With more people working from home due to Covid-19, enterprise search engines may play a more prominent role to meet information needs. Having capable search engines has always supported the digital workplace complementing discussion groups, collaboration and peer to peer communication tools.
Research I conducted in 2014 with 55 geoscientists in the workplace, provides evidence that as a proportion of the time they spend seeking information to resolve some uncertainty, Internal enterprise search tools make up just over 50% as a proportion. Recent https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/consumer-needs-research/ from Google identified 6 ‘need states’ for consumers, most of which I believe are applicable to all corporate search engines:
- Surprise Me
- Help Me
- Reassure Me
- Educate Me
- Impress Me
- Thrill Me
Google Trends for search behaviour (picture) shows the impact Covid-19 has had on uncertainty and our Internet search behaviour. Links to health, employment and the economy are made through associated searches. It will be interesting to look back at enterprise search log data in a few months and see how search behaviour (and search volumes) may have changed in enterprises with the current increased remote working environment. Not just in terms of supporting information directly or indirectly related to Covid-19, but how search behaviour supporting day to day work practices may have changed due mass remote working.
Companies that have invested in their enterprise search capabilities may reap the benefits of such information infrastructure ‘like never before’ and gain valuable business intelligence where it needs to be strengthened.
#google #search #digital #behaviour #enterprisesearch
A Geodyssey - Enterprise Search & Discovery and Text Mining Research 
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