3 tips to sharpen up your intranet

Welcome to Melcrum's Social Media and Intranets Newsletter.

So, it's the first week of the new year and it's back-to-work time for many. While 2009 looks set to be bumpy in economic terms, there's no reason why this can't be the year that you make the intranet shine a little – even if you're working on a restricted budget. Here are 3 tips to sharpen up your intranet without breaking the bank.

1. Overhaul the homepage with useful information
It's a simple thing to ask people about the information they use and need to do their jobs. A client I'm working with currently is preparing for a homepage redesign – but without a single new graphic in sight. The redesign is primarily about bringing the most used and useful information to the surface.

For example, a set of critical data relevant to the whole department used to be five clicks deep – now it's in full view on the homepage. The response to this change was immediate and positive. Further improvements are coming, including data collected via a one-question survey asking "What's in your bookmarks?"

In combination with site statistics, asking colleagues about the information they use on a daily basis is a simple way to improve and fine tune your homepage content, and identify glaring omissions.

2. Get a firm grip on social media
While early social media efforts were characterized by a "see what sticks" approach, 2008 produced many sophisticated examples from a wide range of industries.

In 2009 it's time to narrow that focus even further. There's a massive amount of expertise available for free on the web (you can start with the archive of this newsletter!) Use it to improve your own understanding of social media tools such as wikis, blogs and more. Targeted, well-planned and well-executed social media strategies are the order of the day:

• If that executive blog isn't working (and is really looking more and more contrived), re-evaluate it or shut it down.
• If people have a good case for a new wiki or collaborative space, work with them to establish a structure around it, focus on delivering the tool (don't forget – they needn't be expensive), and help them make it a success. Also be sure to shout about any positive stories.

3. Identify business areas where the intranet can help
Lastly, if your organization has any kind of customer service commitment or Key Performance Indicators, but refuses to invest in quality information management, sing out. You can't deliver high levels of customer service if employees can't find the intranet-based information they're looking for to communicate to customers. This is particularly true in call center environments, but can be true in many other areas of the business.

Aim to identify the information disconnects in your organization – where fast information retrieval is necessary for efficient customer service, but where employees are wrestling with a complex or unresponsive system. If you can show a direct link between the strength of the intranet and employee needs and business targets, its value can be much easier to demonstrate, and can lead to wider acknowledgement and motivation to make the site a more valuable asset to your organization.

Until next time,

Alex Manchester
Senior Consultant
Step Two Designs
alex@steptwo.com.au

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