You’ve gone through the process of choosing and setting up a knowledge-sharing solution. But next comes the toughest part: Getting your team to actually use it.
Companies can implement knowledge-sharing tools with all the best intentions, only to end up with a dusty basement full of content where no one ever goes. A TSIA survey found that while 25% of companies contribute new content to their knowledge centers daily, a full 50% contribute rarely or only every few months.
So how do you get from tumbleweeds to a robust knowledge-sharing tool that everyone in your company uses and relies on? Try these strategies:
Identify and fill your knowledge gaps
What content do employees have trouble finding? What questions are your SMEs answering 10 times a day? Talk with your team to get a good read on what content needs to be created or properly documented, and task team members who have relevant expertise with creating that content. Don’t just wait for employees to ask and answer questions independently—that will happen in time, but to make the most of your knowledge-sharing tool, it’s important to make sure the most critical content is easy to find immediately.
Get executive buy-in
Employees are more likely to use the knowledge-sharing tool if they know that their leaders are using it, too. Encourage your executive team to respond to questions directly within the tool on a regular basis. This will provide a model for your employees to follow, and the opportunity to engage directly with leadership will motivate them to ask questions and create content.
Incentivize for value of content, not volume
Many companies will incentivize employees to produce as much knowledge base content as possible—but that’s how you end up with weak articles that just clutter up your platform and don’t help anyone. Instead, focus on spotlighting and rewarding employees who create content that provides value. This can be demonstrated by metrics such as the number of upvotes on the content, the number of views, and the number of responses. Employees who are top contributors can be recognized on a leaderboard and rewarded with extra perks.
By facilitating a culture of knowledge sharing, you’ll be able to get your entire organization to collaborate with one another and share their unique perspectives. This will foster improved productivity, and lead to greater innovation throughout the company.
