Workflow
Search and retrieval workflows
Workflows that let people find the right information across documents, knowledge bases, systems and conversations — and get a useful summary, not just a list of links.
This may look different in your business. The same pattern can apply to other workflows where information is collected, checked, compared, enriched, approved, reported or acted on.
What this workflow usually involves
Indexing the sources that matter, handling permissions, interpreting the question, retrieving relevant content and drafting a clear answer with sources.
Where it breaks
- Content is scattered across systems.
- Permissions are unclear.
- Search returns links, not answers.
Common inputs
- Documents and knowledge bases
- Internal systems
- Email and Teams threads where appropriate
- Permission rules
Common outputs
- Answers with cited sources
- Suggested next documents
- Gaps in the knowledge base
- Common-question patterns
Where AI can help
Understanding intent, retrieving relevant material, drafting answers with citations and surfacing gaps for content owners to fill.
Where human review belongs
On sensitive or regulated answers and on what gets pinned as canonical.
Systems often involved
- Document stores
- Knowledge bases
- SharePoint / Teams
- CRM
- Internal portals
Example applications
- Internal search and insight tools
- Customer service knowledge assistants
- Sales enablement search
How value is measured
Time to find an answer, share of answers reused, reduction in repeat questions and accuracy on a known-good question set.
Where this connects