Review of the University
Telephone Directory
Process Simplification Advisory Committee
August 26, 2009
Motivations for Review

Cost

Usage

Environmental
Impact
Methods of Data Collection

Analysis of current University practices

External benchmarking

User Surveys
Analysis of Current University Practices



Departmental contacts update information and
place directory orders
Communication Services conducts spot check
and sends contact information to the publisher
Communication Services also places its
directory order at this time. Last year’s order
was for 22,000 print directories, based on 11,819
departmental orders, 4,500 student dorm rooms
with telephones, and anticipated future
requests.
Analysis of Current University Practices (Continued)




After securing advertisers for the directory, the
publisher submits a set of electronic proofs to
Communication Services for review
Upon approval of the proofs, the publisher prints
the directories, delivers them to U.Va., and sends a
check to Communications Services
Part of the proceeds from the directory is used to
pay for directory distribution and storage.
Out of date, unused, and undistributed directories
are eventually recycled
Storage of Undistributed Telephone
Directories at the Fontana Facility
Telephone Directory Revenue and Costs
FY 2008-09
Item Description
Revenue Generated
Payment from University Directories
$46,533
Item Description
Cost Incurred
Communications Services Staff Time to Check
$920
Facilities Management Delivery Fee
$7,250
Undistributed Directory Storage per year
$1,260
Directory Recycling
$3,381
ESTIMATED NET REVENUE
$33,722
External Benchmarking


Officials at 4 institutions interviewed
Reasons given for discontinuing print telephone
directories:







Budget cuts/Constricted resources
Sustainability – move to “go paperless”
Redundancy – online directory already existed
Short “shelf-life”
Decline in usage
Decline in advertising revenue
Alternatives Formats


Searchable Online Directory
Full PDF Directory
User Surveys: Students



A walk-up survey was administered to a
convenient sample of current U.Va. students
over the course of 3 days in 2 different locations
A total of 280 students were surveyed
Assuming a student population size or 21,057,
this sample size yields a 90% confidence rate
and a margin of error of +5%
Student Survey: Results
How often do you use the directory?
250
200
150
100
50
0
Very Often
Often
Sometimes
Print
Rarely
Electronic
Never
User Surveys: Faculty & Staff



An online survey was administered to individuals
in academic, operational, and medical units across
grounds
Stratified sampling was used to ensure appropriate
representation of all unit types
318 total units across Grounds – 80 units sampled
 103
academic units – 26 randomly sampled
 71 operational units – 18 randomly sampled
 144 medical units – 36 randomly sampled
User Surveys: Faculty & Staff (continued)
A total of 1,817 individuals participated in
the electronic survey
 Assuming a population size of 13,922, this
sample sizes yields a 99% confidence rate
and a margin of error of +2.85%.


Sample Demographics:
 Unit
Classification: 49% Academic, 35% Medical,
15% Operational
 Personal Classification: 29% Faculty, 71% Staff
Faculty & Staff Survey: Results
How often do you use the directory?
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Very Often
Often
Print
Sometimes
Electronic
Rarely
Never
Who’s Using the Print Directory?
Respondent Categories
Two Main Respondent Categories:
 Print Directory Users – respondents who
reported using the print directory “often” or
“very often”
 19%

of all respondents fall into this category
Print Directory Non-Users – respondents who
reported using the print directory “sometimes,”
“rarely,” or “never”
 81%
of all respondents fall into this category
Who’s Using the Print Directory?
Respondent Categories (continued)
Print directory users can be divided into two subcategories:
 Dual-Users: Print directory users who use the
electronic directory “often” or “very often”
 6%
of all respondents fall into this category
 Sole-Users:
Print directory users who use the
electronic directory only “sometimes,” “rarely,” or
“never”
 13% of
all respondents fall into this category
Who’s Using the Print Directory?
Respondent Categories (continued)
Print Directory Users
13%
6%
Non-Users
Dual-Users
Sole-Users
81%
Faculty & Staff Survey: Results (continued)
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Why do you use the print directory?
Users
Non-Users
Sole-Users
Recommendations
In light of the previous results, Process Simplification
offers the following options for improvement:
1)
2)
3)
Eliminate Print Production Entirely & Enhance
Electronic Features
Print Only Departmental Listings
Eliminate Production Overruns
Process Simplification has provided a final report to
the Vice President & Chief Information Officer