New Use of Phone Communication

Effective communication between personnel is vital to the success of an organization. One important aspect is the channels available for communicating. In an attempt to improve its communication channels, the Nebraska Cooperative Extension Service is using a special telephone service to enable county agents to call university personnel directly rather than to use less direct means (such as writing a letter). An effort has been made to appraise the effectiveness of the system. This article reports the impact this new telephone service has had on agents' communication patterns with state staff. The author suggests that use of this service will improve cooperation and understanding between state and county personnel.