Enterprise Search Software Reduces Impact of Context Switching
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Tabs, applications, windows, websites, notifications, popups, and reminders sap attention day in and day out. The proliferation of information and the frequency and volume of notifications has driven computer screens and web browsers to become highly dense, information rich sources of frustration and time-consuming navigation. The volume and diversity makes it incredibly difficult and incredibly frustrating for employees to find the right information. Doing so requires navigating between applications and websites while sometimes not evening find the right answer or information. All of that search and mental burden takes time and energy - slowing down the decisions making process and ultimately reducing employee efficacy.
The time cost of context switching for knowledge workers can vary, but it is generally considered to be significant. Studies have shown that it can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour for a knowledge worker to fully regain their focus and productivity after switching between tasks. This is because switching between tasks requires the brain to adjust to new information and goals, which can be mentally taxing and time-consuming.
Research suggests that the more complex or high-stakes a given task is, the more impact context switching will have - meaning the most important tasks that employees are required to complete are at the highest risk of being derailed. For example, a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that it took participants an average of 25 minutes to return to their original task after interrupting it with a new task. Extrapolate 25 minutes across entire teams and the time-cost becomes startling. Those are just the hard time-based costs of context switching - some of the harder to measure impacts of context switching include increased stress and decreased job satisfaction. While some of the softer impacts can be difficult to measure, it is clear there is significant negative impact of context switching.
So how can Enterprise Search Software reduce the impact of context switching?
Enterprise search is a powerful tool that delivers internal search results to end users. It helps business users find, locate, and leverage the right information across disparate sources. And importantly it helps reduce the impact of context switching as search results can be surfaced in pre-existing tech stack communication solutions such as Slack.
Rather than switching between multiple applications and querying for the same document, users can execute a single search query to search across an organization, data sets, and repositories. This can help reduce the time and effort required to switch between different tasks or applications, as well as the mental effort required to remember where specific information is located.
Enterprise search can also help reduce the impact of context switching by providing a unified view of all the information available within an organization. This makes it easier for employees to see the connections between different pieces of information and understand how they fit together. Search results are not limited to individual information access either. For example, an employee might be able to set up their search preferences so that they only see results relevant to their specific role or department. This can help them to focus on the most important information and avoid wasting time on irrelevant results.
In addition to these benefits, enterprise search can also help to improve collaboration and communication within an organization. Many organizations are finding that Enterprise Search Software is a critical piece in a great employee digital experience. By providing a centralized location for storing and sharing information, it can help to break down silos and encourage more cross-functional work.
Leverage an Enterprise Search Solution to reduce the significant impact context switching has on individuals and teams. Help employees find the right information with one single search so they can spend more time executing critical tasks rather than finding information. All of which helps employees be more effective at their jobs and have more work satisfaction.
Join Arrchiver's waitlist to be the first to adopt the purpose-built enterprise search software. Search Less, Find More with Arrchiver
