55% Boost in Employee Engagement: The Power of Modern Intranet Adoption

Background

In the digital age, an intranet can be the backbone of a company's internal communication and collaboration. However, when a mid-size manufacturing company found that less than 30% of its employees were using their outdated intranet, it became clear that a change was needed.

By prioritizing employee feedback and launching a modern, user-centered platform, the company not only revitalized its intranet but also transformed it into a daily necessity. Within three months, engagement soared to over 85%, with employees praising the improved navigation and fresh content.

Let's delve into the strategies and results of this successful transformation.

The Challenge

The company’s legacy intranet faced two primary roadblocks to a successful intranet migration:

• Poor Search and Navigation: Employees struggled to find relevant information quickly, leading to frustration and wasted time. The search feature was outdated and inefficient, often returning irrelevant results.
• Limited Mobile Accessibility: Without a mobile-friendly interface, remote and field-based employees couldn’t easily access resources, reducing overall intranet usage. Upgrading to a modern platform that addressed these limitations was critical to improve employee engagement.

These challenges led to less than 30% weekly intranet engagement, limiting effective internal communication and causing employees to bypass the portal for ad hoc information sharing.

The Solution

To overcome the identified challenges, they implemented a company-wide modern intranet solution with:

• Enhanced Navigation & Personalization: Redesigned information architecture, personalized dashboards, and clear site navigation.
• Advanced Search & Discovery: AI-powered search allowing keyword, metadata, and content-type filters for faster intranet usage.
• Mobile-First Access: Responsive design and native mobile app integration to support employees on any device.
• Content Governance: Streamlined content publishing workflows to ensure fresh, relevant information.

After identifying the key challenges to address, it was time to deliver on these requests through a streamlined roadmap. The implementation strategy involved several key steps.

1. Employee-Centered Research
Conducted surveys and focus groups to capture intranet pain points and desired features, informing the design roadmap for intranet migration.‍

2. Agile Development & Testing
The team rolled out key features in phased sprints, collecting iterative employee feedback to refine navigation and search modules.‍

3. Internal Awareness Campaign
Using Viva Amplify, the company ran an internal communication strategy to build excitement and awareness about the new intranet. This included sneak peeks, informative sessions, and training for staff.

4. Onboarding and Training‍

A comprehensive onboarding and training plan was implemented. This included a champion program where selected employees were trained to become intranet advocates and help their colleagues navigate the new system.

The Outcome

The launch of the new intranet was a resounding success. The feedback from employees was overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the easier navigation and fresh content.

• Weekly Intranet Usage: Jumped from 30% to 85% within three months post-launch.
• Improved Navigation: Reduced average content discovery time by 30%, as employees leveraged improved search filters.
• Mobile Adoption: 60% of active users accessed the intranet via mobile devices, increasing remote collaboration.
• Employee Satisfaction: Survey scores improved by 40%, with employees citing easier navigation and up-to-date content.

“Implementing a mobile-first, user-driven intranet and promoting it strategically through Viva Amplify completely changed our internal communications. Adoption champions were key to driving engagement.”

- Product Manager

Transforming the employee intranet from a neglected repository into a vital daily tool is a testament to the power of understanding user needs and actively promoting new solutions. By prioritizing employee feedback and implementing a comprehensive awareness and training campaign, the company achieved remarkable results. The new intranet not only improved daily workflows but also fostered a sense of connection among employees.

Organizations embarking on an intranet migration should embrace user-centric strategies and proactive promotion to maximize adoption and realize measurable business impact.

How We Can Help You

If your organization is facing similar challenges with intranet or internal communication tools, contact us today to start your own success story. We have supported hundreds of migrations to Microsoft 365, and support migrating from 45+ different source services, systems, and servers. Learn about the impact we've made directly from our clients.

Let us help you transform your neglected tools into valuable assets that enhance productivity and engagement.