reduces the time employees spend searching for tools and information, which boosts efficiency and productivity across the organization. Offering superior enterprise workforce management software, LumApps supports various aspects of workforce management, including scheduling, communication, task management, and performance monitoring. This ensures that every team member has instant access to the most current tools and information they need for their daily activities, resulting in smoother workflows and a more agile response to business challenges.
LumApps not only simplifies administrative processes but also empowers employees by making it easier to access information. This approach accelerates decision-making, improves overall employee satisfaction, and reduces friction in the workplace, which in turn enhances team collaboration and aligns more closely with strategic organizational goals.
Capturing and Sharing Knowledge
Knowledge base software plays a critical role in capturing and sharing both explicit and implicit knowledge. Explicit knowledge includes documented processes, guidelines, and procedures. Implicit knowledge, on the other hand, encompasses the experiential and intuitive know-how of employees.
Best Practices:
- Encourage Documentation: Promote a culture where documenting processes and best practices is standard.
- Facilitate Knowledge Sharing: Use tools that allow easy sharing and collaboration, ensuring that everyone has access to the information they need.
- Regular Training: Conduct regular training sessions to keep employees updated on how to use knowledge management tools effectively.
LumApps, for instance, stands out as an exceptional knowledge management tool. Not only is it one of the best intranet solutions on the market, but it also excels in capturing and sharing knowledge within an organization.
The Role of AI in Knowledge Management
Artificial intelligence revolutionizes how organizations manage and utilize their knowledge bases. AI tools are capable of understanding and processing natural language, which makes them proficient in finding relevant information quickly. This capability is crucial for employees who need real-time access to information to make informed decisions.
Leveraging AI for Better Outcomes:
- Improve User Experience: AI can personalize the search experience, providing users with the most relevant information based on their query history.
- Prevent Information Overload: AI helps filter out irrelevant data, ensuring that users only get the information they need.
- Automate Content Updates: AI can keep your knowledge base updated by automatically adding new information and archiving outdated data.
Integrating Knowledge Management Tools
For a knowledge management strategy to be effective, it’s essential to integrate the right tools. These tools should be user-friendly and compatible with your existing systems.
Steps to Successful Integration:
- Assess Your Needs: Understand what your organization needs from a knowledge management tool. Identify gaps and areas for improvement.
- Choose the Right Tool: Select a tool that fits your requirements and can scale with your organization. LumApps is a great option due to its comprehensive features.
- Train Your Team: Ensure that your team is well-trained on how to use the new tool. This will maximize its effectiveness.
- Monitor and Improve: Continuously monitor the performance of your knowledge management system and make improvements as needed.
Building a Knowledge-Driven Culture
Building a knowledge-driven culture within your organization is just as important as the tools you use. Encourage employees to actively participate in knowledge sharing and make it a part of your organizational values.
Tips for Fostering a Knowledge-Driven Culture:
- Recognize and Reward Participation: Acknowledge employees who contribute valuable knowledge.
- Create Collaborative Spaces: Use intranet platforms like LumApps to create spaces where employees can easily share and access information.
- Promote Continuous Learning: Encourage ongoing learning and development to keep skills and knowledge up-to-date.
Conclusion
Implementing an effective knowledge management strategy with AI-powered tools can transform your organization. By capturing both explicit and implicit knowledge, providing real-time access to information, and leveraging artificial intelligence to find answers, you can significantly enhance productivity and innovation.
Ready to take your knowledge management strategy to the next level? Sign up with LumApps today and discover how our AI-powered tools can help you build a more connected and efficient organization.
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By focusing on the user-centric benefits of AI-powered knowledge management, this guide provides a comprehensive overview that balances authority with accessibility, aiming to help business professionals understand the value and implementation of these advanced tools.
Internal knowledge management software is used as a virtual library to store a company’s proprietary information, policies, procedures and more. Users can access the information on an as-needed basis. They can also distribute it to their work group. An internal knowledge base’s contents are not meant to be shared with those who are not employed by or associated with the company.
- Fast-loading Information
- A Highly-effective Search Engine
- Measure User Analytics and Provide Feedback
- Employee Learning Center
- Communities of Practice
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8. Social Employee Advocacy Platform
Employees can become valuable advocates for a business by sharing positive posts about the company on social media. Over time, they may want to write their own social media posts to share with their own followers. Their content becomes a way to promote your brand that feels natural and organic, since it comes from the “mouths” of employees.
When team members are encouraged to share what makes a company stand out from others, it is an effective strategy for boosting employee engagement. Team members also feel empowered, since they are doing something outside of the usual scope of their duties that influences the company’s operations, and ultimately its well-being.