Because each company designs its own system, the price and time necessary to implement a system vary widely. For example, a company can elect to distribute news and information via TV only, or through an intranet to desktop PCs, or the two combined, to a combination of locations. They can include plant facilities and field offices, all the way up to the corporate boardroom.
TargetVision president and CEO Larry Monheim estimates that the United States Postal Service recently spent $8 million-$9 million to implement its "Postal Vision" system at 380 sites in 12 months, while Union Pacific spends about $500K/year as it gradually extends its system's capabilities.
"Take time to plan up front," advises Monheim. "Make sure you get buy-in from senior management and from unions, so they understand it's not big brother, but the employees' [network]."
"Honestly, our employees were extremely suspicious when we first installed the system," says Jim Beck, director of employee communication at Union Pacific Railroad. "They thought there were cameras in the monitors to catch employees watching TV so we could fire them."
Companies need to learn how to integrate the system with their already existing communications vehicles.
The implementation of a state-of-the-art system does not necessarily mean that an in-house newsletter needs to be eliminated, just published less frequently, says Monheim. Union Pacific has phased out much of its print media and publishes the magazine every other month. (TargetVision, 716/248-00550)