“Findability”, Not “Searchability” Will Be a Key Demand of Knowledge Workers in Professional Services Firms in 2023
In a hybrid and decentralised work environment, the technology needs of knowledge workers have changed. Louise Matthews, Product Manager at iManage, highlights some new requirements and system capabilities that professional services firms will need to focus on acquiring in 2023.
- Professionals Will Demand “Findability” of Information
One of the biggest bugbears that knowledge workers have is that they are constantly looking for important nuggets of information that they know exist (potentially buried deep within their systems), and which can help them get their work done more quickly and efficiently – but they’re having to reinvent the wheel because they can’t find it. Whilst “search” capability is offered by systems such as document management and knowledge management, it’s just one piece of the puzzle – “findability” is what delivers the value.
Professionals may search for a piece of information, but if they can’t find it, their need isn’t satisfied – knowledge isn’t really knowledge unless it can be retrieved and re-used. Findability encompasses everything from how easy it is to run the search, how relevant the search results are, how easy it is to interrogate the search results to find the information, and how easy the overall search journey is from start to finish. Whether professionals are trying to find templates, best practice documents, or expertise within the organisation, the findability in business applications will play a key role in determining how easily these can be tracked down.
In a decentralised work environment, in 2023, knowledge management departments will shift their focus from pure searchability to findability of information, to satisfy the demands of their professionals.
- Professionals Need the Document Management System to Tell Them What They’re Looking For
Often, professionals approach the document management system knowing exactly what they’re looking for: they punch in a specific document number or matter number, retrieve the information they need, and off they go. Just as often, however, they come to the application armed with only a general idea of what they’re looking for – perhaps something abstract like “a good example of a complex client transaction”.
Knowledge workers require the capability of a more exploratory or contextual style of search to help overcome the issue of “you don’t know what you don’t know” – and so the major systems they use including document and knowledge management systems will need to be tuned to deliver against these needs – i.e., “I know what I’m looking for” versus “show me what I’m looking for”.
- There’s More to UX Than Simply Google-like Search
Google may be the gold standard when it comes to simple, intuitive search experiences. But for knowledge workers, it’s important that the search capability in their document management system isn’t exactly like Google. For starters, Google doesn’t worry about highly sensitive, tightly permissioned documents when serving up its search results, while document management systems must. At the same time, professionals need their technology systems to deliver a frictionless search experience and findability so that they can do their best work.
In 2023, organisations will focus on delivering a UX that delivers Google-like simplicity and ease of use, without losing sight of the context within which professionals operate – unlike thus far where the aim has been to deliver a UX “exactly like Google”. Security must be paramount.
Featured Photo by Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash
