There is therefore good reason to sacrifice phone extra attention when the company intranet to be redeveloped. Here one can usefully be based on a quick 'intranet killer application test', which initially identifies ¬ phone directory's strengths and weaknesses in relation to the three conditions. So you know where particular attention should be deployed. Then you can work to strengthen the weak points.

Below I have outlined some of the general strengths and weaknesses that is usual in companies and added some typical improvement opportunities.

1a: Does the original value?
I very much! On most intranets is the single most used tool. There are still many opportunities to make it more than just a reference work that can give the phone number of a known colleague. It's about adding experience, tasks and skills, so you can find an unknown colleague with a certain knowledge. And if it is coupled to the calendar, it can show when the employee is accessible ¬ ge ¬ equal to a telephone conversation or a visit. And then there are really many obvious opportunities to improve overall usability, so the relevant information is reached with fewer clicks.



1b: If the value derived?
Here there are huge differences, but more and more companies begin to link the phone to put a face (and contact data) on the content controller. These include to increase the motivation to quality assure and update content. Other companies make it possible to link the other way by which you can see what's intranet content that each employee has responsibility for the documents he has made the project groups he participates in, etc.

The phone book is also used in many places to put flesh and blood on the organization ¬ graph, so it becomes a genuine oversight and knowledge tool, which - instead of just having a simplified and static representation of business ¬ sake structure - can get an overview of employees of a department, find contact data on an appropriate colleague or to his boss. Some sites use the phone book also as user input to staff ¬ information about each employee (typically limited access to the employee and the HR department).

2a: Gives the value for the end user?
Yes. But the scale obviously depends on how extensive it is, in itself, and the degree to which it is connected to other content on the intranet (as described in 1a and 1b). There is also the special angle that the value for the end user must always be assessed in relation to possible alternatives. And here is the printed phone book is still not killed in all undertakings. We can, however fortunately do something about! And if the end users find it difficult to do without a paper based version, so ensure you only that there is a user-friendly print function. In the paper still has a number of benefits that the screen can be difficult to compete with.



2b: Does the value of the content controller? This is where many companies are experiencing the greatest challenges - just like many other places on the intranet. The problems are also very typical: Lack of usability (it is too difficult to update content), lack of location and visibility of content responsibility (and thus lack motivation ¬ tion to update), and unclear priorities ¬ ring of what content is important in the phonebook. All three companies have, however, generally focus on and there is therefore continuous improvement.