Information overload is all around us. It’s obvious when
you wade through the stack of papers in your office or
try and clean up your email inbox. It’s more subtle when
it latches on to you throughout your daily life –
information that is attracted to you based on your
location, circumstances or personal characteristics.
Just as we conduct searches every day of our lives for
information we need, information is busy seeking us out.
In fact, these types of subtle ways to attract consumer
attention are so pervasive; we hardly even notice them
anymore. There is an expectation that, much like a
magnet, a willing consumer will be drawn toward a
product in the same way a specific product is drawn to a
distinct type of customer.
Though this idea is nothing new, it typically is only
seen in the marketing arena. Smart companies have
figured out that reaching their target audience, rather
than waiting for that audience to find them, is the best
way to go. Yet the concept is relatively unheard of in
the search industry. Searches today are still conducted
via a one-way street – the consumer is the one expected
to look for needed information. Search tools fail to
address how in the real world, services and products
also reach out to their targeted audience.
Frank Buytendijk, VP of corporate strategy at Hyperion
and former Gartner analyst, compares current search and
querying capabilities to a typical sales interaction in
his blog. These examples illustrate the significant
failures associated with limited search techniques
commonly available today:
Example 1
You go into the shoe store and ask for black shoes of a
certain brand. The salesperson says ‘Sorry, I don't have
them’. Disappointed, you leave the store.
Example 2
You go into the shoe store and ask for black shoes of a
certain brand. The salesperson says ‘Wait a minute’ and
comes back with size 6 through 15, as you forgot to
specify which size. You think the person is crazy and
you leave the store.
Example 3
You go into the shoe store and ask for black shoes of a
certain brand. The salesperson says ‘Let me see’ and
starts looking for it. In the meantime, your eye catches
another pair of shoes that are nice too. You decide to
buy the other shoes, and you are much happier with the
new choice.
The first two scenarios show how poor current search and
query techniques behave in real-life situations. The
third scenario is more realistic, but is based on
coincidence. That is not how a successful sales
interaction works. The final example is how an actual
sales interaction takes place.
Example 4
You go into the shoe store and ask for black shoes of a
certain brand. The salesperson says ‘It looks like you
wear a size 10, sure, let me get them for you’ (he may
not even have them), and continues ‘In the meantime,
please have a look at these shoes as well, as they fit
really well with that beautiful suit you are wearing.’
You look at the other shoes and although they are more
expensive, you buy the other shoes, happy that you found
something new and even more worthwhile.
We accept this type of magnetism in our every day life
all around us, yet we fall short of realizing its
potential in the data and information world. However, as
the amount of information available becomes so massive
that it’s hard to adequately search through it all, it
makes sense to get that information working for us. In
other words, not only are we out there looking for data,
but the data in turn is looking for us. Experts have
coined this term ‘information magnetism’.
How the Search Process Falls Short
Search engines today typically work from an ‘I’ll find
you’ perspective. A user must properly search using just
the right parameters or risk sifting through vast
amounts of irrelevant data. Information magnetism is so
appealing because the overwhelming abundance of
information can now actually serve a purpose and be
useful. Imagine how much faster you could find what you
were looking for (=meaningful) if it were looking for
you!
To give an example, imagine that instead of just
conducting search after search based on the type of job
you are looking for, job opportunities actually come
directly to you as well – because they are a great match
with your skills, circumstances and requirements.
Information magnetism allows the proper information to
find its way to you, regardless of whether you are
looking in just the right place or at just the right
time.
The Smart Solution: A Two-Way Street
The idea of information magnetism is not complex; it
just hasn’t been applied in any meaningful way to the
world of data and information. The main concept behind
information magnetism – that of a buyer and seller
attracted to one another or ‘bi-directionality’ as we
call it – is at the heart of our unique search system
since 1996. WCC is continually seeking out ways to make
the search and match process smarter.
Information magnetism is a smart solution to information
overload and frustration over the lack of meaningful
search results. ELISE, the flagship database and
information access technology brought to you by WCC,
provides your organization a competitive advantage by
delivering a convenient and meaningful experience to
your customers.
Effective searching produces more convenient results,
and it yields to a great customer experience and strong
conversion rates. ELISE is the only system designed to
incorporate bi-directional matching from the start. It’s
just another example of how WCC consistently remains at
the forefront of cutting-edge technology and ideas.
About WCC
WCC is a high-end software company that automates the
matching process by providing more accurate and
intelligent results. Non-core activities such as client
implementations are performed by qualified partners like
Accenture or EDS. To maintain its stated company
objectives, WCC recruits and retains a motivated,
flexible and highly educated staff. The knowledge and
passion of our people drives industry-leading innovation
and delights customers with the quality of our products
and support.
WCC is committed to a transparent Corporate
Governance structure, even as a privately-held company.
The organization's openness, internally and externally,
gives stakeholders up-to-date information about WCC and
its future course. Conservative accounting policies
assure continuity of the company and clearly signal
WCC's reliability as a business partner.
WCC Headquarters, Utrecht
Savannahweg 17
3542 AW Utrecht
The Netherlands
Postal address
P.O. Box 40256
3504 AB Utrecht
Phone +31 30 7503200
Germany +49 69 979440022
UK +44 800 8456543
Kontakt:
Alexandra Buytendijk
Marketing & Analyst Relations
WCC - Smart Search & Match
NL +31 30 7503237
Mobile +31 6 53225737
US +1 866 6062121
abuytendijk@wcc-group.com
www.wcc-group.com
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