The Art of Enterprise Search: 4 Tips for Effective Implementation

Information is the lifeblood of enterprises. However, without access, any content immediately becomes worthless.

Search giants like Google or Bing are deeply integrated into our daily lives. They offer user-friendly interfaces, suggest relevant results, help us understand what we are looking for, correct our grammatical mistakes, etc. We are accustomed to high-quality search experience.

Enterprise search is supposed to do the same for organization employees. By giving them access to the internal and external business data, it provides them with the information they need for executing their professional activities.

However, usually, an enterprise search system is far from a Google-like experience. It takes up to 8 attempts to find relevant information. In this article, I will discuss the most popular problems related to enterprise search and share 4 ideas on how to solve them through user experience.

What is enterprise search?

Enterprise search is the systematic practice of identifying and granting access to specific content across an organization, allowing authorized users to retrieve information from various sources. The global enterprise search software market is expected to reach $1253.5 million by 2029.

Enterprise search goes beyond simple browsing; it involves user-friendly interfaces and techniques like metatagging, categorization, and taxonomies. Such a solution enables efficient information retrieval for authorized users, catering specifically to employees, and handles both structured and unstructured data. To deal with such large volumes of data, it’s important to build a data governance strategy and be able to utilize it for business needs.

The enterprise search process consists of 3 main steps:

1. Exploration. Search engine software scours all data sources, collecting information from within the organization and its internal and external data hubs.

2. Indexing. After retrieving data, the search platform analyzes and enriches it, tracking relationships within the data. The results are stored for efficient and fast information retrieval.

3. Search. Employees request information in their preferred languages, and the search platform provides relevant answers in the form of content. Responses consider the employee's work context, tailoring results based on individual work and search histories. As a result, employees from different departments receive answers pertinent to their roles.

Additionally, knowledge graphs are used to enhance the search experience. They structure and connect information, contribute to a more detailed and improved understanding, and provide an essential layer of context for users. Natural language processing, machine learning, and UX design are usually involved in developing knowledge graphs needed for determining relevant answers to queries.

Common enterprise search challenges

Despite the capability of enterprise search to identify, index, find, and display specific content for authorized users, it still has some notable challenges.

• Lack of personalization features. Enterprise search often struggles to provide personalized results aligned with user preferences and behavior. The lack of such features impedes the creation of a more user-centric and efficient search experience, hindering productivity and individualized information retrieval.

• Scattered information repositories. The fragmentation of information across diverse repositories hampers the creation of a unified view of search results. This challenge leads to inefficiencies in decision-making and productivity, emphasizing the need for a seamless and consolidated approach to accessing relevant information.

• Poor relevance ranking algorithms. Inadequate relevance ranking algorithms contribute to difficulties in obtaining accurate search results. When such algorithms lack sophistication, users may receive irrelevant information, which impacts the overall effectiveness of the search function. Improving these algorithms is essential for delivering accurate and relevant responses.

• Query language complexity. Users face challenges in formulating effective queries due to the complexity of the query language. This complexity can result in inaccurate or incomplete results. Simplifying and optimizing the query language is crucial to ensure a smoother search process and reduce barriers in articulating information needs.

• Concerns with open-source search engines. While open-source engines like Solr or Elastic provide control over infrastructure and security, manual tuning is often required for optimal performance. Despite perceived cost savings and evolving code, open-source solutions need extensive fine-tuning for the effective implementation of core search queries.

Despite the enterprise search being crucial to digital transformation efforts, company leadership rarely discusses it, and 81% of IT and business stakeholders agree that it’s hard to engage management when talking about search.

Why are enterprise search problems worth resolving

Even considering all the challenges, effective enterprise search is crucial for organizations that want to achieve more accurate data management and unlock several key benefits, such as:

• Competitive advantage. Resolving enterprise search problems is vital as it empowers organizations with a competitive edge through effective data utilization. Informed decision-making, innovation, and a deeper understanding of market trends become possible, positioning companies for success in dynamic business environments.

  
  

• Time efficiency. Efficient enterprise search directly enhances employee productivity by reducing the time needed to find information. Hours saved can be redirected towards strategic tasks, fostering agility and responsiveness in the workforce.

  
  

• Enhanced customer experience. Resolving enterprise search challenges is essential for customer-facing roles, ensuring quick access to customer information. This empowers teams to deliver exceptional customer experiences, respond promptly to inquiries, and anticipate customer needs, ultimately fostering satisfaction and loyalty in a competitive market.

  
  

How to approach UX in enterprise search

A well-designed and intuitive search system can make all the difference in helping employees find the information they need much faster.

Analyze data/content

Conduct a thorough examination of the enterprise's data and content. Define the various types of content and data available and document the associated metadata for each type. It establishes a foundation for a structured and organized search experience by understanding the diversity of information within the enterprise.

Research user needs

Understand the needs and expectations of employees regarding the search function. Conduct comprehensive research to identify the specific requirements of users. This process should result in the creation of core archetypes or personas representing different user groups. Develop journey maps for each archetype, illustrating their end-to-end experiences while searching for data. These maps help align the search system with user expectations and enhance the overall user experience.

Prototype and test

Design prototypes based on the identified user archetypes and journey maps. Ensure that the search experience is tailored to meet the needs of diverse user groups and different result types. Conduct rigorous testing to validate the prototypes, gathering feedback from users to refine and optimize the design. It ensures that the final search system is intuitive and effective for all users.

Tackle corner cases

Pay special attention to 'No results' scenarios, where users may not find what they are looking for. Develop strategies and alternative pathways to guide users in such situations, ensuring a positive and informative experience even when the desired results are not immediately available. This approach minimizes frustration and aids users in navigating through challenges effectively.

A bigger complexity challenge

The importance of simplifying information complexities is pretty clear. However, the bigger challenge of complex enterprise software remains. To optimize not only search functions but the entire digital system, it's crucial to adopt a comprehensive approach to facilitate software challenges.

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