ServiceNow Knowledge Management Explained [in 5 min]

by | Aug 6, 2024 | Software

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the constant need to find the right information at the right time?

Whether you’re an IT support team member, a customer service agent, or part of an HR department, you’ve likely faced the challenge of sifting through endless data to locate that one piece of knowledge you need.

That’s where ServiceNow Knowledge Management comes in—a tool designed to make information access easier and more efficient.

But you didn’t just stumble upon this article by chance. You’re here because you’re considering whether ServiceNow Knowledge Management is the right solution for your team.

Maybe you’ve heard about it, or perhaps you’ve tried other tools that didn’t quite hit the mark. Either way, you’re looking for a clear, concise breakdown to help you make an informed decision. That’s exactly what I’m here to provide.

In this article, I’ll guide you through everything you need to know about ServiceNow Knowledge Management.

We’ll cover:

📌 What ServiceNow Knowledge Management is: defining the tool, explaining its core purpose, and highlighting its key features.

📌 The benefits of using it: enhancing productivity and streamlining information sharing for your team.

📌 How it works: setting up and managing knowledge bases to see how simple it is to get started.

📌 Who should use it: pinpointing the industries and roles that will benefit the most from this tool.

📌 Comparison with competitors: introducing you to Asista, a potential alternative, and showing how it stacks up against ServiceNow Knowledge Management.

By the end of this article, you’ll know exactly whether ServiceNow Knowledge Management is the right fit for your needs. So, let’s dive into this ServiceNow Knowledge Management Review and see if it’s the tool you’ve been searching for.”

TD;DR

This article provides a comprehensive overview of ServiceNow Knowledge Management, a platform designed to streamline information sharing and enhance productivity for organizations. Key takeaways include:

ServiceNow Knowledge Management Overview: A robust platform for centralizing and managing knowledge, ensuring that the right information is available to the right people at the right time.

Key Features:

  • Knowledge Bases: Create multiple knowledge bases tailored to different departments or teams, facilitating organized content.
  • Article Templates: Use pre-built templates for consistent documentation, saving time and maintaining uniformity.
  • Approval Workflows: Ensure only vetted and approved content gets published, maintaining accuracy and reliability.
  • Search and Filtering: Robust search functionality to find information quickly and efficiently.
  • Integration with Other ServiceNow Modules: Seamless integration with modules like Incident Management and IT Service Management for easy access to knowledge articles.

Benefits:

  • Enhancing Productivity: Quick access to information, centralized knowledge base, and reduced redundant work lead to increased efficiency.
  • Streamlining Information Sharing: Effective sharing of information across the organization, ensuring consistency and accuracy.

Who Should Use ServiceNow Knowledge Management: Ideal for IT support teams, customer service teams, HR departments, field service teams, and sales teams.

Comparison with Competitors:

  • Asista: An alternative with similar features. Comparison includes user interface, features, customization, support, and pricing.
  • ServiceNow Knowledge Management vs. Asista: ServiceNow offers comprehensive tools and seamless integration, making it a strong candidate for organizations.

ServiceNow Knowledge Management Review:

  • Pros: Efficient knowledge management, user-friendly interface, robust features, improved productivity, and reliable integration.
  • Cons: Complexity, initial setup challenges, customization difficulty, and steep learning curve.

Final Thoughts: ServiceNow Knowledge Management stands out for its advanced features, scalability, and seamless integration, making it a valuable investment for businesses looking to improve their knowledge management processes.

By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear understanding of whether ServiceNow Knowledge Management is the right tool for your organization. So, let’s dive into this ServiceNow Knowledge Management Review and see if it’s the solution you’ve been looking for.

What is ServiceNow Knowledge Management?

Let’s dive right into what ServiceNow Knowledge Management really is and why it’s crucial for your organization.

Definition and Core Purpose

The Process of Knowledge Management: Capturing, Structuring, Sharing, Analyzing, Reusing, and Improving Knowledge.
The Process of Knowledge Management: Capturing, Structuring, Sharing, Analyzing, Reusing, and Improving Knowledge.

At its core, ServiceNow Knowledge Management is a platform designed to centralize and manage all your organization’s knowledge in one place.

Whether it’s documents, FAQs, or best practices, this tool ensures that the right information is available to the right people at the right time.

It’s all about making sure that you and your team can find what you need quickly, without digging through endless folders or outdated files.

