Knowledge management in the banking industry helps financial institutions uncover their strengths and weaknesses with people, processes, and technology. It plays a significant role in employee and customer satisfaction and supports operations in improving product and service offerings. As new technologies continue to be introduced into the sector, the industry must reevaluate its priorities and practices in banking knowledge management to stay competitive and relevant.
The Current State of Managing Information In Financial Services
Sadly, many of today’s banking knowledge bases remain outdated, failing to deliver customers and employees the information they need to use a bank’s products and services successfully. Internal staff relies heavily on documents and information drawn from multiple siloed sources. Because there’s no centralized web or cloud-based repository for organizational data, they cannot be guaranteed the information they’re accessing and sharing with customers is current or accurate.
A lack of a centralized knowledge base is a key sign your bank should be considering new software and processes that:
- Gives employees access to internal knowledge that helps them better serve your customers.
- Makes it easy for customers to get self-service banking support online.
If you want a knowledge management software solution that enables people to get the right information at the right time in the right context, proper implementation of knowledge management practices is a key business strategy.
Knowledge Management Best Practices in Banking
Banking has become a crucial player in the global economy. Leadership must not only become more efficient in managing knowledge in banking operations, but they must be current on new products and services to support the constantly changing needs of the bank’s customers.
The World Bank was the first to develop a knowledge management system for banking in 1996. Banks in developed countries such as the US, UK, Germany, and Canada soon followed suit, though their knowledge practices were still limited. Serious investment in knowledge management built for banking began in 2000, and since then, banks have benefited in both technical and competitive ways.
Here’s how they’re doing it.
1. Acknowledge Knowledge Management Is an Ongoing Process
Banks that have put off investing in knowledge management software are discovering they now need to play catch-up. If you’re one of them, you must start now to prepare your financial institution, its employees, and its customers for an ongoing, continuous process that often runs counter to current business strategies.
While installing knowledge software is a one-time affair, knowledge management itself is not a set-and-forget project. Your bank’s knowledge base is a living, evolving entity that you need to update and improve over the long term.
2. Use a Phased Approach
For optimal implementation, take an incremental approach to rolling out your new knowledge base. Start with the early adopters and high-profile subject matter experts and use this time to monitor processes. That way, you can make workflow improvements as you gradually bring in more groups over time. This phased approach ensures the substantial volume of content you’re transferring to your new knowledge base gets up and running sooner, which allows your bank to begin seeing value sooner.
3. Assign Ownership
Just like any other new operational initiative, ownership is exceptionally critical when it comes to knowledge management. When you assign ownership of your bank’s new knowledge base, you set an important precedent for structure, content workflows, and approval. You also benefit from consistency in content formatting and titling, a crucial foundation for the search engine optimization of your knowledge base.
4. Foster Strong Adoption
A knowledge base for banking is only effective if people use it. Banks that see the most significant levels of success in knowledge management are those that involve their employees from the outset, encouraging them to stay active and invested over time. The best way to keep employees informed and excited about knowledge management is to include them in the entire implementation process, including asking them for feedback on the content and structure of the knowledge base. Build robust communications and training programs. You might also consider rewarding employee participation through incentive initiatives like gamification and positive reinforcement.
5. Gather Feedback and Data to Optimize Your Knowledge Base
Ongoing optimization and improvement of your bank’s new knowledge base keep it and you up-to-date in a constantly changing world of financial services. Feedback from employees and customers helps you track how well your knowledge base is being used and identify areas with knowledge gaps that need improvement. It also shows them you value their opinions and believe what they think is important is vital to your bank’s success.
Choosing The Right Banking Knowledge Management System
Bank employees need a single centralized knowledge base to successfully and confidently do their jobs, whether it’s assisting customers with tech issues or helping them apply for a mortgage loan. For customers, it means smoother transactions where they can quickly and easily solve their banking problems without having to call in for support, which builds loyalty and trust.
In short, knowledge management for the banking industry empowers people with the consistent, reliable information required to make good decisions and get their needs met. The good news is that implementing knowledge management built for banking doesn’t need to be a complex process. KMS Lighthouse is an AI-driven solution that delivers reliable and accurate information everyone can use to improve the banking experience.
