Types of Knowledge Management Software

Different products focus on different areas of knowledge management. Here’s a look at the four main types of knowledge management software.

1. Database Management – These products specialize in creating and managing databases. Products focused on database management can be used to capture knowledge generated from teams and store it in a searchable database, so that those who need the information can access or share it anytime.
2. Document management – These products help users to update, share and manage documents stored in a knowledge base. Some products even allow multiple users to work on an online document simultaneously and preserve different versions of the same document for future reference.
   
3. Groupware – This type of knowledge management software facilitates collaboration between internal members of an organization by allowing them to share ideas and documents, give and receive feedback, and manage workflows within one single platform. Most products come with collaboration features, such as video conferencing and instant messaging. Organizations often use these products to gather tacit knowledge, which is otherwise difficult to track and capture.
   
4. Decision tree – This type of product presents information in a graphical format in order to help users make decisions more easily. The software usually lets you create a decision tree or other flow-chart like diagrams.
   

How to Choose Knowledge Management Software

Shopping for software could be overwhelming, but it often boils down to choosing the right features for your needs. Most products come with some common features, but only a few will have features that cater to most of your requirements.

Start by defining your needs. Once you know what you want to achieve, choosing becomes easier. For instance, if internal collaboration plays a big role in your knowledge management system, you’ll want to choose a groupware tool. If you need a knowledge management solution that helps in decision-making, choose a product capable of creating decision trees to help users visualize all possible outcomes of a decision.

You may also look for advanced database management capabilities to make storing and retrieving data a breeze. For instance, some products organize data in a structured hierarchy to make finding files from the knowledge-base easier for the users, while some allow you to organize content into topic-specific channels. You’ll also find products with advanced search features, such as auto-suggest, full-text search and search filters.

Also, consider whether you need a knowledge-base with built-in feedback and commenting capabilities. Checking the publishing features is important as well. You may need a product that allows you to publish emails directly to a knowledge-base or one that helps capture and preserve the knowledge of your top performers.

Other important considerations include whether you can modify the design of your knowledge base to fit your website’s design if the product supports multiple languages and if it integrates with your existing data repositories.

Depending on your requirements, you may look for more advanced features, such as the ability to set role-based access to documents, Internet-based search options, gamification support, synchronous document editing, and version control capabilities.

Benefits of Knowledge Management Software

• Saves time and money – You can use knowledge management software to create an organized knowledge base for your employees and support agents, which helps reduce the time they spend on finding information for resolving their own or customers’ queries.

• Reduces helpdesk tickets – The software enables you to create a self-service portal for your customers. You can create and update troubleshooter guides, frequently asked questions (FAQs), etc. Customers can find answers to their questions on their own, without having to raise a support ticket. This not only helps improve customer satisfaction but reduces the workload of support agents.

• Streamlines staff training – You can create, store and update training materials on a central knowledge base and provide new employees access to those resources. This helps save time and money of staff training.

• Preserves expertise of experienced employees – Some programs can capture and preserve the knowledge of experienced employees so that the knowledge remains accessible to new employees even when the veterans retire.

Overall, software products for knowledge management help turn raw data into business intelligence.

Common Features of Knowledge Management Software