Based on a previous TEI study, Forrester found that companies actively using a search solution like Microsoft Search in Bing could save each employee from 55 to 82 hours per year otherwise spent searching in other ways. Optimizing the usage of all search applications powered by Microsoft Search, the savings could be even bigger.
The enhanced user analytics in the Search & Intelligence admin portal gives you a complete picture of search adoption and the value search brings to your organization. User analytics now cover Outlook, Teams, Windows Search, OneDrive, and search in Word/Excel/PowerPoint in addition to the existing search applications like SharePoint, Microsoft365.com and Microsoft Search in Bing.
This report can now be accessed under Microsoft 365 Admin Center | Settings | Search & Intelligence | Insights tab.
Understand the usage of Microsoft Search in your organization
Understand the search engagement and pattern for your users through enhanced user analytics. The main view shows a snapshot of usage over the past 28 days with number of users who searched, users searching weekly, and users that are not searching. The latter metric shows users that accessed one or more applications that offer search but didn’t use the search feature. That number represents productivity potential in new users taking advantage of time savings by using Microsoft Search.
Review the User engagement graph to understand how frequently your users are using search. A high number of users in the “9+ days” category represents a higher search engagement in the organization. The Search users by application graph shows a distribution of where users are searching from. Validate that the distribution aligns with the usage of the different applications in the organization. If the top collaboration tool shows low search usage, that might be worth reviewing.
Determine the usage of individual search applications
Analyze the Search users by application graph to identify if the search usage is as expected for each of your search applications. Dive into the data with the Search application filter to view analytics like User engagement specific to that application.
Visit the Analytics detail page to get distribution of search users on geography, department, and occupation. The detail page also allows you to filter in on any of the aforementioned dimensions to drill in and identify adoption gaps in the organization.
Actions to take if usage is lower than expected
Use enhanced User analytics to compare user engagement and adoption across the search applications and time periods. Which one of the two graphs does your user engagement look like?
The graph on the left indicates that users are regularly engaging with search, while the graph on the right might indicate that user engagement could be improved. Consider actions such as:
- Validate key metrics for users who searched, users searching weekly and users with no search activity. What is the potential to increase Users searching weekly and addressing Users with no search activity?
- Check the user engagement. Engaged users will show a high number of users searching 9+ days in the current period. Is the engagement as expected overall and for each search application?
- Check the distribution of search activity across all search applications. Where do you have gaps in search adoption?
- Visit the user analytics detail page for more insights and use the filters to identify adoption gaps. What search application, region, or department are lagging in search adoption? Will awareness or training help?
Training and awareness campaigns can help address search adoption gaps in the organization by:
- Educating users on how to use search effectively and efficiently. Users who are familiar with the search features and functionalities can find relevant information faster and easier, which can improve their productivity and satisfaction.
- Raising awareness of the benefits and value of search. Users who understand how search can help them solve problems, answer questions, and discover new insights can leverage search more often and more strategically, which can enhance their performance and innovation.
- Encouraging feedback and collaboration. Users who share their search experiences, challenges, and best practices with each other and with the search team can foster a culture of learning and improvement, which can increase their engagement and loyalty.
- Creating and distributing user guides, tutorials, videos, webinars, or newsletters that highlight the search capabilities and use cases for each search application.
- Organizing and promoting events, workshops, or contests that showcase the search success stories and outcomes for different roles, functions, or projects.
- Soliciting and rewarding user feedback, suggestions, or testimonials that demonstrate the search impact and value for various scenarios, goals, or tasks.
The new analytics tool helps optimize the value that search can bring to every individual and the entire organization by monitoring user adoption and addressing the gaps on a regular basis.
How to provide feedback
We’re as excited as you are about this feature launch and look forward to your feedback and comments below. If you have any questions or clarifications, email us at searchadminxteam@service.microsoft.com. We’re happy to engage with you and hear your thoughts and feedback!
