What items are on the wish list for your company this year? Top of the list is likely to be increased productivity, enhanced employee engagement, or improved internal communications. For others, it might be streamlined business processes or improved collaboration.
However, it’s one thing to have a wish list. Ticking off those items is another thing altogether. So, what would you give for a digital solution that satisfies all those wishes in one hit and doesn’t break the bank? The good news is an intranet could be the answer to all your dreams this Christmas.
Here we present 12 reasons why an intranet should be top of your wish list this Christmas.
1. Intranets Enhance Employee Engagement
2021 has been dubbed the year of the Great Resignation. A staggering 4 million US workers quit their jobs in July alone. And it’s no surprise that those companies with engaged workforces are avoiding the worst of the Big Quit. Engaged employees are happier, more motivated, and productive. And they are less likely to take time sick leave or change jobs.
In 2022, employee engagement should be a top priority for every business.
What steps can you take to improve employee engagement at the grassroots level? Well, the intranet is the perfect starting point.
A critical aspect of employee engagement is ensuring staff members feel valued and appreciated for their efforts. Shoutouts on the team chat and thank yous on the intranet newsfeed are great ways to recognize staff publicly. Have a dedicated employee or team of the month intranet page. Or feature the department or individual that has gone the extra mile on the newsfeed. And while you’re at it, why not recognize the achievements of staff members outside work too? Use team pages to showcase employees that have completed a marathon or have studied towards a degree in their spare time.
Furthermore, use the intranet’s quizzes, surveys, and polls tool to engage with staff on various issues. It could be feedback on a new company branding, employee wellness policy, or the venue for the office Christmas party. You can even conduct an annual employee survey on your intranet.
Quizzes and surveys are a very interactive way to gauge employees’ opinions. And the intranet automatically collates the results. However, be sure to give employees feedback on the results via the news pages.
2. Intranets Boost Productivity
Every business wants to get the most out of employees, and intranets have a vital contribution to make.
All the tools and information staff need to get the job done are in one platform accessed with just a single login. Collaborating with colleagues on a project, communicating with remote workers, accessing the latest company news and data. The intranet is the go-to platform for getting things done, whatever the task.
Do away with multiple apps, databases, or software to accomplish different tasks as a business. It’s all there on the intranet. It’s a great time saver for staff as there’s no need to switch between apps. Intranets are also a great cost saver as the organization doesn’t have to invest in multiple solutions.
And more efficient and effective working soon adds up to some serious productivity gains.
3. Intranets Improve Internal Communications
Improving internal communications is a standard item on the Christmas wish list for most businesses. It doesn’t matter what you do. There always seems to be room for improvement. And intranets have much to offer here as well.
With company and team newsfeeds, all workers are updated with the latest corporate and industry news. There’s no need for those dull all-staff emails that no one reads. Instead, news and updates are more engaging. The intranet’s multi-media capabilities take engagement to a whole new level. Why not incorporate video, podcasts, and infographics into your communications? Give employees the ability to comment on news items, and you’re also opening up two-way communication.
Furthermore, intranet IM has bridged the communication gap in distributed teams. Workers can reach out to colleagues in real-time, supporting swifter problem resolution and decision-making. And those vital social connections are maintained with virtual watercooler conversations. Throw in an emoji or two, and team chat is a fun communication channel your employees will love.
4. Intranets Streamline Collaboration
Team collaboration is at the heart of winning businesses. However, joint working is a challenge when team members are no longer in the same building. Nowadays, distributed teams, hybrid working, and increasing use of contractors make it harder to connect and unite teams.
Your intranet provides an all-in-one central hub where workers come together to achieve common goals. Whether sharing data, brainstorming ideas, or tracking projects, intranets have all the tools needed for effective collaboration.
The following great features will enhance collaboration in your organization while uniting virtual or office-based teams.
- Real-time communication with business IM speeds up decision-making and improves agility
- Secure, private project spaces for problem-solving and sharing ideas or knowledge
- Shared calendars for better coordination and simplified business planning
- Streamlined file and data sharing provides unlimited, secure information sharing in one location
- Automated workflows ensure teams can track progress, check on the status and get things done faster
5. Intranets Automate Business Processes
In today’s digital workplaces, it’s surprising how many companies still rely on paper and email processes. The potential for errors – missing information, emails left unread, or documents misfiled – is enormous. Plus, there’s the time involved in completing forms and sending data across the business.
Intranets deliver streamlined, automated workflows. The software comes with a straightforward and fully customizable forms builder. Alternatively, you can use an embedded Google or Office 365 form. Either way, the result is the same. A simple online process automatically routes the form to the correct worker for action. It’s effortless and significantly impacts productivity as employees complete everyday tasks like ordering supplies in a fraction of the time. Automated business processes are also more reliable and eliminate the possibility of human error.
6. Intranets Simplify Knowledge Management
The Great Resignation has seen valuable company knowledge simply walk out the door. And with millions of Baby Boomers retiring every year, finding ways to capture, transfer and manage internal knowledge is critical.
