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Businesses operate a vast amount of knowledge to survive and thrive in a competitive environment. If properly harnessed, knowledge can boost the productivity of entire companies.

That’s why companies are investing in knowledge management systems – the tools that make it easier to share, access, and update information and knowledge within an organization.

In this post, we’ll talk about how these five knowledge management examples can boost organizational productivity:

• Document management systems
• Cross-training programs
• Content management systems (CMS)
• Chatbots
• Social networking tools.

Let’s begin.

1. Document Management Systems and Productivity

Knowledge manager role: Organize and promote the use of systems like Google Docs and Notion

These days, every company uses document management systems like Google Docs or Notion. People create presentations, spreadsheets, guidelines, and text documents to share information within a company and store valuable knowledge.

Google Docs, in particular, is super popular.

It’s easy, simple, and free - anyone can use the suite to create documents, share them, control access permissions, and download files. With this document management system, a company can store information in one place, safely, and access it at any time.

Another advantage is that Google Docs’s cloud-based system reduces the need for a centralized organizational data repository and allows collaboration. These features help employees to be productive and achieve more, faster.

One more popular option is Notion. Companies use this system as a go-to source for company information like policies, marketing strategies, HR information, employment terms, and many other useful data.

2. Cross-Training Programs and Productivity

Knowledge manager role: Improve employee skills by implementing cross-training programs and initiatives

Every company has training and onboarding programs to allow new employees to gain knowledge by working with experienced employees. Cross-training programs, on the other hand, are for employees to expand their skill set.

In the hotel industry, for example, employees learn how to work different jobs in a hotel or restaurant. Someone working at the reception can explore new roles for delivering service to guests, both online and offline.

The positive effect on productivity can be significant. Employees who participate in training expand their skill sets and can serve customers better. That’s why cross-training is an effective knowledge management approach to increase employee productivity.

Executives value the importance of cross-training as a way to improve employee productivity and interconnected operations.

“While it’s natural for all of our team members to have areas of focus....  all of the pieces of an operation are connected—which makes cross-training critical,” Hotel Business magazine quoted Kevin Lillis, the CEO of Hospitality Alliance, as saying.

3. Content Management Systems (CMS) and Productivity

Knowledge manager role: Promote and lead the use of CMS/prepare customer knowledge base for sharing

Companies use CMSs like WordPress to manage, store, and monitor content projects from beginning to publication. They make it easier for marketing teams to collaborate on and track the performance of content projects.

Why is that important?

Content marketing is a cost-effective way for online businesses to connect with customers and promote their products and services. More than 91 percent of companies use content to achieve their marketing goals – and they need to track a wide range of KPIs.

That’s where CMS comes in.

This tool helps to:

• Manage website content
• Create, store, and publish blog content
• Manage product pages and landing pages
• Increase a site’s visibility on Google
• Keep websites secure with built-in plugins
• Collaborate on content marketing projects in one place
• Analyze the performance of content.

A CMS is essentially a database of content-related information and knowledge that a business possesses. Thanks to the tool, businesses can organize their content marketing effort, monitor their performance, and be more productive.

4. Chatbots and Productivity

Knowledge manager role: Promote conversational knowledge sharing via chatbots with employees and customers

A chatbot is an app that simulates a conversation with a human online. When a user asks a chatbot a question, it uses algorithms or pre-determined answers to provide a reply in seconds.

Knowledge managers recognize that chatbots are an innovative way to collect, store, and share information with both employees and customers. Here’s how they can help.

Businesses create chatbots to automate internal knowledge sharing by:

• Sharing information about the company policies and procedures with employees
• Answering the most common onboarding and questions.

Using chatbots for marketing purposes is also becoming common.

Website chatbots perform customer surveys, share lead magnets, generate information for a marketing research paper or report, answer customer support questions, and connect visitors with service agents.

As with many other innovative knowledge management initiatives, managers need to secure buy-in from company leaders to start developing chatbots. That’s why they need effective communication tools to promote new projects to any stakeholder.

5. Social Networking Tools and Productivity

Knowledge manager role: Facilitate the use of social networking tools and manage shared knowledge bases

Almost every company today uses a private social networking tool like Slack. Certified knowledge managers are among those promoting and managing this innovation.

The most important benefit of networking tools for productivity is the fact that they bring people, technologies, and processes together. An organization becomes an interconnected community where any piece of information or knowledge can be shared in seconds.

The role of communities in knowledge management is profound. Not only collaboration and information sharing become easier, but knowledge storage, too. Since private social networking tools store all historical conversations, anyone in the company can access previously shared files or conversations.

Knowledge Management and Company Productivity: Summary

The role of knowledge managers in promoting and maintaining high performance standards is significant. By using these five approaches, for example, they enable cooperation and increase engagement within an organization – a must for effective knowledge sharing, innovation, and digital transformation.

Throughout the process, the managers also play a deciding role in ensuring that knowledge management is tailored to employees’ needs and challenges. The success of this project means increased collaboration and engagement, which ultimately leads to higher overall productivity.

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BIO:

Nicole Garrison is a content strategist, writer, and contributor at Supreme Dissertations and a number of platforms for marketing specialists. She is a dedicated and experienced author who pays particular attention to quality research. In her free time, Nicole is a passionate runner and a curious beekeeper.

Moreover, she runs her own blog LiveInspiredMagazine.