Creating time is obviously impossible but something that we would all love to do, especially when you are up against that deadline!
There are ways that we can all work more efficiently or look to improve our own personal methodologies but when you are up against time scales then it becomes even more important to be able to find the information that you need to support your daily activities and increase productivity.
How long do you spend searching for information from within?
Everyone talks these days about not having enough time. With most employees spending on average about 45 minutes every day looking for something that their organisation already has, it would be great to be able to generate time for your employees and allow them to become frustration free when accessing information from within! It is the organisation’s knowledge that employees need access to, regardless of what CMS tools or CRM systems you have in your organisation.
Maximising your Organisations applications to generate time
To maximise the productivity improvements across your workforce, you need to have the necessary tools available to ensure that they can find information, regardless of where it resides. It is important to understand the value of important items of software / web applications that you and your colleagues need to be able to access information quickly, so sub second searches are important if not essential and vital for the organisation to increase efficiencies and productivity when looking to find things.
The retrieval of information, quickly is essential to improve both employee efficiencies and deliver enhanced customer services. What we are actually talking about here is Knowledge Management, we all do it in our everyday lives but we don’t necessarily refer to the official term!
Increasing productivity easily with a Knowledge Management Strategy
First of all you will need a knowledge management strategy (there are more blogs to follow that will discuss this in more detail). Once you have a strategy then it is important to work this into the everyday culture of your organisation, so that items are filed easily and can be retrieved quickly, even by other employees who may not know what you have called the document, finance sheet or presentation. By having a knowledge management system you will therefore improve and increase productivity within your organisations and saving / generating time for others for their daily tasks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the biggest productivity drain in most organisations?
A major hidden productivity cost is time spent searching for information employees already have but can’t easily find. On average, staff can waste significant portions of their day locating files or answers that should be readily accessible — reducing time available for productive work.
Q: How can organisations reduce the time spent searching for information?
Organisations can adopt knowledge management strategies and tools that centralise information, offer fast search capabilities (e.g., sub-second returning results), and make content discoverable regardless of where it’s stored. This supports better access and reduces frustration.
Q: Why is a knowledge management strategy key to increasing productivity?
A clear knowledge management strategy ensures that knowledge is “structured, organised and retrievable”. When employees know where to find reliable information and how to use it, they spend less time hunting for answers and more time on value-added activities.
Q: How does better knowledge access improve customer service?
Quicker retrieval of accurate information empowers employees to respond to customer needs more efficiently and correctly. This not only enhances internal productivity but also improves the quality and consistency of customer interactions.
Q: Can improving knowledge organisation also boost employee satisfaction?
Yes — when employees can find what they need quickly and spend less time on low-value tasks, work becomes less frustrating and more rewarding. This has positive knock-on effects on morale, engagement and overall organisational performance. Knowledge management also aligns with broader productivity goals like clearer communication and reduced context switching
