Success factors for implementing self service tools on the intranet

Employee self service is gaining in popularity. Read how employees can be reached by the intranet and how internal communications and HR communications can benefit form the self service insights from the e-commerce world.

Employee self service is gaining in popularity. Employees can register their own leave and absence or update their personal data on intranet, while their managers can keep an eye on their employees’ development. A lot of possibilities are already frequently used, but there is a lot more to explore. For effective employee communication one can have a look at developments in e-commerce. The online self service flourishes within online marketing. In May 2006 Jungle Rating investigated the latest self service developments in e-commerce. Read here how you can reach your internal stakeholders by your intranet and how employee self service systems can benefit from these insights.

Customer self service

The principle for customer’s self service is simple. Customers can update and control their personal data, book a flight by themselves or pay their bills on the internet or by telephone. In e-commerce self service is used for several purposes: online sales, web self service (enabling a customer to do his own transactions) and web self help (providing online information). Self help experiments within online marketing are being undertaken: a software agent offering service to a customer based on his clicks. Recent developments are self service via chat, IVR (Interactive voice response: by number selection or speech recognition a visitor gets an automatically generated answer by phone) or automatically generated FAQs: feedback on specific questions depending on where the visitor is looking on the website.

Use of employee self service

A lot of possibilities already are frequently used within self service applications. But the intranet offers options that can enrich service concepts thereby optimizing the communication with employees.

HR self service concepts on intranet usually focus on registration components: employee self service and manager self service. The employee component enables employees to manage a broad array of personal data, such as career development, time registration, benefit packages, and vacation. In addition, they can access up-to-date corporate policies and information 24x7. The manager’s component of self service provides managers with online access to the tools and information they need to oversee their employees' careers and professional development. The manager is able to submit employee reviews, propose wage increases, approve vacation time, review operational data, and track employee growth online and in real time.

Adapting the self service concept in HR circles meant a shift in traditional HR routine tasks from HR departments to employees. The advantages of self service are twofold: it reduces administrative tasks from HR staff that has more time for service and personal advice. Next to this, it raises employee satisfaction and loyalty. Employees are able to access information they need at any time.

Getting more out of self service and your intranet

The challenge is to broaden the concept of self service from a registration centre to a service/information centre on intranet. Provide with self service a place where employees can get information they need - personalised to their preferences. Think of information about benefits, compensation, employment conditions, possibilities for career development etc. This way you can create ‘killer content’, useful content for employees that gives them a reason to visit your intranet. You then take your HRM communication to the next level and get more out your intranet.

Success factors for implementing self service tools on the intranet:

1. Create a service environment for your employees with information about salary payments, benefits, employment conditions and possibilities for career development
2. Show the top-10 frequently asked questions per topic
3. Show each visitor’s last visited pages
4. Disclose service information by an intranet wide search functionality. Provide the results with clear titles and description. Give employees the opportunity to sort the results by topic, document type or date
5. Provide separate FAQs per topic and display these within their own context
6. Offer within the service environment a possibility for feedback or complaints Explain what will be done with suggestions and complaints and indicate when the HR department will reply
7. Measure your success: do employees use the applications, do they find the information they need in an accessible way?
8. Treat your employee as a customer; give him a full service concept with all the tools and information he needs to do his job.

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