OPINION
Is your intranet working for you?
Many of us have company or departmental intranets. Today, what we'd like to discover is how many of us are pleased with their performance? This asks the question: What do we mean by intranet performance? And how can it be measured?

The first point to consider is: How many people within the organisation visit and use your site? Consider also which areas they use the most. And the least. Do users find the site useful, and user friendly? Does the correct information get delivered easily to those who need it most?

Which brings us neatly to the theory. Many intranets would function best as a shop. Please allow me to explain. When we go into a shop, we see all the products on display with informative attractive labels, so we can easily and accurately make our selection. And in a good shop, it's always simple for us to find what we want,  there's plenty of help available, and the checkout is fast.

So the question we could be asking ourselves is: From our users' point of view, how well does our intranet compare with a shop? Does it have obvious utility, friendliness, and a tangible sense of anticipating what we might need? And does it have a user-friendly delivery mechanism? Most importantly, if we think it has these virtues, then can we prove it? Which leads us to our next point: How do we measure the effectiveness of our intranet?

With traffic analysis software, you can precisely monitor who visits where, how long they stay, and what they select. This information, presented in a series of reports, will let you evaluate which parts of your intranet are doing well and which parts aren't. The reports will also tell you exactly where your site is being ignored, or misunderstood, or underused. Once you have this information, you may decide that some or all of your site needs to be redesigned to deliver a more effective service. Which brings us to my shameless plug, as we would like to help you do this.

So, back to the beginning: How well do you think your intranet is working for you?

MARKETING
New Smith Group Website Launch
Electrical and technical contractors, the Smith Group, are almost ready to launch their new website. Initially it will serve as an information point for customers, showing the depth of the resources available within the group, and the latest news bulletins. I'll publish their url next issue.

EXPORT
Your Factory, Everyday
Supporting and motivating an overseas sales force of independent agents and distributors is one the toughest jobs in marketing. So consider the case of Locker Process Solutions. They manufacture a comprehensive line of superb but complex industrial equipment which overseas agents need to thoroughly understand if they are to make sales. To help, we have been commissioned to produce an interactive cd (see issue 17) in six languages that walks both customer and agent through the maze of possibilities, and quickly identifies the best possible solution. Rocket science made easy on a cd!