Company intranet: 5 reasons your business still needs one

The company intranet isn’t dead : it’s evolved

Let’s set the record straight: the corporate intranet isn’t just alive and well; it’s thriving, evolving, and frankly, showing off a little. Gone are the days of clunky interfaces and frustratingly slow load times. Today’s intranet software is a testament to what happens when thoughtful design meets cutting-edge technology. These aren’t just glorified document repositories anymore; they are dynamic intranet solutions acting as the central nervous system of any thriving business. They’ve undergone a truly remarkable makeover, embracing user-friendly interface design, powerful search capabilities, and social features that actually encourage interaction. The modern company intranet is no longer merely a place to store information; it’s a living, breathing platform that fosters connection, boosts productivity, and genuinely enhances the employee experience. It’s precisely the kind of software that makes you wonder how organizations ever managed without it.

Back in the days when we first started singing the praises of the company intranet, statistics about employee engagement were, shall we say, a touch disheartening. In 2017, a staggering 70% of employees in the U.S. were reportedly not engaged at work. Yet, the data also whispered sweet nothings about the power of connection: connected teams are 20-25% more efficient.

The catch? Unless properly designed, fewer than 50% of employees would bother using an intranet daily.

Fast forward to 2021, and the landscape, while shifting, still echoed these challenges, with 64% of employees remaining disengaged.

As the world embraced remote and hybrid work models, the imperative to connect employees became not just important, but absolutely critical. And let’s not forget, today’s employees expect an intranet experience that can go head-to-head with the slickest social media platforms they use in their personal lives. This is where the new, improved company intranet steps in, ready to rescue your organization from the clutches of disengagement and disorganization. It’s no longer a question of if you need a company intranet, but rather how quickly you can implement a modern intranet that actually delivers on its promises.

Why companies still rely on intranet platforms

Through our extensive experience implementing modern employee intranets for organizations of all sizes, and receiving enthusiastic feedback from clients about the dramatic positive shifts in employee engagement, we can confidently proclaim that the company intranet is not just relevant; it’s essential. It’s become the single source truth for countless organizations, proving its worth across diverse industries and varied work environments. These platforms provide employees with centralized access to critical information, foster seamless communication collaboration, and ultimately contribute to a more cohesive and productive company culture. The intranet solution of today is a strategic asset, not just an IT expense. It’s a foundational platform for any business looking to thrive in the complex digital landscape.

5 reasons your business still needs a company intranet

At Powell, we’ve made it our business to craft intranet software that doesn’t just meet expectations, but consistently exceeds them. We understand that a successful company intranet isn’t just about the software; it’s about understanding your unique company culture, empowering your employees, and providing the tools for seamless communication collaboration. We’ve seen countless company intranet examples flourish with the right approach.

Our intranet solution is designed to address the complexities of modern work, offering a suite of features that simplify everything from internal communication to knowledge sharing. We believe that the best intranet is one that evolves with your business, offering flexibility and adaptability. We’re passionate about helping organizations like yours transform their digital workplace, fostering incredible employee engagement and driving tangible business outcomes. For a comprehensive look at how a carefully planned intranet can propel your organization forward, consider exploring intranet best practices to ensure your implementation is a resounding success.

Boost productivity across all teams

Ineffective communication is the silent killer of productivity, a fact acknowledged by 86% of executives. Picture this: your employees spend an average of 3.1 hours daily wading through emails. Three point one hours! That’s nearly half a workday lost. A dedicated employee communication platform – a well-designed company intranet – acts as a digital detox for your inbox, streamlining information sharing and offering genuinely attractive alternatives to the dreaded email chain.

A well-implemented intranet will:

Significantly reduce email dependency: By providing dedicated spaces for company-wide announcements, project updates, and departmental news, the company intranet allows employees to find the information they need without getting lost in an email abyss. This frees up valuable time for actual work.
Facilitate quicker responses to common queries: Imagine a comprehensive FAQ section, an accessible helpdesk, or a repository of essential resources, all centralized and easily searchable. No more waiting for a reply to a simple question – the answers are there, at your employees’ fingertips, saving everyone precious time and minimizing interruptions. This is where the intranet truly shines as a knowledge sharing powerhouse.
Make information effortlessly discoverable: The company intranet is fundamentally a robust knowledge management tool. It’s designed to combat information overload by providing a structured, intuitive environment where critical data, policies, and guidelines are easily found. No more frantic searches across shared drives or endless “who has that document?” queries.
Provide immediate access to essential tools and information: For employees to perform effectively, they need instant access to the tools and information relevant to their roles. A centralized company intranet ensures that everything from HR policies to project templates, company intranet software guides, and internal directories are readily available, enabling employees to get their work done with minimal friction. This enhanced user experience is a critical differentiator.

