In this podcast episode, Lauren Hawker Zafer and Dr. Moritz Müller – General Manager Asia at Squirro – explore the journey From Cognitive Search to Insights. The term ‘cognitive search’ is used by different people to describe different types of searches, and can refer to simple website search, enterprise search, or even knowledge management as a whole. According to Moritz, the term refers to a solution for accessing relevant information in the context of a user’s specific environment. It is an advanced search application that offers accurate search results beyond mere keyword hits, taking into account the user’s intent and context to deliver accurate results, even when a term has not been mentioned in a query.
Based on Moritz’s extensive experience leading transformation projects, he advises everyone who sets up their own cognitive search solution to work closely with existing IT departments in order to roll it out successfully. According to him, understanding the internal data structure, leveraging pre-existing internal efforts, and enriching data are among the first necessary steps in the process. He also stresses the importance of educating company staff about data readiness and the importance of establishing and maintaining a company-wide taxonomy. Once cognitive search is set up, it is essential to ensure that the knowledge workers who use cognitive search are able to use their time as productively as possible and that the insights generated by cognitive search support this endeavor.
In order to receive tailored and highly relevant insights, automation is key. Once all data sources are connected and relevancy methods applied, it is easy to customize the insights generation to specific users. The hardest step is the initial setup. Once there, however, the benefits of cognitive search are immense, and the return on investment is easily measurable. Whether that be financial gains such as saved time or lower turnaround time for incidents or, more crucially, the engagement from users, the success cognitive search brings is undeniable.