3 Steps to Launching An Effective Enterprise Intranet
A step-by-step guide to developing an invaluable
tool for your organization
BRIDGELINE WHITEPAPER SERIES
© Copyright 2015 Bridgeline Digital Inc. | Bridgeline.com | 1-800-603-9936
the digital engagement company
Introduction: 3 Steps To Launching An Effective Enterprise Intranet
Chances are, if you’re reading this whitepaper, your organization’s Intranet is horrible. This is not hyperbole.
As companies load up to transform to the digital age, one of the first places executives look is the Intranet.
And that’s because, from top to bottom, it’s often viewed as portal of regret, featuring a wasteland of outdated,
inaccessible information that provides employees no value. So, let’s fix this, shall we?
How Intranet Use Cases Have Evolved
To get where you’re going, you must first understand
where you’ve been. As Scott Liewehr, President
of Digital Clarity Group, a leading consultative firm,
appropriate outlined on the show, “CMS Connected,”
the evolution of Intranets is not too dissimilar from the
evolution of the Internet. Initially, both mediums were
used to push out information (Web 1.0). The next
iteration of each medium emphasized collaboration.
For the Internet, this meant blogging and social
media; the Intranet, meanwhile, incorporated
better collaborative tools, like messageboards and
document management.
From an Internet perspective, Web 3.0 has placed
urgency on understanding intent. The best digital
ecosystems offer end-users a personalized
experience, from your company website to your social
media and email channels ... all in real-time.
Make no mistake: Intranet users, meaning employees,
require this same experience.
However, company Intranets are lagging behind this
new wave of focus; instead, teams are stuck using
antiquated technologies that lack integration or the
support needed to maximize employee engagement
and the portal’s Return On Digital Investment (RODI).
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Introduction: Continued
The Seven Most Expensive Words In Business
So, let’s talk about the common tools that power
Intranets, namely Microsoft Sharepoint. The popular
software is, well, popular – but does popularity mean
effective? The answer is a resounding ‘No.’
Sharepoint’s widespread adoption was born out of an
immature marketplace. As previously explained, what
organizations look for in their Intranet has transitioned,
and Sharepoint has remained static in its capabilities
and satisfaction rates.
Consequently, it should come as no surprise that,
according to a recent AIIM survey, SharePoint is falling
out of favor among IT professionals. Factors commonly
cited include insufficient user training options and the
high cost of implementation and use. Nearly half of
the survey’s respondents say they’re concerned about
Microsoft’s lack of focus on the on-premises version of
its product.
A deeper dive into the survey shows that out of over
400 organizations polled, nearly two-thirds described
their SharePoint projects as either stalled (26%) or not
meeting original expectations (37%). And only 11%
describe their company’s SharePoint project as a
success.
Thus before advancing your project, your team must
dispose of the cliché, “That’s the way we’ve always
done things!” Once your organization commits to
change in processes, the possibilities will seem endless
(and almost overwhelming). Fear not, read on to learn
the three steps to creating a collaborative Intranet that
your employees can effectively take advantage of.
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Step #1: Define Scope & Commit to Excellence
Before we dive into necessary features, strategies and technologies that power a great Intranet, there’s a larger
question that needs to be asked: Is your organization committed to creating (and maintaining) an Intranet?
That may seem like an easy – or given – request, but, in actuality, what may seem like ‘filler’ is the biggest
commonality amongst failed Intranet projects.
What Does ‘Good’ Look Like?
In order to create collaboration, you need to, uh,
collaborate. This starts with C-level executives,
department heads, and IT co-mingling with one
another to decide what the final Intranet should offer
employees. The largest mental hurdle to clear is
embracing the idea that an Intranet isn’t a “project”
… it’s a program. And yes, this means your Intranet
needs assigning real resources and ownership to its
development and refinement to ensure success.
But what, exactly, will your Intranet offer employees?
Truth is, Intranets are versatile in their range of use
cases and, oftentimes, how your portal operates to
serve employees is not only dependent on what type
of organization is using it, but specific layers within
that organization. In other words, the experience
should be contextualized – tailored, really – toward the
user (more on this later!).
To get a general overview of how your organization
can develop an effective Intranet, work backwards to
determine how, as an organization, you’ll arrive at your
desired destination.
The investments in software, delivery, and human
capital to provide ongoing ownership to the program,
gives clarifcation about your Intranet’s success (or
failure). All told, this is largely predetermined by
how well your project team can amass buy-in in the
planning stages of the Intranet.
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Step #2: Select Software & Implementation Partner That Fit Your Needs
The best Intranets no longer operate solely as a place to store and replace organizational files and provide
document management. What you are ultimately creating is a widespread resource that can offer so much more
– an internal hub that inspires employee efficiency and engagement.
