Asking
Say a name
What do I know about Sarah Whitfield?
Everything comes back in one answer. Who she is, where she works now and where she worked before, every conversation you logged, what you agreed, who introduced you, who else was in those rooms, and what is still outstanding.
You do not need to remember which note it is in, when you wrote it, or what you called it.
How it finds things
KnowWho searches by the words in your book.
By the words. Exact and near matches on names, companies, any of a person's email addresses, and events by where they took place. If you give it an exact email, full name or company name, that is the answer and it stops there.
Near misses count. Partial words and misspellings still match, so you do not need the exact spelling of a name you half remember.
By the meaning, soon. Search by meaning is planned and not live yet. When it arrives, "who do I know in legal tech" will find the person whose note says "partner at a firm building contract automation", even though neither phrase appears. Until then, use words you expect to be in the record. Your assistant also helps: it can try several phrasings and ask follow-up questions for you.
Questions that work well
About one person
What do I know about Sarah? When did I last speak to James? How did I meet Tom?
About a company
Who do I know at Brightline? What is going on with Northgate? Which companies are members of the Tidewater network? Who are Northgate's clients?
By tag
Who have I tagged flow-metrics? Which companies are tagged logistics and prospect?
About the network
Who introduced me to James? Who could introduce me to someone at Northgate? Who do I know in legal tech? Who was at the conference in March?
About what you owe
What do I owe people this week? What is overdue? What did I promise Sarah?
About neglect
Who have I not spoken to in six months? Which of my opportunities has gone quiet?
About the pipeline
What is in play right now and what stage is each one at? Which deals involve people I have not spoken to recently?
Why it sometimes asks you a question back
Two reasons, both deliberate.
The name is ambiguous. Two Sarahs, or a name close to one you already have. It asks rather than guessing, because guessing wrong is how books stop being trustworthy.
The question is ambiguous. "How is Northgate doing" could mean the company, the opportunity, or the person you know there. It will usually pick the most likely and tell you which it picked, so you can redirect in three words.
If an answer looks thin
Your assistant decides when to call KnowWho. Occasionally it answers from what it already has in the conversation instead of asking your book. If something looks lighter than you know it should be, say:
Check KnowWho and try again.
That is usually all it takes. If it keeps happening, see troubleshooting.
Recall is where the value shows up
Capture is a cost you pay in thirty second instalments. Asking is where you get paid.
The rhythm that works for most people is a question before every meeting, and one wider question a week. What do I know about the person I am about to see, and who have I let go quiet. Both take one sentence and both change what you do next. There are more patterns like this in how to use KnowWho.
Next: Teams