We love all things intranet. A modern intranet is not only a space to share company information. It is a valuable tool that used right, promotes productivity and inclusion. Not having an intranet can make your employees feel as though they’re searching in the dark for information they need to get their job done.
But building an intranet can turn out to be a tedious process. How do we make sure during planning you’re building an intranet will be that core portal you want it to be?
We’ve asked our customers what they think are the most common challenges to overcome when they are building a digital workplace.
Probably the most important piece of the puzzle when implementing an intranet is getting stakeholder buy in. It may never seem like there is a ‘right time’ to launch an intranet project to a busy professional. After all, this new intranet is going to be a change at first – one that we rarely feel like we can afford.
So how do we convince the decision makers and project teams that a new intranet is not just a nice idea, but a real need for the organisation?
Involve your C-suite early in the process and don’t expect to convince them overnight. What executive management wants to see first is hard facts and data to support your claim. You need to prove to them that this will be worth their investment.
Use real statistics and user stories. For example, McKinsey researches social technology in the workplace, and found that “using social technologies to improve collaboration and communication within companies could raise the productivity of interaction workers by 20 to 25 percent.” This statistic comes complete with a graph that explains how they quantified that number. Research shows that the average employee spends:
13 hours per week on email
9 hours per week searching for information
8 hours per week analyzing information
6.5 hours per week communicating/collaborating with colleagues
6 hours per week creating content
4 hours per week publishing information
Could any of these statistics appeal to a pain point in your organisation?
The type of intranet you need depends largely on the type of company you are, and the personas you employ. This next bit is going to sound harsh, but in our experience it is true.
You don’t need an intranet to do all the things (while that would be nice). You need an intranet that will be used. One that will make employees working day simpler and more productive. For example, if you run a digital agency, your teams will likely be very interested in topical reading on industry leading projects and where your agency is keeping up. A social-heavy, participation focused intranet will go down well. On the other hand, if your company is R&D lead, easy to publish, edit, and find documentation will keep the researchers and developers well nourished and satisfied. So read the room. A SharePoint Online employee experience might be the solution to bridging the gap between the two.
Identify the employee and management pain points that an intranet could solve
Balance your objectives with actual potential engagement
Start small if you need to – ongoing development is better than launching unused features