Organizational Information Retrieval at the Click of a Button
- Rona Feldman
- May 1, 2004
- 5 min read
Introduction
You've probably heard this statement many times: "In many organizations (especially knowledge-intensive organizations), there's a problem with providing easy and simple access to information existing in organizational information systems. This problem prevents efficient and optimal utilization of the systems that were implemented in the organization with significant investment." The question is how to enable quick and simple access to information that doesn't require 're-educating' users.
Existing solutions provide answers to many needs, but from the user's perspective, they require learning new interfaces and paradigms that are unfamiliar, and they will likely find them difficult to use efficiently.
A new generation of solutions enables users to have uniform and immediate access (with one intuitive click) to concise and relevant information found in various organizational information systems, without leaving the application they're currently working in.
What are "One-Click" Solutions?
"One-click" solutions enable immediate access to a wide range of information sources, both internal and external to the organization. They can be used for various purposes, including accessing organizational databases (such as organizational glossaries) and retrieving critical information from organizational ERP or CRM systems.
A single mouse click on a word, term, or number appearing on the screen opens a small window displaying concise and relevant data about the term from the relevant organizational systems. If additional information is needed, the user can click again to access the exact location of the information source within the organizational system.
The identification and information retrieval process is performed without needing to define what the term appearing on the screen is, from which information system to extract the information, and what to display in the data window. The user receives a uniform, simple, and intuitive interface to all organizational information sources, and access time to critical organizational information is significantly shortened.
To enable integration with existing systems, "one-click" solutions typically include tools and utilities that allow IT personnel to create solutions that integrate the "click" with existing organizational information sources in a simple and convenient manner. The implementation process is short and simple and doesn't put the organization into another "integration project."
What Can Be Done with "One-Click" Solutions?
Today, millions of users and thousands of organizations worldwide utilize these solutions to access information easily and efficiently. The popular Babylon application exposed the advantages of this technology and achieved global success. Here are several examples representing the significant benefits an organization can gain by using these solutions:
Front-end for Critical Systems
"Integration" with existing operational systems in the organization, such as ERP or CRM systems, will enable users simple and uniform access to data in any application and at any time, and will streamline the use of these important systems by making access to data from them easy and immediate. For example, clicking on a catalog number (serial number) appearing in correspondence with a customer will open a window with concise information about the specific item from the ERP system. Clicking on the name of the customer who sent the email will bring up their details and previous transactions from the CRM system. All this without needing to leave the email in question. One of the key characteristics of "one-click" solutions is that they're available both online and offline, allowing mobile users who aren't permanently connected to the organizational network to access organizational information.
Organizational Glossary
Every organization has terms, abbreviations, acronyms, and general concepts related to the organizational environment, the company's field of business, or simply terms invented within the organization. "One-click" provides all users in the organization with immediate and easy access to organizational glossaries, enhancing the understanding of internal and external correspondence and improving information flow processes within the organization. Classic use of organizational glossaries is made in organizations that require regular training of new teams (engineers, support staff, salespeople, etc.). These same organizations can streamline the information flow and training process for these teams by creating organizational dictionaries of this type. It should be noted that in addition to dictionaries that each organization creates for itself, there are already ready-made professional dictionaries on the market covering thousands of terms in various fields such as engineering, technology, economics, tourism, and more.
HR Dictionary
The organizational phone book: Information about employees in the organization, including phone numbers, emails, photos, supervisors, and more, is available to the user with a single click on the employee's name.
What Makes "One-Click" Technology Unique?
One-Click Operation
The first and most prominent advantage is the simple operation, which can be achieved through a single mouse click, a feature that users immediately love to adopt. One click provides a wide range of information that would be difficult or impossible to obtain otherwise. For example, a salesperson reviewing their emails comes across an item number that their customer wants to purchase. A mouse click on the item number immediately displays a window with precise information about the item and its inventory status, from the ERP dictionary. The salesperson can continue their work, and the information window will disappear automatically after a short time.
Immediate Response Speed
To provide users with the correct response to a mouse click, these solutions are specifically designed to ensure that every query receives an immediate answer. Using sophisticated indexing technologies combined with a distributed database, it's possible to guarantee that even queries against particularly large databases, or online queries over the internet, will be answered at lightning speed. When users understand that with one click, information is just a fraction of a second away, they begin using the "click" more frequently, improving and streamlining the organization's decision-making processes.
Concise and Accurate Results
To avoid overwhelming users with unnecessary information, "one-click" solutions provide concise and accurate results, displaying only the important information in each situation. One of the problems IT managers face today is information overload. The amount of information available within an organization continues to grow year by year, and existing information retrieval solutions offer a confusing and complicated array of options for retrieving every piece of information. By using a natural, simple, minimalistic user interface focused on the required data, even users who struggle to find data using other organizational tools adopt the use of "one-click" solutions.
Availability at All Times
"One-click" solutions are always available and always active, while never interfering with the user's normal operation. They work on top of all Windows applications, where a simple mouse click on any text brings up the requested information in a small, non-intrusive window. The "click" becomes an integral part of the work environment, without competing with other applications for the user's attention, and without disrupting the flow of regular work.
Works Both Online and Offline (Support for Mobile Users)
To ensure that the "click" is always available (not just within the organizational network), "one-click" solutions implement a distributed database engine that enables transparent access to information in both online and offline environments. Both users and IT managers no longer need to deal with the problem of data distribution to mobile users who aren't permanently connected to the organizational network, as data distribution and updates are done completely automatically.
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