Imagine you’re part of an IT support team, and a colleague asks you about a common issue they’re facing. With ServiceNow Knowledge Management, you can easily pull up a well-documented solution in seconds, saving both you and your colleague valuable time.

This is what makes the tool so powerful—it streamlines knowledge sharing, reduces redundancy, and ultimately boosts productivity.

Key Features of ServiceNow Knowledge Management

Now, let’s talk about the specific features that make this platform stand out. In this ServiceNow Knowledge Management Review, I want to highlight what truly sets it apart from other tools.

 AI-powered insights: Automatically identify and visualize knowledge gaps for assignment.
AI-powered insights: Automatically identify and visualize knowledge gaps for assignment.

  • Knowledge Bases: ServiceNow allows you to create multiple knowledge bases, each tailored to different departments or teams. This means you can organize content in a way that makes sense for your specific needs.
  • Article Templates: Instead of starting from scratch every time, you can use pre-built templates to ensure consistency across all your documentation. Whether it’s a troubleshooting guide or a policy document, templates help maintain a professional and uniform look.
  • Approval Workflows: This feature ensures that only vetted and approved content gets published. You won’t have to worry about inaccurate or outdated information slipping through the cracks.
  • Search and Filtering: The platform’s robust search functionality allows you to find exactly what you’re looking for in seconds. You can filter results by category, date, or even keywords, making the search process quick and efficient.
  • Integration with Other ServiceNow Modules: One of the key strengths of ServiceNow Knowledge Management is its seamless integration with other ServiceNow modules like Incident Management and IT Service Management. This ensures that knowledge articles are always accessible when and where you need them.

By understanding these features, you can see how ServiceNow Knowledge Management isn’t just another tool—it’s a comprehensive solution designed to enhance the way your team works.

Throughout this ServiceNow Knowledge Management Review, I’ll continue to explore how these elements come together to create a platform that truly supports your organizational goals.

Benefits of ServiceNow Knowledge Management

When you’re considering a new tool, understanding its benefits is key. In this part of the ServiceNow Knowledge Management Review, I’ll walk you through how this platform can enhance productivity and streamline information sharing for your team.

Enhancing Productivity

Modern intuitive dashboards: Enhance HR service outcomes and employee experience.
Modern intuitive dashboards: Enhance HR service outcomes and employee experience.

One of the most significant benefits of ServiceNow Knowledge Management is its ability to boost productivity across your organization. Imagine how much time you and your team spend searching for information, duplicating work, or correcting errors caused by outdated data. This tool is designed to eliminate those inefficiencies.

Here’s how:

  • Quick Access to Information: With ServiceNow Knowledge Management, you can quickly locate the exact information you need. The platform’s powerful search functionality means you’re not wasting time hunting through irrelevant documents or sifting through old emails.
  • Centralized Knowledge Base: Instead of scattered documents across different systems, everything is stored in a centralized location. This means everyone in your team, whether they’re in IT, customer service, or HR, can access the same up-to-date information, ensuring consistency in responses and actions.
  • Reducing Redundant Work: Because the knowledge base is continuously updated and easily accessible, you and your team won’t need to recreate solutions to problems that have already been solved. This frees up time to focus on more critical tasks.

Streamlining Information Sharing

Gain complete visibility into employee requests and deliver exceptional support with this intuitive ServiceNow dashboard.
Gain complete visibility into employee requests and deliver exceptional support with this intuitive ServiceNow dashboard.

Another major advantage highlighted in this ServiceNow Knowledge Management Review is how effectively the platform streamlines the sharing of information. In any organization, ensuring that everyone has access to the right knowledge at the right time is crucial for smooth operations.

Here’s what you can expect:

  • Structured Content Distribution: ServiceNow Knowledge Management allows you to structure and distribute content efficiently. Whether it’s company policies, product information, or technical guides, you can ensure that the right people receive the right information exactly when they need it.
  • Collaborative Environment: The platform supports collaboration by allowing multiple users to contribute to and update knowledge articles. This ensures that the information remains accurate and reflects the collective expertise of your team.
  • Automated Workflows: The built-in approval workflows mean that any new or updated content is reviewed before it goes live. This keeps the knowledge base accurate and trustworthy, reducing the chances of misinformation being spread within your organization.

By leveraging these features, ServiceNow Knowledge Management not only saves you time but also ensures that everyone in your organization is on the same page. Throughout this review, it’s clear that the platform is designed to make your work life smoother and more efficient, making it a valuable asset for any team.

