The Value of Company-Wide Knowledge Management in 2025
Samantha is a Certified Knowledge Manager (CKM), an expert in organizational efficiency and effectiveness, drives our customer-obsessed culture, and champions inclusivity at Bloomfire. Her leadership has inspired our team to create products that our customers love, which has been rewarded with great loyalty.
All too often, companies adopt fragmented knowledge management strategies, with disparate platforms creating silos that hinder collaboration and limit the use of collective intelligence. In contrast, forward-thinking businesses increasingly understand the value of company-wide knowledge management, establishing a unified source of truth to mitigate knowledge loss, boost productivity, and accelerate new employee integration.
To support this impact, we uncovered evidence on how organizations benefit from intuitive knowledge management through solid metrics. Backed by findings from Bloomfire’s Value of Enterprise Intelligence report, based on data from over 10,000 employees across 115 companies, it was revealed that a centralized enterprise-wide knowledge management system yields time savings, quicker onboarding, and enhanced knowledge retention.
The Value of Enterprise Intelligence report presents more findings from platform usage analysis and customer surveys, quantifying the value of company-wide knowledge management. Here are some of the most notable statistical data:
1. Reduced Time Searching for Information
Time spent searching for information significantly diminishes productivity, highlighting the value of company-wide knowledge management in streamlining access to essential data. A McKinsey & Company study found that employees spend an average of 1.8 hours daily searching for information. This not only reduces the time employees can spend on impactful tasks but also creates frustration, leading to lower morale.
Implementing a company-wide knowledge management strategy through a robust KM system prevents this significant time loss. While companies lacking such systems may see employees spend an average of 8.5 hours weekly on information retrieval, organizations with KM programs can cut this down to just 4.6 hours, effectively saving approximately 3.9 hours per employee each week. This reclaimed time translates directly into increased productivity and efficiency across the company.
Additionally, utilizing a knowledge management system enables employees to locate necessary documents in under 15 minutes. This is a substantial improvement compared to the 38 minutes typically spent navigating multiple, disparate sources.
8.5 hours
Average weekly hours spent on information search without a KM system
4.6 hours
Average weekly hours spent on information search with a KM system
Less than 15 minutes
The length of time it takes to locate documents with a KM platform.
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2. Empower Employees with Self-Driven Searches
Without a centralized knowledge management platform, employees may email or message subject matter experts (SMEs) for answers, waiting for a response that may benefit them. The information often gets buried in emails or chat threads, making it inaccessible to others with the same question.
Employees can perform self-driven searches through company-wide knowledge management, accessing the information they need in real-time. Our data shows that the average Bloomfire user performs 103 keyword searches per year, 103 fewer disruptions for SMEs, and faster access to vital information.
Even with search queries, users frequently rely on advanced tools to refine their results. Our survey reveals that the top three search tools users most frequently leverage (apart from search queries) are: search filters (23%), search term highlights (21%), and changing the sort order (13%).
23%
of Bloomfire users use search filters frequently to find content
21%
of Bloomfire users use search term highlights frequently to find content
13%
of Bloomfire users use the sort order change feature frequently to find content
3. Faster Onboarding and Training
A strong onboarding framework improves key metrics across the board. According to SHRM, employee retention rates are boosted by 52%, productivity increases by 60%, and overall satisfaction improves by 53%. By leveraging company-wide knowledge management, new hires can access training materials, FAQs, and resources at their own pace, leading to a smoother onboarding experience.
Providing new hires with effective knowledge management tools immediately boosts their onboarding productivity by 11.7% weekly, saving them 4.7 hours. This swift access to crucial information accelerates their integration and significantly reduces training time.
In our customer survey, 93% of Bloomfire users reported faster onboarding after adopting our platform. As a result, new employees were able to get up to speed quickly and confidently, contributing to the company sooner.
11.7%
The weekly increase in onboarding productivity with KM tools
4.7 hours
The amount of time saved in onboarding using a KM system
93%
of Bloomfire users report faster onboarding using the platform
4. Knowledge Retention and Reduced Turnover Risks
Employee turnover remains a significant challenge for businesses. In July 2024, an estimated 3.74 million workers voluntarily left their jobs in the U.S., a slight increase from the previous month. Employees often take valuable expertise and knowledge with them when they leave, instead of adhering to a systematized knowledge transfer plan. When left unchecked, it creates a gap that can hinder organizational performance if not properly managed.
