After entering data in the magnifying glass in NXT, allow users to use CTRL-Enter to search (since Enter calls up the last successful search).
This same approach is used as an option in Outlook (while composing a message, Enter means "go to the next line," whereas CRTL-Enter means "send the message.")
If multiple hits are returned for the search, display the results and allow the user to select one. If only one record is returned, open that constituent's record.
This would speed up searches when the user has specific search criteria and still not affect the existing functionality.