Knowledge Management Software | How-to Guides for running your business from Business.com

An estimated $73 billion will be spent on knowledge management software by U.S. businesses in this year alone, according to strategic advisory firm AMR Research. These companies know how vitally important it is that they are able to collect, store, organize, and disseminate vital business information, whether in the service of internal brainstorming, collaboration, or operational efficiency, or as part of customer service and support efforts.

Knowledge management solutions range from small software packages for individual use, such as brainstorming software, to highly specialized enterprise software suitable for use by teams, as with most groupware apps, or by hundreds of employees, as with some customer service KM software programs.

Depending on your goals, you may wish to acquire just one kind of KM software, or a few different tools. Consider your options:

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

KM software for brainstorming

Individuals and small groups use KM software as a platform for brainstorming and analysis, and for cataloging, organizing, structuring, and searching disparate sources of information or data and arranging them into an accessible format.

I recommend:
DEVONthink is designed to collect and organize all of your digital files, including everything from PDFs, emails, and Word docs to multimedia files and active hyperlinks. Its artificial intelligence engine categorizes and cross-references your information, while remaining flexible to your preferences and adapting to your input.
TheBrain Technologies provides visual information management solutions, placing information on a dynamic, multi-dimensional interface, unfettering your ideas from the limitations of typical outline and list structures. The company offers PersonalBrain for individual users and knowledge management and groupware app BrainEKP for enterprise use.

KM software for collaboration (groupware)

Groupware provides a virtual space where members of a company or project team can access key files, pose questions, and coordinate their workflow. This collaborative style of KM software can be especially helpful to companies with remote workers or freelancers and the resulting need for a centralized resource where key information can be stored and accessed. More and more web-based groupware solutions are becoming available all the time. They leverage the flexibility, ease of access, and cost-effectiveness of the web as they facilitate information sharing.

I recommend:
37 Signals offers innovative, secure, and user-friendly web-based collaborative tools, including Basecamp, a project-based collaboration and knowledge management solution with integrated scheduling, task assignment, file organization, and messaging features.

KM software for customer service agents

Many companies seek to bolster the quality of their customer service efforts by providing their reps with knowledge management software. This is particularly effective in the complex field of technical support. A user-friendly KM software suite can help keep customer service agents confident, educated, and up-to-date. Many knowledge management application integrate with call tracking systems which pre-populate questions, allowing an agent to move towards issue-resolution without delay. The call tracking system can automatically log the exchange, thus capturing valuable feedback data.

I recommend:
UK-based eGain KnowledgeAgent offers all of those features, as well as the ability to handle multi-lingual content and global deployment.
Talisma Knowledgebase combines a help desk and FAQ knowledge base with customer support tools to create a web-based, enterprise-level KM software solution which can integrate with many popular legacy CRM apps.

KM software insight from the experts

Since 2000, KM World magazine has released a ranked list of the top 100 companies active in the knowledge management software market. Their comparative study uses customer feedback and an expert panel to evaluate the innovation and ease-of-use offered by each KM software company.

I recommend:
KM World.com features white papers, a buyer's guide, and research reports.
Information Week.com delivers news, reviews, analysis, trends, and whitepapers covering the latest in business technology and software.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

There's no substitute for hands-on experience. The best way to evaluate any software solution out there, including KM software, is by giving it a thorough test drive. And with today's proliferation of free demo versions for download, you may never have to make an uneducated purchase again.
Make your search specific. Have your KM software needs fixed in your mind before you start your search. The most impressive sounding array of features out there may not suit your exact needs.
Ask around. Almost any popular software solution will inevitably spawn some online discussion, whether hosted by its creators or by its most avid users. Either way, these insights can be invaluable.

The official source of Knowledge Management Software is
the Knowledge Management Software page at Business.com

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