Slack has revolutionized the way teams communicate, but it comes with a hidden cost: repeated questions. When we closely analyzed how teams use Slack, one pattern emerged over and over:
Where is the document?
Who owns this process?
What’s the latest update?
At first, this may seem harmless—people are just trying to move fast. But over time, we realized how costly this behavior really is.
The Hidden Cost of Repeated Questions
Repeated questions interrupt focus, slow down decision-making, and pull experienced team members away from meaningful work. As teams grow, these interruptions multiply and compound, silently eroding productivity.
What surprised us most? The answers usually already existed. They lived in documents, internal links, or previous conversations. People weren’t careless—searching simply felt slower than asking.
According to research by McKinsey, employees spend nearly one fifth of their working time searching for information or asking colleagues for help. In chat-based environments like Slack, this problem becomes painfully visible.
It’s More Than Just Lost Time
The real cost isn’t only time—it’s cognitive energy. Every interruption breaks focus. Each time someone stops to answer a repeated question, they must:
- Pause their current task
- Respond to the question
- Restart their original work
Harvard Business Review shows that frequent interruptions significantly reduce productivity and the ability to do deep work. The effect compounds as teams grow and questions multiply.
The System Problem, Not the People Problem
This is where SMORT comes in. We realized repeated questions aren’t a people problem—they’re a system problem. Teams ask questions because asking is easier than finding.
SMORT fixes the system. By answering repeated questions instantly using existing team knowledge, it:
- Reduces interruptions
- Keeps Slack channels focused
- Lets teams spend less time repeating answers and more time moving work forward
Instead of relying on memory or constant availability, teams can rely on shared knowledge delivered at the right moment. Productivity isn’t about working harder—it’s about working smarter.
Takeaway: Repeated questions in Slack aren’t inevitable. They’re a symptom of a system that can be improved. Tools like SMORT turn these interruptions into opportunities for faster, smarter collaboration.