A company-wide knowledge management system helps capture critical knowledge before employees depart. According to our survey, 84% of Bloomfire users feel more confident retaining knowledge even when employees leave or move to new roles. This reduces stress, eliminates the need to reinvent the wheel, and ensures that employees can build on past knowledge for years.
Implementing strong knowledge management empowers SMEs to dedicate approximately 4.5% more of their weekly time to crucial, high-value activities. As a result, they now have the necessary time allotment to input their tacit knowledge and contribute to the company’s collective intelligence.
Furthermore, 98% of individuals favor workplaces where colleagues exchange unique work knowledge, highlighting the significant value employees place on shared expertise. They also perceive greater productivity with readily available information disseminated across departments, underscoring how knowledge management directly supports knowledge retention and boosts efficiency.
84%
of Bloomfire users express greater confidence in retaining knowledge during staff transitions.
4.5%
of SMEs’ weekly time is spent on high-value activities since using a KM system
98%
of employees favor workplaces where colleagues share unique work knowledge.
5. Elimination of Redundant Work
Consider the multiplied effort wasted across an organization when multiple teams unknowingly tackle the same problems or recreate existing resources. Many types of knowledge management systems provide visibility into past projects, documented solutions, and available assets. Therefore, it prevents duplication of effort, allowing teams to leverage existing knowledge and focus their energy on novel challenges and innovation, rather than repeatedly reinventing the wheel.
Our data sheds more light on this problem, as 65% of employees waste at least one hour weekly (averaging nearly six hours) on redundant tasks, like recreating information. In addition, they dedicate as much as 20% of their time to searching for information or replicating work. This significant time drain underscores the critical need for knowledge management solutions to boost productivity in organizations.
On the other hand, utilizing a knowledge management system like Bloomfire eliminates redundant work, demonstrating the value of company-wide knowledge management through a 15% reduction in costs — a tangible reflection of KM return on investment (ROI). This efficiency gain allows organizations to reallocate resources toward strategic initiatives and innovation.
65%
of employees waste nearly six hours weekly on redundant tasks.
20%
of employee time is spent searching for information or duplicating efforts.
15%
in cost savings result from using a KM system to eliminate redundant work.
6. Faster Problem Solving and Decision-Making
A core value of knowledge management in companies lies in its ability to expedite both problem-solving and decision-making processes. With readily available information on previous challenges, successful strategies, and lessons learned, employees can diagnose issues more rapidly and make informed choices grounded in organizational experience rather than conjecture.
In fact, companies that prioritize insights in their strategic decisions outperform their competitors by 15%. This highlights the significant competitive advantage gained by leveraging organizational knowledge effectively.
Our survey also showed that using Bloomfire, 80% of employees have seen improved, high-quality decision-making with easy knowledge access, with 35% experiencing significant improvement within six months.
15%
is the average outperformance of companies prioritizing insights for strategic decisions.
80%
of employees report improved, high-quality decision-making thanks to easy knowledge access.
35%
of employees experienced improved decision-making within six months with easy access to knowledge.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does knowledge management enhance company performance?
Using a knowledge management system, companies experience improved efficiency as employees locate information more quickly and avoid duplicate efforts. Streamlined workflows and quicker problem-solving, fueled by readily available expertise, also contribute significantly. This optimized productivity and informed decision-making drive stronger overall company performance.
What role does knowledge management play in fostering innovation?
An efficient knowledge management system facilitates the cross-pollination of ideas and insights from various departments and individuals. This interconnectedness allows employees to build upon existing knowledge in novel ways, sparking new solutions and approaches. Consequently, the open exchange of expertise and lessons learned, enabled by knowledge management, cultivates a fertile ground for innovation to flourish within an organization.
Why is knowledge management valuable in a support organization?
Knowledge management is invaluable in a support organization because it centralizes solutions and best practices, enabling agents to resolve customer issues more quickly and consistently. This readily available information empowers agents, reduces response times, and enhances overall customer satisfaction.
Benefits of Company-Wide Knowledge Management
Investing in company-wide knowledge management delivers significant value through knowledge creation and organizational learning, enhancing time management, empowering employees to find information independently, and preserving knowledge in the face of employee turnover. It also plays a crucial role in onboarding and helps businesses unlock innovation through cross-functional collaboration. The value of company-wide knowledge management extends beyond individual departments, driving success throughout the organization.
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Samantha is a Certified Knowledge Manager (CKM), an expert in organizational efficiency and effectiveness, drives our customer-obsessed culture, and champions inclusivity at Bloomfire. Her leadership has inspired our team to create products that our customers love, which has been rewarded with great loyalty.
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