Why Content Management Systems
Drive Intranet Success
In its most simplistic purpose, a top-tier, enterprisegrade Content Management System (CMS) allows
users to centralize data, content creation, editing,
and publishing – all on a single back-end system. The
primary goal is to arm non-technical business users
with a solution to manage how content appears on a
company’s external, public-facing website.
As Intranet use has evolved, however, a CMS
has become the primary tool driving enterprise
portal success. Why? Well, as previously stated,
contemporary Intranet experiences are akin to web
experiences. And a CMS has the ability to integrate
with other critical tools and features to offer employees
an efficient, relevant user experience.
Personalization:
To spark employee engagement, Intranet web
masters must offer content on its Intranet that speaks
directly to specific employees. Through the use of
audience segmentation capabilities, a CMS can do
just that: push content to users based on a number
of demographics – department type, recently viewed
documents, search history, even the device a user is
using to access the portal. The use of targeted content
will help users find the information they are looking for
before they even login by constantly updating relevant
attributes to the persona type.
Enterprise Search:
Perhaps the most important aspect of an Intranet is
searching for commonly used documents. But, as you
likely know, over time, information on your Intranet
often becomes buried inside databases, in folders, or
on other media. Ultimately, the business value of the
information can be largely diminished if and employees
cannot easily access the right (up-to-date) content.
With the integration of a robust Enterprise Search
Engine, users can be assured that, if properly tagged,
the information they are looking for is easily accessible.
Mobile-Friendly Capabilities:
Your employees use company smart phones and
tablets to work on-the-go, right? Then, it’s prudent to
provide a mobile-friendly Intranet. With the use of a
responsively designed website and persuasive content,
your employees will experience a contextualized
experience that adjusts to their needs and
circumstances, not the other way around.
Community Management:
Blogging tools, social media integration,
messageboards and comment moderation – again,
not only does a CMS offers an effective means of
asset and document management, coupled with
personalization and search mechanisms that help
provide relevant information to employees, but the
software inspires a collaborative workplace.
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Step #3: Develop Common Organizational KPIs For Your Intranet
With Step #1, we demanded organizational buy-in. Then, in Step #2, we outlined how a CMS can
help create a personalized employee experience on your Intranet that goes well beyond document
management. But what about the end users: your employees.
How to Measure Intranet Success
An Intranet is unique in that it’s a tool most organizations
use, but its value must be measured in both tangible
and intangible ways. Case in point, formulating intranet
metrics can be challenging. Whereas other web
development projects will almost always have more
direct, traceable impacts, an Intranet will make waves
in different ways. But so long as you’ve Reverse
Engineered to understand what good looks like
(See Step #1) and properly prepared, with adequate
resources aligned to manage its success, you can
understand your Intranet’s performance.
Intangible Evidence of Success
Again, because an Intranet’s overall goal is employee
engagement and improved efficiency, this process
begins with stakeholder interviews. Their satisfaction
is a primary indicator of success. Is the experience
relevant, intuitive, and helpful towards completing tasks
in an efficient manner? Or is the content clunky, user
experience scattered, and a hindrance in their daily
work? Those are extremes, of course – but how they feel
about the portal should provide a baseline sentiment for
how you feel about the Intranet.
Tangible Evidence of Success
Beyond that, rudimentary statistics -- like overall use,
path analysis, time spent logged in, and bounce rates
-- will help your team peel layers off the onion to decide
what’s working and what’s not. Moreover, if creating a
collaborative environment is an important goal for your
Intranet, then monitoring discussion boards and project
management will give you a high-level understanding of
whether or not the portal has become a transformative
tool for your organization.
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About Bridgeline Digital’s Integrated iAPPS Platform
What Does Award-Winning Web Development Look Like?
An effective Intranet can be a Game-Changer for your organization. In the end,
launching a superior Intranet requires dynamic technology and a combination of a native
implementation team and peerless digital marketing expertise around driving employee
efficiency across every level of your organzation.
That’s why the biggest brands in the world rely on Bridgeline Digital to develop Intranets
that spark true employee engagement -- for more than 15 years.
From conducting a discovery process that combines expertise in design and digital
strategy, all the way to post-launch optimization ... We’re with you every step of the way.
The best part? We build these dynamic Intranets on our all-encompassing iAPPS Digital
Marketing platform, recently named “Champion” in Info-Tech Research Group’s Web
Content Management landscape report. In the report, analysts touted iAPPS’ ability
to equip enterprise businesses with easy-to-use tools that optimize digital assets and
capitalize on growing trends in employee engagement.
Award Winning iAPPS Product Platform
iAPPS Content Manager is a part of Bridgeline’s iAPPS® platform, a Digital Marketing solution that deeply
integrates Web Content Management, eCommerce, eMarketing, Social Media management, and Web
Analytics to help marketers deliver online experiences that attract, engage and convert their customers across all
digital channels. Bridgeline provides end-to-end Digital Engagement solutions and boasts an award-winning team
of interactive services professionals across our 11 offices worldwide.
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