French scale-up Partoo: Getting knowledge management right during rapid growth
Partoo knows a thing or two about helping businesses take control of their online presence. This dynamic French company builds software that empowers businesses to manage their online listings, customer reviews, and local SEO – basically, they help companies get found by the people who matter.
Their mission is refreshingly straightforward: “We help businesses get closer to their clients, by adapting to a new buyers journey thanks to a simple product.”
But here’s the thing about rapid growth – your knowledge management can’t keep up if you’re still using yesterday’s tools. Partoo’s team was expanding fast, and their trusty WordPress wiki wasn’t cutting it anymore. Time for an upgrade.
Industry
SaaS
Solution
Knowledge Management
Employees
400
Country
France (HQ) with presence in 150 countries
The reality check
Partoo’s knowledge management had hit a wall. Their WordPress wiki had served them well in the early days, but trust in the content was evaporating.
Information was going stale, nobody knew who wrote what, publication dates were missing, and finding relevant comments was like hunting for needles in haystacks.
The admin side wasn’t much better. Tracking impact? Nearly impossible. Measuring what worked? A proper headache.
They needed something that actually worked for a growing team, not against it.
Finding the right solution
Partoo’s Knowledge Manager did what any sensible person would do – they properly researched the options. No rushed decisions here. They explored four different approaches:
- Souping up WordPress with plugins
- Going full intranet
- Building a dedicated knowledge base
- Looking at tools that combined knowledge bases with extra functionality
They also checked out what other French scale-ups were using. Smart move – why reinvent the wheel when you can learn from peers facing similar challenges?
After weighing everything up, they chose us. But here’s what impressed us most – they didn’t just pick a tool and hope for the best. Partoo built proper knowledge management processes, cultivated a knowledge-first mindset across the company, and made sure everyone understood the vision.
That’s how you do it right.
Why they picked us
Search that actually works
When your team needs answers in seconds (and whose doesn’t?), our search capabilities deliver. Advanced filters, auto-suggestions, the works. No more hunting through endless folders.
Access control that makes sense
Growing fast means access needs change constantly. Our fine-grained controls let you adjust permissions without breaking into a sweat.
Content that stays fresh
Partoo needed validity dates on articles – crucial when your team’s talking to clients. We automate the reminders so content creators know when it’s time to refresh. No more guessing whether information’s still reliable.
Analytics that tell the real story
With 400 people and growing, Partoo needed to understand how knowledge was being used. Our analytics give you the full picture – content performance, user behaviour, space activity – all one click away.
Battle-tested experience
We’ve been doing this for over a decade with companies like L’Oréal, Savencia, and BNP Paribas. That track record gave Partoo confidence we could handle their growth trajectory.
Many people speak about Notion and Confluence. But here at Partoo we decided to use Elium to manage our growing company knowledge. It is simpler and responds better to our needs.
Thibault Renouf, CEO
How we made it work together
Phase 1: Test with the core team
Before going company-wide, we worked with key contributors to gather feedback and ensure adoption. No point building something people won't use.
Phase 2: Launch with champions
Started with defined user groups – HR, Strategy, Operations, Care teams. Trained admins, structured spaces, migrated content from WordPress. Built momentum with the people who'd become advocates.
Phase 3: Full company rollout
Proper marketing launch with dedicated logo, desktop shortcuts, email communications, Slack notifications, meeting announcements, gamification, and QR code posters. Made it impossible to miss.
We had one key mantra when it came to knowledge management at Partoo. We wanted to ensure that our teams would have access to the right information, at the right time, in the right place. And this guided our entire project approach.
CELIA ALESSANDRI, FORMER KNOWLEDGE MANAGER PARTOO, CURRENTLY KM CONSULTANT AND PROKNOW CLUB LEAD
The results speak for themselves
80% of articles are checked
No more stale content undermining trust. Automated reminders replaced manual processes, keeping everything current.
100% user connection
Every single person on the team got on board. That’s what happens when a platform actually works the way people think.
Collaboration that flows
Likes, comments, sharing – suddenly everyone had a voice in the knowledge conversation. Information started moving naturally through the organisation.
Tool popularity surge
Usage reflexes kicked in fast. The wiki started appearing in official presentations, information sharing in Slack conversations picked up. Classic signs of a tool that’s become essential.
Their setup
Partoo built their platform around how their team actually works:
Structured like their organisation
Spaces mirror their corporate structure. Navigation feels intuitive because it matches how people already think about the business.
Mostly public, selectively private
Everyone gets access to important knowledge, sensitive stuff stays protected. Privacy levels adjust as needed – no complicated processes.
Clear roles, clear ownership
Everyone can read, contributors manage content for their areas. Promotes autonomy whilst maintaining accountability.
What this means for you
Partoo’s story isn’t unique – it’s what happens when growing companies get serious about knowledge management. They recognised their old tools weren’t scaling, did proper research, picked the right solution, and implemented it thoughtfully.
The results? A knowledge platform that actually serves their team instead of frustrating them. Content that stays fresh, search that works, analytics that inform decisions, and a team that’s genuinely engaged with sharing knowledge.
That’s what good knowledge management looks like in practice. We just helped make it happen.
