How to Create the Best Company Intranet?

What is the Purpose of the Company Intranet?

A company intranet exists to:

• Communicate and share information
• Connect employees, teams, and departments
• Simplify collaboration to increase productivity

It’s an internal collaboration tool that goes beyond being just a content resource. It’s a place to interact, chat with colleagues, find answers, learn about what’s going on in the company, and be part of the company culture.

One of the key corporate intranet goals is to offer a platform that works smartly and helps employees carry out their tasks better. This applies to all departments, from IT to Human Resources to the Strategic Development team; a company intranet can benefit everyone.

With the rapid development of social networking, a company intranet is an essential tool for companies of all sizes. In the past, the intranet was just another app on the computer screen that people avoided using. It had the reputation of being difficult to navigate, boring, and full of documents you didn’t need.

So why would a company use an intranet then? Because, modern intranets are:

• Sleek
• Easy to navigate
• Fast
• Practical
• User friendly
• Cloud-based

Intranet technology is expanding fast and its capabilities are constantly evolving. A successful company intranet site understands its users and offers them an all-in-one platform that enhances their intranet and company experience.

The best company intranet platform should be the place where team members catch up, find information, share ideas, and socialize. Employees should love using it. It should have a name, let’s call our modern intranet Frank, and everyone should know who Frank is. Frank should be open on the majority of people’s computers or phones throughout their working day and they should access it several times a day. Now we know who Frank is, let’s look at some company intranet features:

• Communication – a way to liaise with colleagues in real-time
• Information – always up-to-date information on company activity Collaboration
• Collaboration – working together to achieve the same goals
• Engagement – providing an interesting information tool
• Knowledge – an up-to-date information source
• Productivity – improves when employees are engaged
• Organization – keeps everything in one place
• Connectivity – a strong and global employee network
• Corporate culture – building shared believes in the company values
• Employee advocacy – improving brand awareness and trust
• Mobility – allowing employees to connect wherever they are

Each of the above individually contributes to the purpose of an intranet. An intranet isn’t just a communication tool, it’s a benefit to both employees and the company. Employees should naturally use the intranet in their day-to-day work. And to encourage them to do this it’s essential to create the best intranet system.

In today’s digital workplace, the company intranet is a member of the team itself. This is why it needs a name and a brand. Your employees are your internal customers and your intranet is your public website. That’s why it’s so important to provide an in-house space that keeps all the work tools needed to run a business in one place.

This valuable team member shares the mindset of the company, is available 24/7, on any device, is always up to date, and inspires everyone that uses it.

LumApps Intranet Platform:

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What Features Should a Modern Company Intranet Have?

Corporate intranets are unique and can be tailored to suit a company’s specific needs. It should blend with the objectives of the company and be a go-to resource that all employees use.

The best company intranet solutions consider which features will benefit productivity. These best intranet features can then be incorporated into an innovative and exciting platform that supplies information quickly and easily and engages everyone who uses it.

The modern corporate intranet features to consider:

1. Integration

Which existing apps does the intranet need to integrate with? e.g. Google Drive, Office 365, Trello, Slack… If your company is already successfully using certain apps, then you should consider intranets platforms that provide full integration to those tools. Thereby employees can carry on working with what they’re familiar with.

2. Cloud-based Access

Allowing employees to use the intranet wherever they are, at any time and on any device. With remote working becoming the norm it’s important to be able to use the intranet no matter the physical location. Whether you like to start work at 6 in the morning or you have a 7 hours time difference from the rest of the company, the information flow never stops.

3. Mobile app

Mobile intranet features encourage engagement as employees can access the platform regardless their location, meaning they’re more likely to use it and quickly check for updates on the go. We spend so much time on mobile devices and apps these days, which makes the adoption of a mobile intranet app even easier. Having constant access to the company intranet on a mobile device allows employees to socialize, forward information, and engage with colleagues.

4. Customizable

An intranet can be built to support a company’s specific needs. It doesn’t have to be an ‘off the shelf’ option. Whether it’s an automotive, retail or service providing organization you can personalize your platform to serve as a collaboration, communication, or even support center. It should also be agile and adaptable in order to respond to any changes and business growth over time.

5. Analytics

A critical part of an intranet solution, used to study and analyze productivity and engagement (for example, what are employees viewing, sharing, liking, and posting?).

6. Communication

Promotes internal interaction through news feeds, blogs, announcements, chats, and multimedia. Employees can also use intranet collaboration tools to communicate, such as shared documents, messaging applications and project management systems.

7. Organization

The intranet should be a valuable resource that stores easy-to-find information for employees allowing them to do their job effectively From finding template letters to researching product information to referring to technical manuals, the organizational capacity of an intranet is limitless. And a key best practice of this intranet feature is to ensure all files are kept up to date.

8. Social

A place where staff can get together virtually to share ideas, relevant information, network, and collaborate. The social intranet can improve teamwork and create strong brand advocates, while giving a sense of involvement and at the same time enhancing productivity.

9. Multimedia

Makes the company intranet the place to find videos and audio files that can improve the employee experience. Creates engagement and educates. It’s easier to remember information through images and sounds than reading a long, boring report

10. Additional access (extranet)

Some intranets give clients, vendors, business partners, or the public external access to certain sections of the platform which can save communications teams time and build broader company awareness. For example, to make bookings, share files, access media, make payments or conduct training.