How ServiceNow Knowledge Management Works

Understanding how to set up and use ServiceNow Knowledge Management is crucial to getting the most out of the platform. In this part of the ServiceNow Knowledge Management Review, I’ll guide you through the basics of setting up knowledge bases and how to access and manage the knowledge stored within them.

Setting Up Knowledge Bases

Setting up knowledge bases in ServiceNow is the first step toward organizing your team’s information. A knowledge base is essentially a repository where all related articles, documents, and information are stored. You can create multiple knowledge bases tailored to different departments, such as IT support, customer service, or HR.

Here’s how you can set up a knowledge base:

  • Define the Purpose: Start by defining what the knowledge base will be used for. For example, you might create a knowledge base specifically for customer service FAQs or one for internal IT troubleshooting guides. This ensures that the content is relevant and easy to find.
  • Organize by Categories: Within each knowledge base, you can organize content into categories. This might include sections like “Technical Support,” “Policy Documents,” or “Best Practices.” Organizing information this way makes it easier for users to navigate and find what they need quickly.
  • Use Templates for Consistency: ServiceNow Knowledge Management offers pre-built templates for different types of articles. Whether you’re documenting a process or providing a step-by-step guide, these templates help maintain a consistent structure and look across your knowledge base.
  • Assign Roles and Permissions: To ensure that your knowledge base is managed properly, you can assign roles and permissions. This means that only certain team members can create, edit, or approve content, while others can view and use the information. This helps keep the knowledge base accurate and up-to-date.

Accessing and Managing Knowledge

Once your knowledge bases are set up, accessing and managing the information becomes straightforward. In this ServiceNow Knowledge Management Review, it’s important to highlight how the platform makes this process seamless for you and your team.

Here’s what you can expect:

  • Powerful Search Functionality: The platform’s search engine is one of its strongest features. You can search for articles by keywords, categories, or even specific tags. This means that if you’re looking for a specific troubleshooting guide, you can find it in seconds without having to browse through unrelated content.
  • Real-Time Updates: ServiceNow allows for real-time updates to articles. If new information becomes available, it can be quickly added, and the update will be visible to all users immediately. This ensures that your team is always working with the most current data.
  • Version Control: Managing multiple versions of the same document can be challenging, but ServiceNow makes it easy. The platform tracks changes and maintains a history of edits, allowing you to revert to previous versions if needed. This is particularly useful if you need to correct mistakes or review the evolution of a document.
  • Feedback and Improvement: Users can leave feedback on articles, which helps identify areas for improvement. This feedback loop is invaluable for continuously refining the quality and relevance of the knowledge base. You can use this feedback to update content, making sure it meets the needs of your team.

By following these steps, you’ll find that ServiceNow Knowledge Management is not just about storing information—it’s about making that information accessible, manageable, and useful in your day-to-day operations. This ServiceNow Knowledge Management Review has shown that with the right setup, you can significantly enhance the way knowledge is shared and utilized across your organization.

Who Should Use ServiceNow Knowledge Management?

As you’re reading this ServiceNow Knowledge Management Review, you might be wondering if this platform is the right fit for your organization. To help you decide, I’ll break down the ideal use cases and the industries and roles that benefit most from using ServiceNow Knowledge Management.

Ideal Use Cases

ServiceNow Knowledge Management is designed to address specific challenges that many organizations face. If any of these scenarios sound familiar, this tool might be just what you need:

  • Handling Repetitive Queries: If your team frequently answers the same questions or resolves similar issues, a centralized knowledge base can save time. For example, in a customer service setting, agents can quickly refer to pre-written responses, allowing them to resolve issues faster and more consistently.
  • Managing Large Volumes of Information: If your organization deals with a significant amount of data, such as IT support or HR policies, ServiceNow Knowledge Management helps keep everything organized. Instead of scattered documents, you have a single source of truth where everyone can find the most up-to-date information.
  • Improving Employee Onboarding: New employees often struggle to find the information they need to get up to speed. A well-organized knowledge base can streamline onboarding by providing easy access to training materials, company policies, and role-specific guides.
  • Maintaining Compliance: For organizations that must adhere to strict regulatory requirements, keeping accurate and accessible documentation is critical. ServiceNow Knowledge Management ensures that all necessary information is available and up-to-date, reducing the risk of non-compliance.

