3 Ways In Which Your Company Can Benefit From A Team Wiki
Many people have never heard of a team wiki. However, every business should have one to ensure employees have the tools and information they need to hit the ground running on every project. It doesn’t matter if it’s a new employee, an employee in a new position, or older employees who need to learn something about a new project. A team wiki is a must-have for any company looking to succeed.
The Premise Of A Team Wiki
So, what exactly is a team wiki? It’s the main folder for all your company information.
With a team wiki, all employees can create internal documents about company products, projects, and processes. In the past, new employees had to ask business owners or other employees questions to understand more about the company. Now, if an employee is unsure of how something is supposed to be done, they can look at the company wiki.
For a team wiki to be successful, you want everybody in the company to contribute toward it regularly. Information not only needs to be added but updated too. Every employee can contribute something to the wiki – no matter if it’s a process others don’t know anything about, client information, pricing plan details, etc.
Every company employee has something they bring to the business, and that’s what they can give to the team wiki. A team wiki is also referred to as a company wiki or a corporate wiki when used in business settings.
When everybody shares their knowledge in a team knowledge base, everybody else can use the wisdom. Talk about smoother operations.
Why Should You Consider A Team Wiki?
It may surprise you to know that five popular companies use a team wiki for their company. Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft all use them because they know the sharing of information between employees streamlines the day-to-day operations. It’s an increase in efficiency.
Companies without a wiki are going to be continually playing catch-up with those companies with one. So, if you find that your company lacks a team wiki, perhaps it’s time to consider the three main reasons you should develop one.
New Employees Learn The Job Quicker
Based on a recent study, U.S. employers spend about $4,000 and 24 days training and onboarding new workers. Since it takes more than three weeks to train new employees on the company’s operations, it can hinder employees from being productive. This also lowers the return rate of hiring new employees.
With a team wiki, you don’t have to worry about new employees not knowing what to do, feeling stressed out about the job, or bothering other employees to assist them for a time. It’s not a scenario anybody wants to be in, and since training differs from one company to the next, it’s the next best thing.
A team wiki gives your new employees an opportunity to get all the information they need at their own fingertips, and they can read and re-read it as often as they need. No more feeling embarrassed asking for help or feeling like they are bothering other employees. The team wiki gives them everything they need to hit the ground running and being another productive member of the company.
You can also add information about the days and times of team meetings – something new employees won’t know anything about it or what preparations need to be made. With a team wiki, you provide them with all this information, allowing them to prepare themselves and get to work on day one.
Employees Are More Efficient
According to one study, employees spend about 20 percent of their time looking for information that helps them do their job. If you hired five people, you get only four people being productive. Cut this search time by more than half with a team wiki. Your employees are not spending their time looking for important documents, trying to learn how something works and having problems with a project.
This same study found that a team wiki boosted team productivity by 20-25 percent.
Keep Important Files and Information For However Long You Want
When an employee retires or changes jobs, the information they have brought into the company and learned along the way leaves with them. You could ask this person to write down the job for the next employee, but it’s not always possible to remember everything about the job or they may not remember to do it.
A team wiki ensures that team members will share the information they have that can also be used for any new employee. This plethora of easily accessible information means your company gets ahead of the competition. Without it, you’re still playing catch up with the other companies in your industry.
How 3 Companies Are Using A Team Wiki
Adobe
A multinational computer software company, Adobe, uses a team wiki to store all their information and processes in a way that makes it easy to find. This helps employees to give the right answers to clients as well as improve their efficiency and productivity. The company performs numerous data collections on client websites, so when employees don’t use the same processes, the information could be wrong.
Affinipay
Affinipay is a fintech payment processing company. With a team wiki, the platform can find, carry out, and repeat the process quickly. Each team member documents the recurring tasks, which alleviates the chances for mistakes and ensures others know what must be done.
Tulsa Federal Credit Union
Tulsa Federal Credit Union utilizes AllAnswered team wiki as their internal knowledge base. New employees can quickly find the information they need and don’t have to ask the same question over and over. They don’t have to go searching for answers via messaging apps or use collaborative platforms. A team wiki ensured employees had all the information they need at their fingertips, allowing them to start working on the first day.
AllAnswered - Team Wiki + Questions & Answers
AllAnswered knowledge management system offers an all-in-one solution for all your knowledge management needs. It includes both team wiki as the documentation tool and a Q&A platform for your team members to ask questions and get help from others. It is designed to capture both types of team knowledge - explicit knowledge and tacit knowledge.
Please feel free to schedule a demo so we can show you the main features. We also offer a 14-day free trial so you can try it out yourself to see if it is the right solution for you.