This is rumour control, here are the facts

[andygates]

How do you get information - important, relevant, timely and simple information - out to an office full of staff?

Look, email doesn't work, half of them don't read it, half can't, and the statistically-insignificant remainder are too busy posting on LJ or tracking their ebay auction for hideous tat.

Intranets are famously useless for this sort of thing: great reference library, killer knowledgebase, lousy noticeboard.

Tell the Helpdesk? Half of those monkeys forget and half of my users will come up to my office first, to see if they ought to bother calling. No use there, tried that.

There's only one solution: I need a bell and a tricorn hat. "Oyez! Oyez! Agresso will be running slow today! Don't panic! It's management's fault! Do some filing instead! Oyez! Oyez!"

Comments

[skean.livejournal.com]

Resort to old fashioned tactics. Close the office door and stick a big notice on it telling all and sundry if they're bothering you becase of said issue, there's nought thee can do about it.

Stick an IVR on the front end of Helpdesk as well "If you're calling about the Allegro problem, please ask your manager if he knows what a PHB is". Guaranteed to up peoples blood pressure.

[andygates.livejournal.com]

A notice on my door?

Have you been bludgeoned insensible by the naieve stick?

They will look at it, grunt, and open the door saying, "Is there a problem with Arsegresso then?"

[thudthwacker.livejournal.com]

Maybe sneak a notice on someone else's door?

[skean.livejournal.com]

Lock door? Leave for day?

[gedhrel.livejournal.com]

1. Get an answerphone, or a phone system that lets you record a message:

"If you're calling us to notify about the Foo outage, thank-you, but we're already aware of this. We're working on it and expect service to be returned by 3pm. Otherwise hold onto the line and you'll be put through."

2. Train departmental reps to go to the helpdesk first. Train anyone who pokes their head through the door anyway by asking, "can you check with the helpdesk to see if this is the same issue?"

3. Investigate the use of your phone system as an outgoing pager. Use it sparingly to let folks in the right groups know. Or page the whole bloody building. Don't forget to announce your messages with "Shutdown! Yes!" to get all the dictatamuffin users.

There's always net send.

[thudthwacker.livejournal.com]

Our information dissemination plan has several parts. First, we have regular e-mail announcements of stuff, and for really bit things we also put notices up on the main web site page, the main portal page, and the WebCT distance learning page. Our official position is that if we've announced it, we are not required to care that you ignored said announcement.

Second, everyone is always told to talk to the HelpDesk -- in the e-mails and notices, etc.

Last, and most importantly, there is caller ID on my phone and a locked door to the hallway where the admins' offices are. This locked door is right next to the help desk, which is stocked (bless 'em) with bright engineering and computer science majors.

I grant that this situation is not one you can emulate in the short term, but it works fairly well hereabouts.

[andygates.livejournal.com]

You fiend, you have a sump of helpful people to catch anyone who gets close. Ingenious.