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How many hours does your firm lose searching for information?
According to Microsoft, 62% of respondents said they spent too much time searching for information (Microsoft, 2023). In a separate survey, 47% of digital workers struggled to find the information they needed to do their jobs (Gartner, 2023).
In a firm, that time is measured in unbilled hours. For a fictional firm of 120 professionals, 3 hours of search per person per week add up to 16,200 hours a year, and part of that time can be recovered.
What's inside this guide:
- What searching costs a firm: the detailed math for a firm of 120 professionals, three scenarios of recovered time and a method to redo the calculation with your own figures.
- Five mechanisms specific to firms: mobility, internal vocabulary, scattered conversations, duplicated templates and invisible experts.
- The 15-question findability audit: five dimensions scored out of 6, a reading of the score out of 30 and the first workstream to launch based on the weakest dimension.
- Templates and experts (workstreams 1 and 2): the life cycle of a template, what Microsoft 365 already does and its limits, and an expertise directory limited to twelve attributes.
- Search that answers (workstream 3): three layers to put in place in order, from prepared answers to AI assistants, with permissions as a prerequisite, and where Jint SharePoint and Jint AI fit in.
- The 60-day plan: four 15-day stages, one exit criterion per stage and a partner sponsor to keep the schedule on track.
- Three tools to print: the audit grid, the permissions checklist to complete before turning on AI and a dashboard of six indicators.
Why download it:
A cost priced with a clear method. The guide details a calculation based on explicit assumptions. You can redo it with your firm's billable headcount and hourly rate.
A diagnosis in twenty minutes. The audit is completed by a trio: a partner, a manager who joined less than a year ago and the Microsoft 365 administrator. Its weakest dimension points to your first workstream.
Microsoft 365 described with its limits. Each native feature is presented with what it does, its limits and when to extend it, based on Microsoft documentation from September 2026.
Permissions before AI. The guide explains that Copilot only shows what your permissions let it see. It provides the checklist to complete before turning it on.