Industries and Roles that Benefit Most

Now, let’s talk about the industries and roles that stand to gain the most from this platform. Throughout this ServiceNow Knowledge Management Review, it’s clear that certain sectors and positions will find particular value in these features:

  • IT Support Teams: IT professionals often need to solve problems quickly and efficiently. With ServiceNow Knowledge Management, they can access troubleshooting guides, software documentation, and best practices without delay, enabling them to resolve issues faster and with fewer errors.
  • Customer Service Teams: In customer-facing roles, having quick access to accurate information is crucial. ServiceNow Knowledge Management allows customer service agents to pull up FAQs, product details, and service procedures instantly, leading to improved customer satisfaction.
  • HR Departments: HR teams handle a variety of information, from company policies to employee benefits. ServiceNow Knowledge Management helps them organize this data, making it easy to find and share with employees, especially during onboarding or when updates occur.
  • Field Service Teams: For teams working in the field, such as technicians or service engineers, having access to a mobile-friendly knowledge base is essential. ServiceNow Knowledge Management provides them with the information they need on the go, whether it’s a repair manual or a safety protocol.
  • Sales Teams: Sales teams benefit from having up-to-date product information, competitive analysis, and sales strategies at their fingertips. ServiceNow Knowledge Management ensures that they can access the latest materials, helping them close deals more effectively.

If you find yourself in one of these roles or industries, ServiceNow Knowledge Management could be a game-changer for you.

This ServiceNow Knowledge Management Review highlights how the platform is tailored to meet the specific needs of these groups, making it a valuable tool for enhancing productivity and efficiency across your organization.

What is an Advantage with Asista?

When evaluating ServiceNow Knowledge Management, it’s essential to consider how it stacks up against alternatives like Asista.

In this section, I’ll introduce you to Asista, highlight its key features, and compare it directly with ServiceNow Knowledge Management.

By understanding these differences, you’ll be better equipped to choose the platform that best suits your needs.

Asista: ServiceNow Knowledge Management Alternative

 Transform your business processes with ASISTA's comprehensive workflow platform, offering service catalogs, self-service, reporting, and more.
Transform your business processes with ASISTA’s comprehensive workflow platform, offering service catalogs, self-service, reporting, and more.

Asista is an emerging player in the field of knowledge management, offering a comprehensive and user-friendly platform designed to streamline the way teams manage and share information.

Whether you’re handling IT support, customer service, or HR processes, Asista provides an efficient, cost-effective solution that simplifies your knowledge management efforts.

Key Features of Asista

Asista brings a range of powerful features to the table, making it a strong contender against ServiceNow Knowledge Management:

 ASISTA’s Dashboard Portal provides a centralized platform for organizations to visualize and monitor key performance indicators.
ASISTA’s Dashboard Portal provides a centralized platform for organizations to visualize and monitor key performance indicators.

  • Intuitive Interface: Asista offers an easy-to-use interface that requires minimal training. This ensures that your team can start using the platform quickly, with little to no learning curve.
  • Customizable Knowledge Bases: Similar to ServiceNow, Asista allows you to create multiple knowledge bases, but with more flexible customization options. You can tailor these bases to meet the specific needs of your departments, ensuring that the right information is accessible to the right people.
  • Advanced Search and Filtering: Asista’s search functionality is designed to help you find information faster, with advanced filtering options that make locating specific content a breeze.
  • Collaborative Content Management: With Asista, multiple team members can collaborate on content creation and management, ensuring that your knowledge base is always up-to-date and accurate.

Asista vs. ServiceNow Knowledge Management

When comparing Asista to ServiceNow Knowledge Management, there are several key differences that you should consider, particularly in terms of pricing and usability.

Pricing:

  • Asista is notably more affordable, making it an attractive option for small to medium-sized businesses. Asista’s pricing starts at $29 per user per month, with additional features available at higher tiers.
  • In contrast, ServiceNow Knowledge Management is significantly more expensive, with costs typically starting around $100 per user per month. For larger organizations, this difference can add up quickly, making Asista a much more cost-effective solution.

Usability:

  • Asista’s platform is designed with simplicity in mind. The intuitive interface means you and your team can get started with minimal training, reducing the time and resources needed to implement the system.
  • ServiceNow, while powerful, comes with a steeper learning curve. Its interface, though comprehensive, can be overwhelming for new users, often requiring extensive training to fully leverage its capabilities.

Customization:

  • Asista shines when it comes to customization. You have more control over how you set up your knowledge bases, making it easier to tailor the system to your specific needs.
  • ServiceNow offers customization, but it can be more complex and time-consuming to configure, especially if you don’t have a dedicated IT team to manage the setup.

