Choosing the right IT support unit is critical to the success of your business. If you are looking for great IT services Melbourne has many options, so you will have no trouble finding what you need locally. Once you have found the right company for you, one way it can make difference to your business is make sure that you are getting the best out of your intranet.
Intranets are often overlooked, but when used to their full potential they can increase internal efficiency by improving the ease with which information can be shared, allowing instant communication and facilitating virtual conferencing. The effect is to streamline the day-to-day operations of the business, leading to greater productivity and profitability.
Although intranets are often underused it is often not the technology that is lacking but the training. Companies will often spend substantial sums of money implementing sophisticated systems, but without instigating the necessary training to go with it can be a wasted investment. This is where your IT support unit can make a real difference. Here are just some of the technologies available that make up a good intranet and how you can benefit from them.
E-mail is a wonderful tool for office communication and it is one of the most widely understood and used. It is simple, easy to master and enables the user to keep an electronic record of discussions and decisions. Sometimes however, this leads to it being overused and the result can be the build-up of huge volumes of unnecessary data. Not every communication needs to be put in writing. Sometimes a phone call is more efficient. Educating your staff about when and when not to use e-mail is often overlooked. Guidelines should be established about when to use e-mail and when to use other means of communication. These guidelines should also cover whether or not personal communication by e-mail is allowed. Your IT support team can help by installing antispam software and by monitoring e-mail usage and filtering out 'non-work' messages.
Instant messaging
Instant messaging is quicker than e-mail and allows for rapid communication in much the same way as a phone call. It is a useful alternative where telephones are not available or making a phone call would be disruptive to those around you.
Bulletin boards
Bulletin boards provide an unobtrusive method of communication of information that employees can then access at any time. They are unsuitable for messages that require an immediate response, as the recipient does not receive a notification of each post. For general office announcements and news designed for a wide circulation within the company they can be ideal.
Scheduling
Intranets are useful tools for scheduling. You can use an intranet to provide a central point where work schedules or details of specific projects can be posted. If every individual takes their information about their own work schedule and those of others from the same place it can eliminate miscommunication and misunderstandings.
Document Management
Document management systems such as Google Docs simplify the collection and sharing of information and ensure that everybody within a team or company has access the to the latest developments within a project.
These are just a few of the technologies you can make use of with a properly functioning intranet. Whether you are researching IT services for the first time or are considering changing your IT Support Melbourne is home to many excellent providers. Choose the one that best suits you and they will be able to help take advantage of these technologies to increase the efficiency of your company's working practices and procedures.
Source: ezinearticles.com