Knowledge management services

WE GIVE VOICE TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STRENGTHEN YOUR IDENTITY

How can you ensure a business flourishes and never declines? Decline is often the result of a business losing the initial spirit that drove its success and set it on a path of long-term growth. So, how can we prevent the loss of that winning combination of vision, know-how and core values that constitute knowledge, without which the working environment becomes a place of uncertainty, in which it is difficult to make rational and consistent decisions?

SMG Languages works alongside management to strengthen the business and ensure its long-term viability, helping it to preserve, enhance and share its most precious asset: knowledge. This knowledge represents the company’s distinctive identity and guides its decisions both in times of growth and in periods of market contraction, helping it to cope with change, to accelerate when possible, to slow down when necessary, and to inspire people towards a life of building and sharing.

When we work with a company, we begin by gathering and consolidating its knowledge, so that it becomes a single point of reference. Depending on requirements, we consolidate it by drafting presentations, policies, processes, procedures, manuals, technical documentation, company profiles and specialist documents and whatever else is needed. Subsequently, this work – collectively structured into a knowledge base – enables us to communicate an identity-defining and compelling narrative to the outside world, which can also be achieved through innovative multi-channel projects.

This innovative approach to knowledge management enables us to engage both your internal users and your external audience, automatically achieving your staff training objectives and projecting a completely authentic image of your company.

WE DESIGN YOUR CIRCULAR CONTENT MANAGEMENT

We design and manage scalable knowledge management and technical communication ecosystems that seamlessly connect people, processes, and technology.

These are holistic solutions that address virtually all your needs in the areas of knowledge, content and corporate identity: from the drafting of structured content to its localisation into the languages and cultures of your users, right through to staff training, the constant updating of technical documentation, quality control and compliance certification.

How we structure the project for you:

• We structure the work processes, including processes for managing content operations, ensuring they are seamless, scalable and cost-effective.
• We identify the enabling technologies best suited to your needs, such as CCMS (e.g. MadCap Flare or Paligo), CMS (e.g. WordPress, Joomla or Drupal), other document management platforms (e.g. SharePoint), intranet systems, artificial intelligence applications and solutions to integrate your information systems with new, enhanced technologies.
• We establish drafting guidelines: from the many standards for writing and structuring content (European and US standards, Plain English, DITA, Information Mapping, ASD-STE100, Diátexis, etc.), we make the most suitable choice for drafting your documentation, taking into account your target audience, your technological infrastructure and the regulatory requirements with which you must comply. Where necessary, we can create style guides and brand manuals tailored to your corporate identity.
• We define knowledge governance, including the preparation of protocols for the controlled distribution of content, the rules for its updating and traceability (‘versioning’).
• We assign project staff, who fill any gaps in your team’s skills.

WE CONSOLIDATE YOUR KNOWLEDGE BASE

When you entrust us with a knowledge management or content creation project, we collate your knowledge base to create an archive of your information that can be easily accessed, searched and updated.

Firstly, we gather the knowledge your staff have developed over the years. To do this, we conduct targeted interviews and site visits and collect existing documentation (presentations, manuals, procedures, etc.). This interaction allows your staff to voice any concerns and suggest areas for improvement.

Once we have gathered this internal knowledge, we can also collect external information to provide context for your company’s operations. For example, this can involve useful benchmarking against your competitors.

WE DRAFT YOUR DOCUMENTATION

Once the information comprising your knowledge base has been collected and verified, we are able to create, translate and manage your technical and strategic content.

We draft content in accordance with the principles of standardisation agreed with the client, ensuring that the texts are consistent and easy to read. We also structure content into reusable modules.

In doing so, we transform your tacit knowledge into structured, multilingual and validated content, overseeing every stage of the project:

• Technical writing.
• Layout and graphic design.
• Management via CMS, CCMS and multi-channel systems.

Finally, you will have all your know-how at your disposal and preserve the knowledge and values that make you unique. As well as ensuring operational efficiency over time, the preservation of knowledge and values will provide you with all the tools necessary to guide future decisions in a consistent and effective manner.

WE UPDATE CONTENT REGULARLY

We guarantee our full long-term support, assisting you with regular content updates in line with the company’s development and any new regulatory and market requirements.

The standardised and modular structure of the documentation we create for you simplifies subsequent revision and makes it highly reusable, thereby reducing service costs and facilitating compliance.

WE HELP YOU OBTAIN CERTIFICATIONS

We assist with obtaining the certifications required for your products and systems, implementing the requirements set by the certifying bodies to ensure your technical documentation remains compliant at all times.

Examples of common certifications:

• CE marking
• NATO coding
• REACH Declaration of Conformity

WE PROVIDE YOU WITH AN INTERNATIONAL HELPDESK

The helpdesk service is based on a ticketing system, through which we respond to enquiries and reports from your users, in any language. This service saves your staff a considerable amount of work and responsibility in the long term.

For example, we can assist users by providing explanations of the procedures drawn up for you, and pass on their queries and suggestions for improvement to you. Gathering this feedback enables us to develop content that meets users’ actual needs. This creates a virtuous circle, enhances knowledge and engages staff, making them feel part of the process.

WE TRAIN YOUR STAFF

Staff become an active part of the knowledge-creation process through the continuous exchange of information on the procedures and content developed, and by listening to their feedback on these matters. Knowledge becomes embedded throughout the organisation, becoming a key distinguishing feature that ensures the long-term viability of the business and is strengthened by dialogue with all members of staff.

SMG Languages can also design tailor-made training programmes to teach your staff how to use technical documentation and corporate content. We design modular courses and produce training materials for you, including audiovisual materials, which are useful both when onboarding new recruits, and for strengthening the skills and capabilities of existing staff.

WE COMMUNICATE YOUR UNIQUENESS

Having a clear and authentic knowledge base, effective content and well-informed staff is essential for growth. This is what we achieve through the actions described above. Now, we can give free rein to our creativity in communicating this wealth of values in whatever way you prefer, utilising multi-channel marketing tools and the latest innovations in communication within an increasingly connected and receptive world.

We will be proud to be a part of your growth by getting your voice heard!