1. Make the Intranet the place to go for key information
For all key:
- • News
- • Documents
- • People contacts
- • New Procedures,
- • Prices, Promotions
- • Events
- • Photographs
- • Resource Bookings
Access to key information sources e.g. Technical Indexes, News feeds, share prices etc.
Personalise user group access to the key business systems that they use. Consider giving access from your Intranet rather than people having to log into legacy systems.
Integrate other business systems to make the Intranet one Portal, one point of entry to wider business
systems.
Show KPI's that are relevant to the user group that the user belongs to.
Integrate other systems with the goal of eliminating double entry by integrating with existing.
2. Give access to the Intranet to Everyone
Make it mandatory, for example:
- • all room bookings must be done through the Intranet
- • all documents to be stored on the intranet
Make it the default address when you turn on your PC/browser.
Make it the master source for all people and their contact details.
Make it the place where all news is posted and shared.
Consider branding subsidiary or group companies with their own branding where applicable, so users identify with their own business operation and don’t feel it’s a PLC-imposed system.
Intranets work best when used from the ground up.
3. Launch it, promote it, look after it
Consider a proper launch event or road show of events.
Identify key, motivated people within the business departments ("Champions") and get them on board from the start. This means good involvement and training to give ownership of the Intranet objectives.
Devolve responsibility for day to day content management to these champions, reporting to someone senior in the communications function within the business.
Meet regularly to review their hands on experience, user feedback and recommendations for improvements going forward.
4. Make sure IT and communications work together as one team
IT will identify and fulfil system integration opportunities.
Communications will know what information is important to share with everyone.
5. Allow personal interest content
Allow people to advertise their own goods and services on the notice board, holiday flat to rent, car for sale etc.
Encourage useful/interesting content that people would find personally interesting, e.g. Joke of the week, film reviews, music reviews
Consider regular voting on both company and non company topics.
Hold online surveys, make the results available to all and act on the results.
Consider promoting discussion boards for social and company comment, separate boards for separate topics.
6. Keep the content fresh and engaging
Use engaging images on the home page to highlight new information and encourage users to read about it.
Make sure that new information is going onto the intranet at least weekly, preferably daily.
Make sure that the intranet content is THE definitive version of content, (e.g. forms) and those users know that this content is kept up to date.
7. Conclusion
Form a steering group of Company IT, Company Communications, Brand champions and your Intranet provider.
Identify key objectives for the intranet.
Plan the launch and communication of the key objectives and benefits to the users from using the Intranet.
Identify and motivate Champions in each business department/entity. Seek their regular feedback and act on agreed priorities.
Make the Intranet THE PLACE for all key information, news and knowledge sharing.
Broaden the scope so that you link to other key information sources e.g. Technical Indexes, KPI's.
Work on integration with other data sources such as HR so that updating can be automatic wherever
possible.
Seek to make key peoples roles easier by providing a portal to all of their key business systems.
Make it mandatory and remove alternative manual systems, e.g. room booking, paper based phone lists.
Keep the content fresh, up to date, engaging and authoritative.
Use your Intranet provider’s experience in workshop sessions to include your brand champions, IT and communications.
Seek feedback from users on the ground and act on it.
Give the Intranet a friendly name, which will help with its identity as a group wide system.