Enable seamless collaboration

The past few years have undeniably been the era of collaboration tools. From 55% in 2019 to 79% in 2021, the use of these tools has surged, a natural consequence of the widespread adoption of remote and hybrid work models. But whether your teams are co-located or spread across continents, a robust corporate intranet transforms the way your employees interact and work together. This is where the company intranet becomes more than just an information hub; it’s a dynamic environment for collective ingenuity.

A company intranet fosters communication collaboration by enabling your team to:

Communicate freely and openly: With features like news feeds, integrated Yammer communities, and seamless Microsoft Teams integrations, the intranet ensures that conversations flow effortlessly across departments and hierarchies. This encourages a culture of open communication and transparency.
Effortlessly exchange ideas: Many company intranets, especially those featuring a dedicated idea management tool, provide a structured yet flexible space for employees to brainstorm, share innovative concepts, and even vote on suggestions. This taps into the collective intelligence of your workforce, driving innovation.
Securely share documents and resources: Every department, from HR to sales, has critical documents – HR policies, user guides, marketing collateral. The company intranet provides a secure, centralized repository for these, ensuring version control and easy access for authorized employees. This contributes to the intranet private network aspect, securing sensitive data.
Collaborate in real-time on projects: For organizations leveraging an intranet on Microsoft 365, the ability to collaborate on documents and projects in real time becomes a powerful differentiator. This means multiple employees can work on the same document simultaneously, seeing changes as they happen, eliminating version control headaches and boosting efficiency.
Interact with diverse teams and stay informed: A well-designed company intranet portal breaks down departmental silos, allowing employees to easily connect with colleagues across the organization and gain visibility into what different teams are working on. This fosters a sense of shared purpose and encourages cross-functional understanding.

Strengthen company culture and internal identity

A strong company culture isn’t just a buzzword; it’s the bedrock of a thriving organization. It’s what transforms a collection of individuals into a cohesive unit, all rowing in the same direction. Easy collaboration and open communication, facilitated by a company intranet, cultivate an environment where your team can interact, connect, and genuinely get to know one another, regardless of their physical location. This is where the company intranet transitions from a functional tool to a vital organ of your organizational identity.

To nurture a robust company culture, your intranet should:

Integrate robust social features: From dedicated social media feeds to virtual “water cooler” chat spaces, the intranet can be a vibrant social intranet where employees can engage informally, share personal updates (within professional boundaries, of course), and build stronger interpersonal relationships. This is crucial for fostering a sense of community, especially in remote or hybrid environments.
Serve as the central hub for news and announcements: Avoid the black hole of overflowing email inboxes! By publishing company news, strategic updates, and important announcements directly on the intranet, you ensure that crucial messages are seen and absorbed by your employees. This guarantees everyone is on the same page, in real time.
Actively communicate and reinforce company values: The intranet is an ideal platform to bring your corporate messaging to life. Share stories that exemplify your values, highlight initiatives that embody your mission, and visually represent your company culture through engaging content. This helps to solidify a shared identity and purpose among all employees.
Recognize and celebrate employee achievements: Acknowledgment is a powerful motivator. The intranet provides a public forum for giving shout-outs to individuals and teams for their hard work, successes, and contributions. This not only boosts morale but also keeps everyone in the company aware of achievements, fostering a culture of appreciation and healthy competition. This is a direct path to increase employee engagement.

Centralize and secure knowledge management

In an age characterized by a veritable deluge of information, the corporate intranet emerges as the quintessential single source truth for all company information. It provides one central, secure location to store all your company documents, ensuring they are consistently up-to-date and easily accessible to anyone on your team who needs them. This is not just about convenience; it’s about safeguarding institutional knowledge and ensuring operational continuity. This aspect of a company intranet is arguably one of its most critical features, offering immense value for any forward-thinking business. The best intranet software excels in this domain.

Why is this level of knowledge management so profoundly important?

Mitigates the impact of staff turnover on knowledge access: When an employee leaves, their accumulated knowledge shouldn’t vanish with them. A well-maintained intranet ensures that critical processes, historical data, and best practices are documented and readily available, minimizing disruption and ensuring smooth transitions for new hires. This prevents the loss of invaluable time and resources.
Empowers employees to find the information they need, quickly: With robust search tools and intuitive navigation, employees can efficiently locate the specific information required to perform their jobs. No more asking around, no more wasted time – just quick, direct access. This significantly improves the overall user experience. For a deeper dive into making your intranet truly useful, you might want to explore the importance of a CMS intranet for managing your content effectively.
Leverages existing security infrastructure (e.g., Microsoft security): If you opt for an intranet on Office 365, you automatically benefit from Microsoft’s enterprise-grade security protocols. This means your sensitive company data is protected by industry-leading measures, giving you peace of mind and ensuring compliance. This makes the company intranet software a secure and reliable choice.

