Computacenter in Web chatline trial

Computacenter CEO Mike Norris most admires Winston Churchill and Ian Botham, and looks to his mum for advice ? so he revealed in a two-hour pilot run of an internet chatline between the company?s 2,000 employees.

Replying to a member of staff who called himself Bungee, Norris confessed that his ideal job would have been to open the batting for England, although he found his current job ?great fun?.

But Computacenter general manager Martin Hellawell would not reveal the chief?s response to the question of why he was nicknamed ?Nobby?.

Norris said that he used to develop close relationships with his staff through walkabouts. But an increase in staff numbers to 2,000, spread across 70 offices, has rendered such a management approach impossible. Instead, Norris wants to hold the Web chat each month.

?I am not aware of any other company in the UK making use of such a scheme,? he said. ?It?s innovative, stimulating and an ideal forum for communication. Guest speakers ? leading specialists in various technologies ? will be invited along to take part in a Web chat with our employees and, eventually, our customers.?