Useful technology — Content Management

What it is

Information is stored in file cabinets, bookshelves and stacks of paper on desks. It’s on CDs, floppy disks, cassette tapes and in the brains of experienced workers. Getting the right information to respond to a customer’s question can consume a remarkable amount of time.

Who to ask? Which hefty manual to page through? Is this the most recent version?

The information that you accumulate is not useful unless it’s quickly and easily accessible.

Content management systems provide a common database so that all departments have easy access to the same information. The content must be:

• categorized and organized so it’s easy for the user to find
• taken out of long documents and broken into chunks for ease of use
• frequently updated for reliable accuracy

One of the major uses of an intranet is to enable a content management system.

Benefits

1) With documents in a centralized location, employees know where to go for the most up-to-date information. Instead of hoping outdated memos and manuals get replaced with a new version, updating happens in one location.

2) Less time is spent re-writing content that already exists.

3) Responsibility for adding new content and revising or removing old is decentralized to the responsible department or individual. There can be many content creators within the organization. Their work goes through whatever the normal approval channels are using an electronic work flow process. Final editing and publication could be done by the communications department to ensure consistency.

4) Content can serve more than one website. The same piece of content can be called from the database to display on the public website and the intranet. Of course proper security is required but it is easily managed.

5) Time-sensitive content, such as job openings, can be scheduled to become viewable at a certain date and time and then removed in the same manner.

Content management will be a part of your future. By having information at employees’ fingertips you can help to ensure accurate, consistent, timely answers for customers. We can help you determine the information needs of your employees and plan how to meet those needs in the most efficient way possible. If you have questions about content management, please contact us.