Some Terms And Conditions In Knowledge Management Programs

Overhead Can Be Considerable

Administrative and employee overhead associated with Knowledge Management (KM) can cut into efficiency and effectiveness, especially when the typical transaction is very brief. Customers may resent being asked personal questions when they place orders, for example. Saving and submitting customer questions for management to review and include in the store of frequently asked questions (FAQs) in the corporate web site takes time. At issue is whether the expected return on investment in the time spent creating a bank of FAQs or other information makes economic sense.

Knowledge Management Is in Flux

Changes in the KM industry, including abuse of the Knowledge Management vocabulary and concepts by vendors and consultants, obfuscates what would otherwise be simple comparisons of products and services. For example, many database companies and reengineering consultants became KM companies overnight by simply modifying copy in their sales brochures. Companies intent on implementing a KM program have to wade through the unsubstantiated claims from vendors, many of which are made with jargon that serves only to obscure simple (and less expensive) concepts.

Investment Requirements Can Be Significant

Establishing and maintaining a KM program can be an expensive proposition. A KM system for customer support is an ongoing investment, not a one-time expense. Consider that as soon as the sales reps stop adding questions and answers to the bank of FAQs, the value of the KM system drops precipitously. Eventually, the point will be reached when the time spent searching through the FAQs might not be worth the time or effort of the customer support staff.

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