Each rule in this handbook is designed to help you to understand the size, complexity and benefits of Knowledge Management techniques, so that you can implement a framework that meets your specific business needs.

• Knowledge Management Tools and Software
  Knowledge Management Tools and Software
• Measuring the ROI of Knowledge Management
  Can knowledge management help improve ROI? Learn how to measure its success.Measuring the ROI of Knowledge Management
• Integrating Knowledge Management with Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
  How can KM be used to improve CRM?Integrating Knowledge Management with Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
• Hiring knowledge workers
  Depending on the maturity and size of your organisation, you may need to consider hiring people to manage content, articles and communications.Hiring knowledge workers
• Training self-serve
  Rather than always showing people what to do, you can get better outcomes by teaching them how to learn themselves, and how to share knowledge with others.Training self-serve
• Version control
  What are the best practices for good version control?Version control
• Publish first, refine later
  When managing content, as soon as content is approved, publish it where possible. Velocity is the secret.Publish first, refine later
• The value of Subject Matter Experts
  Before you start inviting Subject Matter Experts (SME) to help you document existing processes, take the time to meet with them to understand what motivates them as individuals.The value of Subject Matter Experts
• Define a Process Hierarchy
  Generally there are five tiers of procedures, each getting more and more granular towards the task-level work instructions.Define a Process Hierarchy
• Label your processes
  It’s important to highlight the purpose of each and label documents accordingly.Label your processes
• Team dialogue and feedback
  Allowing staff to connect with others is a great way to foster a knowledge organisation built upon collaboration and problem solving.Team dialogue and feedback
• Creating process wizards
  The best way to present complex decision trees is to use a Guided Process - you’ll see this commonly in software packages as ‘Wizards’.Creating process wizards
• Sharing case studies
  By including examples and case studies in your knowledge articles, you can encourage staff to learn - not follow.Sharing case studies
• Content review cycles
  Create a content review schedule - up to date content is always more trustworthy.Content review cycles
• Data Analysis and Reporting
  Data analysis and reporting can help organizations make informed decisions and improve knowledge management. How can we use data to improve our knowledge management?Data Analysis and Reporting
• Knowledge Retention Strategies
  How can we best retain knowledge in our organization? Explore strategies for knowledge retention.Knowledge Retention Strategies
• Knowledge Transfer Strategies
  How can we best transfer knowledge within an organization? Explore strategies for successful knowledge transfer.Knowledge Transfer Strategies

What is Knowledge Management?

Whether you’re a sole trader, small business owner, a contact centre manager or an executive for a multinational corporation — Knowledge Management matters.

Contrary to what you’re thinking, managing knowledge isn’t about creating artefacts, documents and content — it’s all about the processes, attitudes and culture of a business or organisation and its people.

At the turn of the century, more and more workplaces have become factories of Knowledge Workers — that is, people employed for their knowledge, their ability to remember and apply knowledge, and their ability to contribute to the intellectual property of an organisation.

As automation and robotics take care of the manual labour and repeatable tasks in the workplace, we need to find ways to create, synthesise, package and disseminate knowledge to the people who manage the operations and keep the business running.

There is no single plan or strategy that meets all of the needs for all types of businesses and organisations. You will need to handpick the strategies and techniques that are best suited to your business and your strategic goals.

Knowledge Management requires a lot of investment in time, staff engagement and if you’re implementing technology or tools, you will certainly expect upfront costs.

You should already know what your business pain-points are. You might want to improve customer experience, create an uplift in staff morale and engagement, optimise your overall sales and service effectiveness, or more. If you don’t know what you’re trying to achieve yet, first take some time to define your knowledge objectives, so you can select the right recommendations to meet those goals.

What are the benefits?

By following this guide, you can improve many aspects of your business.

For the most part, the benefits of Knowledge Management are seemingly intangible and difficult to quantify.

As part of the process, you will need to put measures and controls in place to track Return on Investment (ROI) and quantify improvements in productivity, measure staff engagement and track customer satisfaction as a direct or indirect benefit of Knowledge Management.

Generally, the first indicator of successful Knowledge Management is an uplift in staff confidence.

Employees will become more confident completing day-to-day tasks. This confidence then translates to customer success — staff confidence directly influences your customers to trust your business more.

This ultimately leads to return customers who buy more, they also promote your business to friends and relatives, which results in even more sales and revenue.

Noticeable short-to-long-term benefits:

• Staff will have access to the ‘best process’ to get things done quickly
• Sales and service processes will be more effective, with fewer mistakes
• Customers will be more happy, with First Contact Resolution (FCR)
• Happy customers means more sales and better Net Promoter Score (NPS)
• Improved Speed to Competency (STC) for new recruits in your business