WORK[etc] Web App Blog

Faster search, across all of WORKetc.

Until yesterday, search in WORKetc used to be horrible.  So much so that people (including myself) just stopped using it and eventually completely forgot it was there.

Part of the problem was speed - with so many interdependent records everyday SQL search just didn't cut it. 

The other problem was relevancy and context.  So whilst it would eventually show me all results for my search on the term "proposal", there was no way for it to show me which search result was relevant to the project I might be working on or the client I might be reviewing.

With an all-encompassing business tool like WORKetc, if you can't show a search result within context, then your forcing users to spend an ungodly amount of time looking through the results list.  It sucked.

But this is no more.

All accounts now have access to the new, super-powerful, super-fast, super-search, with built in smart filters.  Find exactly what you are looking for, in real time.

This is how it looks (although we have some small user experience updates to roll out this week):



So here's what is changed:

• Search results show in real time, often as you are still typing
• We now search all activities, all items, including knowledge base articles (which has been a long-standing request)
• We now search the full contents of uploaded documents, including word, excel and PDFs.  But currently does not search Google Docs (coming soon!)
• Search results can be filtered by type (ie projects, emails, events) and limited to contacts selected and time period chosen
• Search results can be opened in the existing window or a new window.  Choosing a new window is especially useful if you're looking for some information to include in something you are already working on with WORKetc.
• Where relevant, each search result shows the context in which it was found and who the context involves.  For example a search for the term "SEO Proposal" might be found in a project called "Client onboarding" and involve the employee "John Smith" and the customer "Acme Limited".  Knowing this from the results page significantly reduces the time taken to find exactly what you're looking for.

I'm thinking about releasing a product roadmap during the week, outlining where WORKetc is headed over the next few months.  I know a few people are interested (Duane, Jaas, Tadas) - anyone else keen on getting the inside track?