Enterprise software customers are constantly turning to their Web browser and the Internet to find information about the product before purchase and after roll-out. Customers are looking for just-in-time information and knowledge to solve their business needs.

What enterprise software companies need is a consolidated Software Product Knowledge Portal for product information, knowledge, learning to develop customer communities to better serve their existing customers and reach out to new prospects and expand markets. Software product knowledge portal strategy must include:

• A consolidated and flexible portal architecture to aggregate the distribute the content to worldwide audience and build customer communities or use components of the portal to augment your current Web presence and strategy
• Web authoring and content management system to update the content at the speed of product and business changes
• Automated and rapid capture and update product knowledge and a content repository to manage multiple outputs within a common framework – documentation, training, simulations, demos and performance support

Software Product Knowledge Portal components include:

	Product Information Product information sheets Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Product demos with Flash animations Newsletters and email pushes to your prospects and customers Wikis to collaboratively publish product content Animated product demos and software application simulations (step-by-step instructions and skill testing) Rapid creation and delivery of software product/application news, updates, release notes, case studies, white papers, and FAQs
	Knowledge Base for Customer Service Reps and Self-Service A repository of product usage procedures and step-by-step guidance Full-text search and categorized content listings
	Customer Communities Discussion boards answer customer questions and facilitate customer feedback process Blogs to provide product updates and notes Expert profiles facilitate conversations between customers and industry experts
	Product eLearning and Certification Online learning modules and assessments Automate registration and notification processes Manage training completion and certification
	Virtual Demo-rooms and Classrooms Conduct virtual classrooms to train customers on how to use the software application or product more effectively Provide live mentoring through Web conferencing and application sharing Create a catalog of recorded events with audio narration
	Performance Support Performance support provides context-based guidance within the actual software application for step-by-step guidance without leaving the application environment (no messy software integration required)
	Product Documentation Automate product documentation Web (HTML) and Print (MS Word) output formats Keep documentation consistent with training and simulation with a click of a button