Intranets simplify knowledge management. Rather than multiple databases and shared drives, all corporate information is held in one central hub. Workers know exactly where to go. And intuitive site navigation plus advanced search ensures they quickly find what they need. There are no overlaps or duplication of effort with only one source of truth in the organization.
And when it comes to transferring knowledge, intranets also play a big role. Different workers learn in different ways. Some will be visual or auditory learners, while others prefer to learn by reading or doing. With a comprehensive range of options, intranets satisfy all learning needs. Take your pick from podcasts, explainer videos, checklists, and webinars, plus plenty more.
The intranet ensures knowledge is captured, shared, and managed efficiently and effectively.
7. Intranets Improve Information Discoverability
Nowadays, information overload is a major headache for employees. In one survey, 52 percent of workers said they suffered from digital overload.
Intranets help cut through all that noise. Easy-to-follow site navigation is the essential starting point. This feature, plus an advanced intranet search engine, ensures staff easily find the correct information at just the right time.
Furthermore, personalized, targeted communications give employees more control, ensuring they focus on what’s important. Intranet newsfeeds can be a mix of corporate and team news. Plus, employees can choose to follow trending #channels. And @notifications mean they won’t miss out on critical updates. What’s more, notifications can be temporarily silenced when a worker needs to focus on a task.
Quite simply, the intranet ensures employees are informed without being overloaded.
8. Intranets Speed Up Onboarding
Getting newly hired employees up to speed as quickly as possible is a priority for every business. However, it’s more complicated when team members are working remotely.
Intranet-based onboarding allows staff to be inducted online. You can use videos and blogs to explain the company culture. And getting to know new team members is easy with employee profiles, while new-hire forms are also completed online.
What’s more, recruits can complete onboarding modules at a time and pace that suits them. Monitoring progress is straightforward for managers with the intranet’s notifications feature. Plus, you can collect feedback on the onboarding process from new hires through an intranet pulse check or survey.
Done well and new staff are not only productive faster, but are also more motivated and loyal. And in the context of the Great Resignation, high-quality onboarding provides the foundation for engaged and productive long-term workers.
9. Intranets Enhance The Employee Experience
Recruitment and retention are hot issues in 2022. Creating a top-rate employee experience is vital to attracting and retaining the best talent.
Intranets are a critical piece of kit in this mission. Internal communications, employee engagement, and collaboration tools are essential to creating a compelling employee experience.
Another vital aspect of the employee experience is staff training and development. Once again, the intranet is the centralized go-to resource. Use it to showcase internal opportunities, including mentoring, webinars, lunch and learns. Any time, anywhere access allows employees to engage in learning and development when it suits.
And use the intranet to promote external options such as industry conferences, workshops, and study programs. Electronic logs allow managers to track completion and better oversee the whole team’s development.
In the post-pandemic world, employee wellness has taken center stage. Companies now understand that investing in the wellbeing of staff is good for business.
An intranet wellness portal connects staff to a wealth of resources. It could be Zoom yoga sessions, mindfulness exercises, or onsite health checks and lunchtime walking groups. Intranets ensure you meet your obligations to promote the physical and mental wellbeing of workers.
10. Intranets Boost The Customer Experience
Motivated and engaged workers equipped with the right tools will deliver superior customer service. Period.
However, many companies are taking customer service to another level by creating client portals. Intranet-based customer portals improve communications and deliver deeper connections. You can safely and securely transfer data, deliver targeted marketing campaigns and provide customers with self-service options. What’s more, portals are available 24/7, so you can respond to customers even outside standard hours.
11. Intranets Are Cost Effective And Easy To Set Up
Implementing an intranet means you can resolve all these organizational pain points at once. Even better, intranets are cost-effective and super-easy to set up and manage. You won’t need any great technical know-how, making it an excellent choice for tech novices.
With pre-built intranet templates and a simple, automated site builder process, your fully customized intranet is ready to go live in a few hours. So, if technology isn’t your thing, then an intranet is a perfect solution.
Furthermore, the same intuitive admin tools mean that ongoing management is just as straightforward. Editing content, adding pages and modules, and managing single or multiple users is a breeze.
These great features are available at a very competitive, cost-effective price. When budgets are tight, cost certainty with a fixed monthly fee is vital. Furthermore, unlimited users and data storage means your intranet can grow alongside the business.
12. Employees Love Intranets
The bottom line is employees will love the intranet! Strong visual appeal, engaging UX, and all-in-one productivity tools make intranets a sure-fire hit.
Moreover, fun-to-use social intranet features deliver a familiar social experience to unite distributed teams. Follow-me features, #channels, @mentions, activity walls, and more will foster a great company culture.
Gift An Intranet To Your Business This Christmas
For any small business owner, life is demanding enough. Why not make things easier this Christmas? Gift an intranet to your business, and tick off all your wish-list items in one go. The result is an engaged, motivated, and highly productive workforce delivering improved customer service. What’s there not to like, right?
Interested in finding out more? Take advantage of our free demo or no-obligation 14-day trial. Get in touch today and see all your Christmas wishes for the business come true.
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