Do you ever waste time looking for information at work? Maybe you're trying to find an old email or a file someone shared with you. This happens a lot, and it's a bigger problem than many people realize.

When workers can't find what they need quickly, it slows everything down. Poor search tools in businesses cause real problems. It affects how people work, how much they get done, and even impacts the company's success.

Let's take a closer look at:

• Why can it be so hard to find information at work
• How this wastes time and frustrates employees
• What opportunities companies might miss because of this

Why is it so hard to find information at work?

Finding information at work is like putting together a puzzle with pieces scattered everywhere. Information lives in different places across a company. Each department has its own files and databases, creating what we call "information silos." 

In addition, employees use many different tools, apps, and programs, each containing information that’s important for work. Then, people share information through emails, chats, and meetings.

With information in so many places, there's too much to search through, and the search tool needs to check all these data sources. This takes time and often misses important things. It's like looking for one book in a huge, messy library.

Another challenge is the words we use to search as they don't always match what we're looking for. Important documents might not have the exact words we search for. You might type "email about data sale" but the actual email is called "Q3 revenue projections." This mismatch makes finding the right information harder.

The amount of data we deal with needs smarter search tools. Regular keyword search isn't enough anymore. 

To answer these challenges, the latest enterprise search solution features various AI tools that can understand what we're really looking for, even if we don't use the right words. They can pick up on context and user intent, making searches more effective.

Information also gets outdated quickly. What was true last month might not be true now. Old documents, outdated policies, or irrelevant information can clutter up search results. The risk of workers using old information is high and might have serious consequences. Efficient workplace search must also differentiate well between what is relevant and what is outdated. 

If you still have doubts about the impact of inefficient search on workflow, consider how much time searching takes up in an average workweek. Workers spend about 9.3 hours a week just looking for information, according to a McKinsey report. That's more than a full workday lost to searching.

How Inefficient Search Wastes Time and Frustrates Employees

Employees often struggle to find the information they need. They might spend hours looking through old emails for an attachment. Sometimes, they redo work because they can't find an existing report. Or they might make decisions without important data because they gave up looking for it.

These problems slow down work and annoy people. It's frustrating to need a file for a meeting but not be able to find it. Or to answer the same customer question many times because you can't find the right help document. This happens a lot and wastes time and energy.

New AI tools can help fix these issues, as they can search all types of company data at once. They understand what you're really asking for, even if you don't use the exact right words. Some can even sum up long documents or show you the most important parts.

Imagine if you could search every company document, email, and chat message easily. When you look for something, you get what you need, not just results that match the words you typed. The system might even show you useful information you didn't think to ask for.

In this kind of setup, finding info is just the start. The system could help you use that info too. It might summarize long reports, compare different data, or show how information has changed over time.

This isn't just a nice idea. It could really help businesses work better. Right now, many companies have useful data and ideas hidden in hard-to-search systems. Employees can't find or use this info, so good opportunities and ideas are missed.

Making information easy to find and use is hard, but it's important. Companies that do this well will work better. Their employees will be able to do more with all the knowledge the company has.

What Opportunities Companies Might Miss Because of Inefficient Search

Poor search affects more than just day-to-day work. It can hold back entire companies. When people can't find or use information well, it slows down everything.

Companies with bad search might:

• Take longer to make decisions
• Miss chances to use their data well
• Waste money redoing work that's already been done
• Lose customers because they can't answer questions quickly

Good search tools can change this. They can help companies use their information better. This leads to faster work, smarter choices, and happier customers.

The return on investment (ROI) for a good search can be big. People spend less time looking for stuff and more time using it. They can find expert help faster. Good search also helps companies spot trends and opportunities in their data.

A lot of data work can be done automatically. This makes information flow a natural part of work. Instead of hunting for info, people always have what they need. This helps them work smarter and faster.

How much room for improvement there is right now is probably best understood in light of the fact that bad information quality and poor access cost large companies an average of about 15 million dollars annually. This includes time wasted, mistakes made, and opportunities missed. Having good, up-to-date information that's easy to find is really important.

When companies improve their search, they're not just fixing a small problem. They're changing how they work and what they can do. Good information flow helps everyone do their job better. It lets companies use all their knowledge to grow and improve.

Do Something About It

If you're facing these information search problems, there's a solution. Akooda enterprise search is designed to make information flow a natural part of your organization's daily work.

Akooda connects with all your tools, apps, and databases, and it employs RAG (rapid augmented generation) to search information through all of them based on how relevant it is, not just matching keywords. This means you get results that perfectly satisfy your search intent, even if you don't use the exact right words.

The system can recognize specific people, departments, and other important things in your company. You can ask questions like "What email did Jane send yesterday?" and get accurate answers.

Akooda also works with AI to do more with your information. It can:

• Summarize long documents
• Show key takeaways
• Find patterns in data

All of this helps you get fresh, relevant information easily, no matter where it's stored in your company.

You can book a demo with Akooda and see it all yourself.

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