CMb 2011–04
Promoting the intranet as a service
Categorised under: articles, intranets
We often hear of intranet teams being asked to ‘deliver’ the intranet as if it was a product that can be purchased and deployed in a straightforward manner.
While there are aspects of the intranet that can be thought of in these terms, another approach is to view the intranet as a service.
If they are able to differentiate between these two perspectives, intranet teams are better positioned to frame the intranet conversation, making it easier to communicate what they are trying to achieve and to manage expectations of internal clients as well as stakeholders.
The intranet as a product
Sometimes it is useful to think of a product as an outcome. Effort is expended and something namable, even concrete, is produced.
Many aspects of intranet delivery can be seen like this. Principal among these is the technology platform that supports the intranet. It can be acquired, it has ‘out of the box’ functionality, it can perhaps be modified for local needs, and it can then be deployed.
Other aspects of the intranet may have a launch-date associated with them and the quality of a ‘thing’ to be delivered such as a
- people finder
- document repository
- team space
- search function
- newsletter
Framing the intranet in these terms carries a risk that their delivery becomes the end-goal. This devalues and narrows the contribution the intranet can make to the organisation.
The intranet as a service
‘Service’ is associated with ongoing delivery, client satisfaction, helping others’ to achieve their goals; it’s about being useful, relevant and above all else, it’s about business value.
Services have no end point. This perspective helps place the intranet in a process of continuous improvement, supporting an agile approach which responds to changing business needs.
Some key intranet services include:
- improving the way information is captured and delivered
- refining communications channels to all staff
- increasing the use of collaboration tools
- maintaining guidelines for governance and support
- seamlessly integrating with evolving enterprise systems
- supporting content providers and authoring communities
- consulting staff on changing needs
- collaborating with other internal service providers such as HR, IT and finance
Without this service mentality ‘intranet products’, at best, become stale and fail to maintain their relevance for staff. At worst, they stumble from the outset and fail to fulfil their full potential.
Serving the business
In intranet reality there is a great deal of grey between where a product ends and a service begins but an example shows the contrast between the two viewpoints.
The intranet team is tasked with providing an online newsletter:
- A product approach might take an existing paper version and make it downloadable.
- A service approach will take a broader look at this and consider the different channels that are available and help the business leverage and enhance communication to specific audiences.
The latter is more challenging, but ultimately delivers more value to the business.
The line between product and service may be blurred, but the tenets of great customer service will serve the intranet team well: know who your clients are, actively listen to what they say, manage their expectations and deliver what they need as best you can.
Tags: intranets, product, service, service delivery, strategy
Stephen Byrne is a specialist in knowledge management, combining this with years of experience as an organisational psychologist. As a senior member of the consulting team, Stephen works with organisations to deliver successful intranets and to resolve information management challenges. 
5 Comments:
This is a really great post, and I wished I’d had the insight to see the product/service issue before. All consultants work in 2-by-2 matrices, and I’m just starting to think about two other dimensions, the individual and the organisation, and seeing whether Stephen’s approach can be extended in this way.
Excellent advice and aligns well with IT thinking as well and my evolving thinking over many years. I am currently struggling with the closure of an intranet development programme and need to transition the team into a business as usual IT environment. This article is vital to assist my case that maintaining the intranet even in difficult economic times in the UK is more than managing the servers and technology!
Thank you for the feedback. The idea was inspired from a client meeting where communications asked IT to ‘deliver them an intranet’ and IT believed they could do just that. When the ‘product’, ‘service’ idea was introduced, you could see all the light bulbs go on above peoples heads and they all realised this was a little more involved. I have since found it a very powerful metaphor for conveying what an intranet is really all about.
Stephen you’ve hit the nail on the head here. Having a services mentality is critical to ensure your intranet continues to receive investment (resources and funds) after it’s launched.
Stephen, this is a great post. Thanks. Many people see the intranet as a product and fail to see why we need the intranet in the first place – to provide better service to our staff – ultimately to help them improve their work efficiency and effectiveness. Organisations are constantly reviewing their workplans and staff also have to constantly align their individual workplans and KPIs to the organisational direction. This is a continuous process to help organisations remain relevant and competitive in the market. Intranet (as an enabler) is to help staff remain up to date and also to help them execute their tasks. Thus, such “intranet as a service” mentality is crucial and it has to be on-going service improvement (intranet team to be constantly gathering and reviewing feedback on the intranet and making improvements to enhance user experience).