11. Security

The highest level of security is essential for an intranet as it’s still exposed to malicious attacks or viruses. Modern cloud intranets have a sufficient advantage when it comes to security compared to off-cloud platforms. Another important security step is ensuring that only the right people have access to what corporate information and that departments such as human resources or finance have sufficient data security.

It’s important to consider not only the basic features of an intranet, but also those that will make it unique, and more than just a platform to disseminate information. Discover 30 essential features your intranet should have.

Choose the Best Company Intranet Software

An all-in-one intranet platform is an ideal solution for most businesses. It brings together everything under one umbrella, making it easier to use and manage. Staff across the globe can communicate and collaborate efficiently as if they were in the same room.

When evaluating different intranet platform opportunities, to streamline your digital workplace, you should consider intranet softwares that:

• Fits your business goals – including short and long-term goals. How will the intranet fit with your company strategy? What is the best intranet structure to facilitate operations and meet company’s needs?
• Enhances business activities – How the intranet will benefit your employees in their day-to-day work: Will they find it easy to use? Will they enjoy using it? How are you going to encourage adoption?
• Have a variety of tools integrations and features – these may include other platforms such as Office 365, GSuite, Slack, Workday, etc. It may seem insignificant but features such as multimedia, a personalized news feed, or business directories can be crucial for your employee experience.
• Meets your budget – make an informed decision. What is the optimal return on investment your company is looking for? What is the current state of your digital transformation? How much are you prepared to invest in the success of your digital workplace and sustainability of your business in the digital world.

Whilst there are ‘off-the-shelf’ intranet platforms available, these can be very limiting and offer little flexibility.

A custom-made communication platform can evolve and improve as your business grows. It should align with your company culture and values, by creating an experience, and not be just an information board no one sees in the corner. . Each work tool should operate both independently but also in harmony with the others, providing the most relevant experience for users, in order to support the smooth running of your business.

This kind of intranets are flexible and combine:

• An internal communication platform for creating awareness, improving internal networking, reporting, and building social connections.
• An employee collaboration platform where people can share expertise and ideas.
• An employee engagement platform to create a strong company culture.
• A knowledge management platform that gives a voice to internal experts and enhances knowledge sharing and learning.
• A single point of entry that opens the door to a robust and collaborative digital workplace.

An intranet should make life easier for everyone. It should allow employees to do their jobs more effectively and communicate with each other in real time. So choosing the right intranet software from the very beginning is crucial.

Choose the Intranet Name and Design

Why is the name and design of an intranet important? Company intranet names and designs are all about branding. Just like your website needs to be eye-catching and attractive so does your intranet. It should be modern and reflect your company image.

Your intranet should encompass your values and objectives through its design. Are you a fun, dynamic marketing company or a serious law firm? When deciding on the design and name think about how you wish to portray your company to your employees.

So what’s a good name for an intranet site? It has to be something people resonate with and refer to often (remember Frank?). Keep the intranet name short and simple so it sticks in the mind. If your company employs innovative millennials you should look at cool intranet names, not stuffy and boring ones.

Why not define your intranet name by doing a survey? Ask staff for some creative names for your intranet. Then give them 3 or 4 options to vote on and offer a tempting prize for the winner. Including your employees is the first step to get them to interact with the intranet.

Then you need to consider the design so it’s attractive and easy on the eye. How do you define an intranet design? Here are some ideas:

• Review your company brand and how you can apply it to the intranet
• Select sample company intranet design examples that appeal
• Choose colors and shapes that are easy on the eye and simple to read
• Work with your intranet supplier to produce a design that inspires

Designing an intranet is different from designing a website as it’s providing information rather than selling a product. So you may wish to talk to a new designer, who looks at your intranet with a fresh pair of eyes. Your intranet provider will be able to advise you on design as they’ll know what works and what doesn’t.

Again, once you have some mock-up designs involve your employees and ask for their feedback.

Build your Intranet Strategy

Once you’ve finalized the name and design of your intranet and got your provider working on it, it’s time to set out a deployment strategy. Everyone who’s part of this project should know what’s expected of them and when they have to deliver.

Your strategy should include:

• Page creation – how many pages will you need and what will they include?
• Page templates – prepare a series of intranet templates, like pages, articles, newsletter, etc. that will be available to all your content creators once the intranet is live.
• Governance – who is responsible for which section?
• Content inclusion – what content will the intranet provide (news, available jobs, new hires, events, profiles, training?). How will it be organized? Who will add it and update it?
• Documents – as well as the general content, what specific documents will be included, such as company policies, forms, planning documents, etc.
• Surveys – Prepare in advance the surveys you will need to measure employee satisfaction and intranet adoption.
• Employee access – a database of employee access should be created, listing who will need access to which parts of the intranet. This will need to be updated regularly to ensure security is not breached (for example if someone leaves the company).

A successful internal marketing plan will ensure that as soon as the final intranet is signed off, employees are itching to use it. This involves creating a buzz about what’s coming. Find hooks to engage employees right from the start. Offer competitions, prizes and why not even organize an event to celebrate the launch of your intranet.

Be active and engage regularly with your employees through the intranet, they will respond.Establish an objective that you will track from day one and don’t give up, even if your aim seems big like getting staff to connect to the company intranet more than they do on social media.

→ Read more: How to Boost Intranet Engagement: Ideas, Strategies and Tools

Be consistent in your approach and know that all your efforts to create the best intranet will soon bring greatresults for your company.