In this Servicenow Knowledge Management Review, it’s clear that while ServiceNow offers a robust platform, Asista stands out as a more affordable, user-friendly alternative that doesn’t compromise on essential features.

If you’re looking for a solution that balances cost and functionality, Asista might just be the better choice for your organization.

ServiceNow Knowledge Management Review: Final Thoughts

As we wrap up this Servicenow Knowledge Management Review, let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of the platform, along with the overall user experience. This will help you weigh the benefits and drawbacks to determine if it’s the right fit for your organization.

Pros and Cons

Like any tool, ServiceNow Knowledge Management has its strengths and areas where it might not meet every need. Here’s what stands out:

Pros:

  • Comprehensive Features: ServiceNow Knowledge Management offers a wide range of features, from customizable knowledge bases to robust search capabilities. This makes it suitable for large organizations with complex knowledge management needs.
  • Integration with Other ServiceNow Modules: One of the biggest advantages is how seamlessly it integrates with other ServiceNow products, such as Incident Management and IT Service Management. This integration ensures that knowledge articles are always available when needed, enhancing workflow efficiency.
  • Scalability: ServiceNow is built to scale, making it ideal for growing organizations. As your company expands, the platform can grow with you, accommodating an increasing volume of data and users without compromising performance.

Cons:

  • High Cost: One of the most significant drawbacks is the cost. With pricing starting around $100 per user per month, ServiceNow can be expensive, especially for small to medium-sized businesses. This high price point may make it less accessible for organizations with limited budgets.
  • Complexity: While ServiceNow is feature-rich, it comes with a steep learning curve. For teams without a dedicated IT department, setting up and managing the platform can be challenging and time-consuming. Training is often required to fully leverage its capabilities, which can add to the overall cost and time investment.
  • Overwhelming for Small Teams: For smaller teams or businesses, the extensive features might be overkill. If you don’t need all the bells and whistles, you might find the platform more cumbersome than helpful.

Overall User Experience

When it comes to the overall user experience, ServiceNow Knowledge Management offers a powerful but complex solution. Here’s what you can expect:

  • User Interface: The interface is well-designed but can be overwhelming for new users. Navigating through the various features and settings might take some getting used to. However, once you’re familiar with it, the platform becomes a highly effective tool for managing knowledge.
  • Support and Documentation: ServiceNow provides extensive support and documentation, which is crucial given the platform’s complexity. If you run into issues, there are plenty of resources available to help you troubleshoot and optimize your use of the platform.
  • Performance: In terms of performance, ServiceNow Knowledge Management is reliable and fast. The platform handles large volumes of data with ease, and the search functionality is quick and accurate. This makes it an excellent choice for organizations that need to manage a lot of information efficiently.

In this part of the ServiceNow Knowledge Management Review, you’ve seen a detailed breakdown of what works well and where the platform might fall short. Understanding these factors will help you make an informed decision about whether ServiceNow Knowledge Management aligns with your organizational needs.

Conclusion

In this ServiceNow Knowledge Management Review, we’ve covered the essential aspects of the platform, providing you with a clear understanding of how it can impact your organization’s knowledge management processes. As you consider whether ServiceNow Knowledge Management is the right choice for you, keep these key points in mind:

👉 Comprehensive Features: ServiceNow Knowledge Management offers a robust set of tools, including customizable knowledge bases and advanced search capabilities, to streamline information management.

👉 Scalability: Built to support growing organizations, ServiceNow scales effectively, ensuring it can handle increasing data volumes and user demands without compromising performance.

👉 Integration: Seamlessly integrate ServiceNow Knowledge Management with other ServiceNow modules, enhancing workflow efficiency and ensuring that your knowledge base is accessible across different departments.

👉 User Experience: While the platform is powerful, it comes with a steep learning curve and requires a significant investment in both time and resources to fully leverage its capabilities.

ServiceNow Knowledge Management stands out for its enterprise-grade features, making it a strong contender for organizations with complex knowledge management needs. However, it’s crucial to weigh the platform’s benefits against its cost and complexity to determine if it’s the best fit for your business.

Thank you for taking the time to explore this ServiceNow Knowledge Management Review. If you’re ready to see how this platform can transform your knowledge management practices, consider scheduling a demo or exploring other alternatives like Asista that might offer a more tailored solution for your needs.

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