The tech market is inundated with helpful products that offer a technical solution to a human problem. One such product is an intranet. Offering a private digital platform to share resources and streamline communication within a company, the advantages of intranet variations extend beyond the technical features at the surface level. Many businesses utilize intranet systems to maximize performance by enhancing employee engagement and improving communication. Beyond recognizing the value of an intranet, it is critical for companies to select which intranet system is right for them. This process requires conscientious decision-making to align the human aspects of a company’s unique identity with the technical aspects of the digital product. This article offers key tips to ensure you choose the intranet system that best fits your company’s needs.
Know Your Audience
To effectively evaluate the potential value add of a new product, you must know what you’re working with, or more accurately, who you are working with. Knowing the needs of your employees, as it relates to the communication and collaboration functions of an intranet, will ensure you customize the intranet platform and user experience to enhance productivity and engagement. Things to consider:
- What are the technical skills and abilities of your employees and can the product be customized to meet their needs?
- What challenges does your current system present for users and will those be eliminated in the prospective intranet?
Know Your Goals
Many companies will seek an intranet to maximize productivity. Knowing how to align the unique objectives of your company with the varying features offered by competing intranet systems represents the difference between offering something helpful and offering something transformative. This requires specific analysis of your company’s goals and the underlying employee patterns or behaviors that, if shifted through intranet functionality, will alter your company’s trajectory. In other words, how can a technical shift in function or format produce an adaptive shift in employee habits that impact the big picture? Things to consider:
- How can this platform consolidate the functions that currently live across a variety of applications so that employees can work more efficiently and reinvest that recovered time into achieving your company’s goals?
- Are there distinct aspects of your company that require specific collaboration and communication structures? If so, can the product be customized accordingly?
Consider The Aesthetics
Engagement and productivity might drive the bottom line but structure and content are not the only factors driving engagement. The look and style of a product also determine ease of access and are important considerations when comparing intranet systems. Ask yourself: would I want to look at this every day? If the answer is not a resounding yes, keep searching until it is.
Just as your company has its own unique strengths and challenges, so too do the variety of intranet platforms available on the market. Being able to discern the option that best suits your needs is a critical but manageable step. Leveraging the tips in this article will ensure you are on the right track!