Foster employee engagement and connection

A meticulously designed and truly modern corporate intranet isn’t just a utilitarian tool; it’s a transformative force that elevates the employee experience. It actively promotes efficiency, fuels growth, sparks innovation, and deepens connection – all of which are, without a shadow of a doubt, the core ingredients of an engaged workforce. This is where the intranet truly pays dividends, contributing directly to a positive employee experience and a flourishing company culture. The ability to increase employee engagement is one of the most sought-after benefits of implementing a new intranet solution.

A thriving company intranet leads to an engaged, connected workforce by:

Creating a central hub for all employee-centric information: From HR resources to benefits information, company news, and internal directories, a unified intranet platform ensures employees have one go-to place for everything they need. This reduces frustration and saves time, contributing to a more positive overall experience.
Facilitating two-way communication and feedback: A modern intranet isn’t a one-way broadcast system. It encourages employees to ask questions, provide feedback, and participate in discussions, fostering a sense of ownership and making them feel heard. This is key to building an enhanced employee engagement.
Providing opportunities for social interaction and community building: Whether through dedicated social groups, internal forums, or integrated chat functionalities, the intranet enables employees to connect with colleagues beyond their immediate teams, fostering a stronger sense of community and belonging. This is the essence of a truly social intranet.
Showcasing company achievements and recognizing individual contributions: Regular updates on company milestones, project successes, and individual acknowledgments motivate employees and reinforce their importance within the organization. This constant reinforcement contributes to a positive and supportive company culture.
Empowering employees with easy access to tools and resources: By providing a personalized and intuitive user friendly interface to all the tools and information they need to perform their roles, the intranet empowers employees to be more efficient, productive, and ultimately, more satisfied with their work. This is where intranet design annual benchmarks come into play, ensuring continuous improvement.

How Powell supports your company intranet success

So, you’ve shrewdly concluded that a modern company intranet is not merely a “nice-to-have” but an absolute imperative for your organization’s sustained success. Excellent choice! Now comes the truly pivotal decision: selecting the right intranet solution that aligns with your specific needs, scales with your business, and actually delivers on the grand promises of employee engagement and enhanced productivity. At Powell, we’ve made it our business to craft intranet software that doesn’t just meet expectations, but consistently exceeds them. We understand that a successful company intranet isn’t just about the software; it’s about understanding your unique company culture, empowering your employees, and providing the tools for seamless communication collaboration. We’ve seen countless company intranet examples flourish with the right approach.

Our intranet solution is designed to address the complexities of modern work, offering a suite of features that simplify everything from internal communication to knowledge sharing. We believe that a best intranet is one that evolves with your business, offering flexibility and adaptability. We’re passionate about helping organizations like yours transform their digital workplace, fostering incredible employee engagement and driving tangible business outcomes. For a comprehensive look at how a carefully planned intranet can propel your organization forward, consider exploring intranet best practices to ensure your implementation is a resounding success.

Ready to upgrade your SharePoint?

For many organizations, SharePoint serves as a foundational element of their digital infrastructure. But leveraging SharePoint to its fullest potential for a robust company intranet often requires a thoughtful approach. Powell empowers you to transform your existing SharePoint environment into a dynamic, user-friendly interface that delivers an exceptional employee experience. We seamlessly integrate with your current SharePoint setup, unlocking its capabilities to create a truly bespoke and powerful company intranet portal. This isn’t just about adding a few bells and whistles; it’s about elevating your existing investment into a truly unified and engaging digital workplace. If you’re pondering how to prevent intranet fails, optimizing your SharePoint with a strategic partner is a fantastic first step.

Read our latest insights

The world of digital workplace solutions and intranet software is constantly evolving, much like your company and its employees. Staying ahead of the curve means having access to the latest trends, expert advice, and insightful case studies. Don’t miss out on crucial information that can help you further improve employee engagement, streamline your internal communication, and optimize your company intranet. Follow our digital workplace insights to ensure you’re always equipped with the knowledge to make the best decisions for your organization’s intranet solution. We regularly share our latest thinking on everything from employee experience platform strategies to the cutting-edge features news feeds that truly captivate your workforce.

So there you have it. The company intranet, far from being a digital dinosaur, has undergone a radical transformation. It’s now the agile, intelligent, and utterly indispensable engine driving modern business success. From boosting productivity and fostering seamless collaboration to strengthening company culture and centralizing vital knowledge, a modern intranet is an investment in your employees, your time, and ultimately, your bottom line. It’s about creating a digital workplace where employees feel connected, informed, and empowered to do their best work. If your current intranet is eliciting groans rather than gratitude, perhaps it’s time for an upgrade. The future of work demands a company intranet that is not just present, but truly impactful. And for those eager to see it in action, we invite you to explore a full case study to read full case examples of our successes. Because, let’s be honest, in this digital age, your company intranet isn’t just a platform; it’s your organization’s digital heartbeat.

Company intranet: Why it still matters for today’s digital workplace