Organizations seeking to improve their knowledge management processes face a vast array of knowledge base and optimization tools. Here, we look at how to choose the right knowledge database solution for your team and long-term organizational development and goals.

A staggering 69% of knowledge workers state they waste time trying to find the information needed to perform their jobs with excellence and to deliver a positive customer experience that leaves a lasting impression. Knowledge management software should support these goals, but oftentimes, organizations find that their new KMS investments present new challenges that get in the way of peak performance. Moreover, 54% of those surveyed reported that these supportive tools were making it harder to find the information needed to deliver on their responsibilities.

The importance of choosing the best knowledge management platform for you cannot be overstated. Here’s how a smartly selected knowledge management tool can help your organization:

• Improve Decision-Making & Productivity — By making it easy for employees to access and share knowledge, a KMS helps ensure that decisions are made based on the best available and up-to-date information. This fosters faster, better-informed decision-making, increasing customer satisfaction, first call resolution, and NPS, ultimately improving your organization’s bottom line.

• Increase Innovation — Encouraging the sharing of ideas and best practices through your knowledge management system, you develop a think-tank-like environment and a culture of innovation within your organization. This kind of collaboration and creativity leads to developing new products, services, and processes to give you a competitive advantage over your industry peers.

• Reduce Costs — An effective knowledge management system reduces the amount of time employees spend searching for critical information, freeing up time for employees to focus on other tasks. This directly impacts productivity and labor and operational costs.

• Improve Employee Satisfaction — By giving employees access to the knowledge they need to do their jobs effectively, employees feel more empowered, engaged, and in control of their work and performance success. This leads to increased motivation, productivity, and overall employee satisfaction.

Simply put, an effective knowledge management platform can change the game. But with so many different tools out there, there are a variety of considerations to review to ensure you are choosing not necessarily the “best knowledge management software in the business,” but the best knowledge management software for YOUR business. 

There is a seemingly endless string of functionalities boasted by the leading knowledge management systems available today. Here are the must-have features to help your contact center knowledge management team maximize your KMS investment.

Gain a comprehensive understanding of content engagement and employees’ top search queries with our user-friendly reporting. Uncover knowledge gaps that require attention and discover valuable opportunities to enhance your content. Prioritize the proper knowledge with ease, while unlocking insights that pave the way for improvement.

Robust search capabilities allow call center agents to quickly find the information they need. The system should support keyword search, advanced filters, and relevant suggestions to enhance efficiency, and should be able to identify keywords within all file types, including PDFs, videos, and more.

The ability to track changes made to knowledge articles, maintain a version history, and identify who made the modifications ensures content accuracy, accountability, and helps with compliance requirements. It can also save you time and effort in managing your knowledge governance processes.

Quickly and easily updated information within articles and workflows in a fully customizable format without having to write or update code.

Features that facilitate collaboration among agents and subject matter experts allow agents to share feedback, suggest improvements, and engage in discussions to enhance the quality of knowledge articles.

Seamless integration with other call center systems, such as customer relationship management (CRM) software and ticketing systems empowers agents to access relevant knowledge during customer interactions and provide accurate and consistent information.

A user-friendly platform should allow for easy navigation, boast thoughtful information design, and create an enjoyable experience that encourages employees to leverage the system with every interaction.

Consider these necessary compatibilities when comparing these capabilities of the knowledge management systems on the market today.

1. Integrability with your organizational and IT systems and requirements
2. Ease of use
3. Setup simplicity
4. Ease of administration
5. Caliber of system support
6. Quality of partnership
7. Confidence in the product’s direction

To help you make the best decision possible for your operations, we’ve researched, rated, and compared 12 of the market’s leading knowledge management systems based on these critical 7 compatibilities. Using feedback from true system users, we organized our research into three categories based on system performance within small, midsized, and enterprise-sized organizations.

Knowledge Management Platforms: Document360, Process Street, Trainual, and Whale

Knowledge Management Platforms: Bloomfire, ProcedureFlow, Shelf, and Tettra

Knowledge Management Platforms: livepro, Panviva, Serviceware, and Yext