Knowledge Management: Why Is It Important?

From personal experience I can say the idea of building a Knowledge Base can be overwhelming for a team and is not very exciting. Questions such as, “How do I know what to write?” and “Why is this so important?” are asked frequently.

How do you get people interested in writing articles? In a previous company the process was mandated. We were told each person had to write X number of articles over a specific time period. While it may not have been the best way to encourage this development, it did get information in the system. Over time we found the experts (aka the Agents and Employees) that used the articles could provide feedback and the articles were either culled or enhanced.

But this doesn’t answer why Knowledge Management is so important.

Knowledge Articles are a core component of ServiceNow because they help streamline operations, improve the employee experience, and drive self-sufficiency for both end users and support teams. How do they do it?

Streamlining Operations through Self Service

• Self-Resolution: Knowledge Articles enable end users to solve problems on their own without needing to contact Support. This reduces the number of incidents and service requests.

• Faster Solutions: By providing detailed, easy-to-follow instructions or troubleshooting steps, Knowledge Articles help Users find answers quickly, reducing downtime and improving productivity.

Improved Efficiency for Support Teams

• Faster Case Resolution: When Knowledge Articles are available to Support Agents, they can quickly find solutions to common issues and provide accurate information to Employees without reinventing the wheel.

• Consistency in Responses: Knowledge Articles ensure Agents are using standardized and accurate information when responding to issues, which helps reduce errors and improve service consistency.

Reduction in Operational Costs

• Decreased Incident Volume: By providing self-service options for end users, organizations can reduce the number of support tickets, lowering the workload for IT and Support Teams.

• Less Duplication of Effort: Knowledge Articles help prevent teams from answering the same questions repeatedly, which minimizes effort duplication and streamlines workflows.

Continuous Improvement

• Knowledge Base as a Feedback Loop: Knowledge Articles can be updated with new solutions or insights from Support Teams, improving over time based on common issues or Employee feedback.

• Reporting and Analytics: ServiceNow allows organizations to track the performance of Knowledge Articles, such as how often they’re accessed, what issues are most commonly resolved, and whether Users found the articles helpful.

Proactive Knowledge Sharing

• Cross-Department Collaboration: Knowledge sharing between IT, HR, facilities, and other departments is seamless, creating a comprehensive resource that can help solve a wide range of issues.

• Reduced Knowledge Silos: Instead of relying on specific individuals for answers, organizations can make collective knowledge available, preventing bottlenecks and knowledge gaps.

Better Employee Experience

• 24/7 Availability: Knowledge Articles can be accessed at any time, offering Employees the ability to resolve their issues outside regular business hours, improving satisfaction and retention.

• Personalized Experiences: With features like article recommendations and context-sensitive help, ServiceNow can deliver knowledge tailored to individual user needs, enhancing the overall employee experience.

Compliance and Auditing

• Regulatory Compliance: In some industries, having accurate, documented processes is a regulatory requirement. Knowledge Articles can serve as a record of standardized procedures and solutions.

• Audit Trails: ServiceNow tracks changes made to Knowledge Articles, ensuring any updates, deletions, or modifications are well-documented. This makes auditing a straightforward process.

So why are Knowledge Articles vital to ServiceNow? They contribute to more efficient IT and HR operations, enhance employee self-service, and provide a sustainable way of managing and sharing critical information within the organization. Ultimately, they help improve the quality of service and the overall User experience.

About the Author: Theresa Dockery brings with her 20 years of Human Resource experience in a university setting. That experience was in all aspects of HR including benefits, compensation, recruiting, HRIS and shared services. Her last role in the university setting was working with IT, HR and The Anti on implementation of HRSD Employee Experience modules.

About The Anti: In 2017, we realized traditional HR technology consulting desperately needed an overhaul. So, we flipped the script on consulting culture.

• We grew a team with expertise in real world HR process design and technology implementation

• We aggregated and refined the best practices we’d already proven elsewhere

• We rejected traditional friction points and changed consulting culture for the better

It caught on, and we have since delivered 350+ ServiceNow HRSD engagements as the only elite ServiceNow Partner committed to the employee experience workflow products. The Anti brings a unique blend of HR Consulting experience, HR Technology backgrounds, and HR Practitioner expertise to every engagement.

Types of engagements and how we can help

We offer a comprehensive range of assistance that encompasses five key types of engagement:

• Implementation Readiness Assessments

• User & Experience Design

• Initial Implementations (Phase 1)

• Follow-on Deployments (Phase 2+)

• Advisory and Managed Services

Our mission is to meet you where you are in your ServiceNow journey to ensure your project is a success. Whether you require help with the initial setup or need guidance on optimizing your deployment, we are here to help every step of the way. With our expertise and commitment to excellence, you can be sure you are in safe hands.

For more information or to schedule a call with our team, drop a note to aloha@theanti.com!