In previous posts, we explored the importance of tacit knowledge and the human factors influencing its sharing. Now, let’s turn our attention to the tools that help capture and use this valuable but elusive resource. When combined with the right strategies and cultural environment, the right tools can transform tacit knowledge from a hypothetical asset into a practical business resource.
Modern voice capture technologies transcribe meetings, interviews, and casual conversations by converting spoken words into searchable text. They have transformed how organizations document and analyze verbal communications by preserving insights that would otherwise be lost. Voice capture has become even more important since the COVID pandemic, when organizations increased their reliance on real-time discussions for problem-solving and decision-making.
Popular tools in this category include niche products like Otter.ai, Rev, and Fireflies.ai, as well as full-fledged collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet which provide these capabilities as part of their offering. The niche products integrate with a range of platforms, enabling seamless recording followed by transcription. When paired with AI-driven summarization and tagging tools, these conversations become knowledge assets that can be referenced by AI engines. This makes voice capture systems critical for filling the gap in capturing the informal and spontaneous insights that characterize tacit knowledge.
Collaboration platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams provide a robust set of capabilities for remote communication and teamwork across geographically dispersed locations. These tools have become essential to daily operations, especially in hybrid work environments. Their built-in recording and transcription capabilities automatically and unobtrusively document discussions, decisions, and brainstorming sessions. This not only aids in knowledge capture and retention but also ensures that information is accessible to those who couldn’t attend meetings in real time.
These platforms also act as collaborative hubs where teams exchange updates and share valuable experiential insights. By storing and indexing these sessions, organizations are now able to capture the tacit nuances of expertise shared in real-world context where it matters most. Importantly, when recordings and transcripts from these tools are automatically tagged and added to knowledge management systems, their value multiplies. For the first time, tools can now capture the bulk of organizational knowledge during the normal course of business without requiring extensive manual input that doomed previous efforts.
Microsoft's Viva Answers is designed to harness collective organizational knowledge by connecting employees to experts and previously documented answers. Integrated within the Viva Engage platform, Viva Answers leverages AI to suggest relevant responses and experts based on previous user queries. Features like the Intelligent Importer can transform existing documents into Q&A pairs, enriching the knowledge base with minimal manual effort.
This type of system lowers the barrier to contribution by encouraging employees to ask and answer questions in ways that make their insights reusable. Over time, this builds a living, searchable repository of institutional intelligence. Viva Answers is able to surface knowledge that might otherwise remain buried in team channels or private conversations. Like the other tools, when its content is contextualized, it becomes a valuable component of the organization’s AI-ready knowledge base.
Atlas by ClearPeople stands out as a uniquely comprehensive solution for capturing and managing tacit knowledge across multiple enterprise systems and then incorporating it into the Microsoft 365 environment. It is purpose-built to help organizations move beyond storing documents to capturing lived experience, decisions in motion, and the rationale behind actions.
Atlas makes it easy for employees to contribute insights without disrupting their daily workflows. Whether knowledge is shared through a Teams chat, an email thread, a voice recording, or a project workspace, Atlas can intelligently ingest and process it. The platform automatically applies metadata tags and context using AI and enterprise taxonomies, transforming unstructured content into actionable knowledge.
What makes Atlas especially effective is its ability to work alongside voice capture and transcription tools. For example, when a meeting is recorded and transcribed in Microsoft Teams, Atlas can automatically pull that content into its knowledge base. It applies smart classification to identify key themes, decisions, and contributors, storing the information in a centralized hub that makes it easy to retrieve and reuse.
Atlas surfaces relevant knowledge exactly when it's needed within Outlook, Teams, and other apps. This means insights from informal conversations, voice recordings, or even hallway chats (when captured) don’t just sit in a file; they show up in the natural flow of work when a user is drafting an email, preparing for a meeting, answering a client inquiry, or collaborating on a project.
Atlas also supports structured knowledge creation through templates and guided forms, allowing teams to document insights from retrospectives, debriefs, and expert interviews. These contributions are automatically classified and made discoverable to others in similar roles or working on related initiatives.
Purpose-built for Microsoft 365, Atlas automates contextual tagging and enables intelligent surfacing ensuring that captured tacit knowledge becomes a relevant, retrievable, and useful part of the organization’s collective intelligence.
Several other tools deserve special mention for their ability to help capture tacit knowledge:
Effectively capturing tacit knowledge requires the right combination of tools, seamless workflows, and a culture that supports and encourages sharing. Tools like Atlas, Viva Answers, and modern voice capture platforms provide important capabilities by structuring, contextualizing, and surfacing insights precisely when they’re needed.
When these technologies are paired with practical strategies that promote everyday knowledge sharing (as discussed in a previous post), organizations can finally tap into the wealth of expertise that’s currently out of reach. Used judiciously, these tools transform routine work into an ongoing process of knowledge creation and refinement.
The result? An agile, informed, and resilient organization; one where critical insights aren’t lost but are continuously captured, shared, and applied to move the business forward.
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