You successfully launched your new intranet last year to much fanfare and pomp. Initially, intranet usage was high, with employees enthusiastically logging on daily. However, intranet adoption has recently tailed off with fewer users each month. Sound familiar? The truth is the job doesn’t finish once you go live. You can’t take intranet user adoption for granted. It’s an ongoing process that needs to be nurtured and cultivated.
So, if you’ve noticed a dip in intranet adoption rates, these tried and tested strategies will help you get back on track.
12 Easily Implemented Strategies To Boost Intranet Engagement
Increase your intranet adoption and employee engagement with the following strategies:
- Keep it fresh
- Ensure it’s relevant and engaging
- Make it personal
- Create a central go-to hub
- Keep it social
- Showcase employee recognition
- Invite employee feedback
- Keep it simple
- Support learning and development
- Provide employee intranet training
- Develop an intranet community
1. Keep Intranet Content Fresh
Static, or worse, out-of-date content is a big turnoff for users. Logging on to the homepage and seeing the same tired text and images won’t encourage your employees to dive in.
Employee-generated content is a sure-fire winner. It helps build authenticity and trust and is a cost-effective way of ensuring a steady content supply pipeline. From sharing personal work stories to explainers on new technology, encourage user-generated content to drive intranet engagement.
Cisco is a fantastic example of how to do it. The tech powerhouse company taps into its worldwide team to generate content for its social media channels. Content consistently engages with trends that reflect the company’s identity and values. Super-engaging, Cisco shows what you can do with your intranet.
Consider creating a content plan and post new, exciting content regularly. To make the task easier on everyone, share the responsibility for content creation across the organization. For example, Wendy in Marketing is responsible for the marketing department’s content, and updating HR’s pages is part of Bill’s duties.
For more inspiration, check out our post, Intranet Content Ideas: 25 Ways To Improve Your Intranet.
2. Ensure Intranet Content Is Relevant And Engaging
Employees are also unlikely to embrace the intranet if the content is irrelevant, dull, and uninspiring. Some businesses have made the mistake of publishing every piece of company information without really thinking about its purpose. So, before you post content, ask yourself if it adds value.
Furthermore, be sure to make the most of the intranet’s multimedia capabilities. Take your pick from videos, podcasts, infographics, webinars, and interactive polls and quizzes. The sky really is the limit when it comes to driving intranet adoption with engaging content. Check out Lily Effingwell’s popular TikToks exploring her daily work at Salesforce. This is exactly the kind of engaging, value-added content that drives intranet engagement.
One way to make content relevant is to include dedicated team or location-based newsfeeds and pages. It makes sense that employees will be more engaged with a local news story featuring a coworker than they might be about the success of a sales team located hundreds of miles away.
Check out MyHub’s new updates feed, which collates notifications and updates from across the intranet site. Engage employees with a mix of team, local, corporate, and industry news, and keep everyone in the loop.
3. Make It Personal
When it comes to driving intranet adoption, allow users to personalize the intranet homepage, and you’ll be on to a winner.
Customizable hot links, frequently used tools, integrations, and personalized update feeds give workers control and eliminate unnecessary digital noise. However, 30 percent of employees in one survey said the company intranet lacks personalized content. From Facebook to Netflix, your employees are used to tailored content and expect the same experience from the intranet. So, it’s time to get personal if you’re serious about intranet engagement.
Furthermore, in our experience, employees love discovering content about their fellow workers. The human element makes all the difference, so use the intranet to welcome new hires with a newsfeed introduction. Also, include items on team events, social outings, and employees’ achievements outside work. Whatever you do, make it visually engaging by including lots of photos.
MyHub customer Giftcraft has embraced the people approach to intranet engagement. The provider of lifestyle and fashion products has introduced a spotlight feature showcasing different employees. Giftcraft employs over 300 people across North America. Senior HR Manager Fernando Brandt said the initiative has helped staff learn more about their colleagues. “It’s helped our people stay connected and get to know coworkers they wouldn’t otherwise meet,” he advises.
4. Make It Accessible With A Mobile App
In today’s digital workplace, mobile devices are the key to driving intranet adoption. According to the latest statistics, 41 percent of us work remotely at least some of the time. And let’s not forget the 2.7 billion global deskless workers.
These employees want to access the same internal communications, resources, and collaboration tools as their office-based colleagues. A mobile intranet ensures your on-the-road workers stay connected, informed, and, most importantly, productive, whatever the location.
So, if you want more employees using the intranet, then make sure it’s accessible from any location with a mobile app.
5. Create A Go-To Central Hub
The easiest way to get people to log on to the intranet is to make it the go-to platform for company news and resources, knowledge sharing, and internal communication.
For example, if booking vacations or submitting expense claims are only possible by completing an online intranet form, then staff have no choice but to log on. And why not set the intranet as the default web page so that employees must first go through the intranet’s homepage before accessing the web.
Moreover, most modern intranets offer integrations with the enterprise tools and software your people use daily. Seamless integration and SSO are another big drawcard when it comes to intranet user adoption: no more switching between screens and juggling multiple passwords.
Use these tricks to get people to log onto the intranet again. Once logged on, they will likely spend additional time browsing the other features and information on the site.
Be sure to entice them with a vibrant, engaging homepage, perhaps with a how-to video or a hot news button to encourage them to take a closer look at what’s on the intranet.
RWR Group uses its MyHub intranet for a wide range of business challenges. “It’s a one-stop shop,” declares Operations Manager Jessica Fisher. The company has 17 office locations throughout Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and the Maldives. The intranet is the go-to platform for internal communication and provides a central hub for all company policies, processes, and how-to guides.
6. Keep It Social
Social features such as messaging apps, @ mentions, # channels, likes, and comments are always a hit with staff. Digital natives have considerable experience with these features through social media and have also come to expect them in the workplace. Social intranets appeal to the social nature in all of us and help connect workers, enhancing team morale and employee satisfaction.
Similarly, some fun or light-hearted features on the intranet give workers another reason to log on. Quizzes, surveys, or online noticeboards to share recipes or reviews of local coffee shops are always very popular.
New Zealand-based home decorating specialist Guthrie Bowron uses its MyHub modern intranet to connect staff across multiple stores. Employees use the team chat and # channels to discuss everything from the latest design trends to checking stock availability.
7. Recognize Employees
Research from Gallup demonstrates the strong connection between recognition for a job well done and employee engagement. The intranet is the perfect platform for showcasing workers through formal recognition programs, informal peer-to-peer shoutouts on messaging apps, or a homepage news story.
Highlighting workers with a public thank you provides an engaging source of content that’ll keep your people coming back for more. Even better, you’ll tick the boxes for adoption and engagement.
8. Invite Employee Feedback
If you really want to know how employees feel about the intranet, there’s only one way to find out: ask them. Workers love to feel included. Intranet surveys or pulse checks provide valuable feedback while ensuring employees feel like they have an internal voice.
Many organizations also encourage discussions between management and employees in focus groups. These groups help you dig deeper into the issues and can provide helpful insights to inform your intranet adoption strategy.
9. Keep It Simple
What do all the best modern intranets have in common? Nielsen Norman Group’s selection of the 10 best intranets 2023 provides plenty of best practice advice.
The winning intranets keep it simple with a visually appealing, user-centered design. Content is presented in easily digestible, bite-sized chunks. Navigation is intuitive, and users don’t have to work hard to find what they need.
Check out this fantastic example from a MyHub customer.
The Diabetic Retinopathy Knowledge Hub grabs your attention with a bright, colorful photo of happy, smiling people. Navigation links are highly visible and focus only on key content. Users just need to click for more detailed sub-menus.
A minimalist design like this one packs a punch when driving intranet adoption.
10. Support Learning And Professional Development
Support for training and development is also a key driver of employee engagement, which means it’s important to your people. Make the intranet the single source of truth for training and development opportunities, and you’ll go a long way toward encouraging intranet usage while also boosting employee engagement.
Remember, it’s not all about external courses and programs. Why not encourage employee-generated content with video tutorials, webinars, and Q&A sessions? Use the intranet to also publicize internal mentorship, shadowing programs, and cross-team collaborations where employees can develop new skills and knowledge.
11. Provide Employee Intranet Training
Sometimes, it’s not enough to just tell people about the intranet’s fantastic benefits; you have to show them. Set up a training and support program and encourage employees to explore all the intranet’s outstanding features.
And if you are launching a new intranet, employees may need some help and support to understand the new system and its benefits.
It’s also a good idea to set up a rolling training program to cover any new hires or if there’s an upcoming change to the intranet software, so employees understand what’s involved.
12. Make The Intranet A Community
Companies with high rates of intranet adoption are not complacent. They continuously work to sustain those high levels by ensuring the intranet remains relevant, engaging, and up-to-date, making it an indispensable tool for employees to get the job done.
In short, top-performing businesses create an intranet community where company employees and management feel connected, informed, and engaged.
Create an intranet community in your organization and intranet adoption will no longer be an issue.
Intranet Adoption FAQs
What Is Intranet User Adoption?
User adoption is the process whereby employees become daily intranet users, accessing company information through the intranet solution.
What Is An Intranet Adoption Strategy?
As the age-old saying goes: “Fail to plan, and you plan to fail.” An intranet adoption plan is your strategy for capturing and retaining users. It ensures you take a proactive approach to driving intranet adoption and don’t leave anything to chance.
Use the intranet adoption ideas we have shared to kickstart your strategy. And remember, the work doesn’t stop on launch day. You’re in for the long haul, so your intranet adoption strategy must address the ongoing engagement.
How Do I Track Intranet Usage?
Many intranets come with built-in metrics to help you monitor usage and engagement. Data on logins, interactions, clicks, reach, and page views provide valuable information to inform your intranet adoption strategy.
You can supplement the hard numbers with qualitative data from focus groups, surveys, and polls. That way, you build up a comprehensive picture of intranet usage that you can track over time.
What Are The Barriers To Successful Intranet Adoption?
If you want to increase intranet adoption, it’s essential first to understand the barriers that can get in the way. Here are the top reasons why intranet use can fall flat:
Poor User Experience
If employees struggle to find information or navigate the software, even the best adoption strategy won’t help. A modern intranet is easy to use and has an engaging user interface.
Irrelevant Intranet Content
Employees need relevant content to do their jobs efficiently. Irrelevant or out-of-date information just clutters the intranet, making it harder for employees to find what they need.
Failure To Change And Adapt
A company intranet should evolve with changing business demands. A static intranet that fails to change and adapt becomes a turnoff for employees.
Lack Of Helpful Features
Employees will only engage with the company intranet if it has features and integrations relevant to their roles. And if it doesn’t, they will continue using other tools until the intranet meets their needs.
About MyHub
Built by experts for non-experts, our intranet software is consistently rated highly on independent review sites.
With over 60 pre-built templates, MyHub’s platform is easy to set up and intuitive to use. In no time, you can have a fully functional intranet site that your people will love using and delivers what they need.
Ready to find out more? Check out our highlights video and sign up for a free demo or 14-day trial.
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