Bring your workplace closer together with an intranet and Microsoft Teams like Junot

 

Junot is a family-owned group founded in 1984, an exclusive partner in Paris of the international group Knight Frank and a member of the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. With 17 agencies in Paris and 1 agency in Lille, and 65,000 French and international clients, Junot sells 500 properties.

When the health crisis started to slow down, a lot of companies were left impacted or felt the impact of the health crisis. This was the case at Junot. Specializing in luxury goods, the group has 15 agencies in Paris and the neighboring town of Neuilly, as well as two franchises, in Rueil-Malmaison, in the Paris region, and in Lille.

So Junot decided to work with Powell and our partner BeWe. BeWe is specialized in collaborative information systems: we are experts on Microsoft collaborative platforms (Office 365, SharePoint, Yammer, Teams, Power Automate, and Power Apps…).A lack of communication, both upwards and downwards.

Challenges

Limited communication on WhatsApp

 

Just before the pandemic, Teams had just been deployed, and its use started with it, albeit in a limited way. With the reopening of the branches, team messaging had been put aside a bit. Internal communication was done via email, but mostly via the employees’ cell phones, SMS, calls, as well as WhatsApp messaging, on which some information about the group was shared.

“But it didn’t provide an overall view of what was going on at Junot, where the headquarters was in terms of strategy, etc.,” said Leslie Gesini.

An intranet grafted on Teams

To recreate a link within the network of agencies, the initiative of the Digital Manager and the HRD was taken to launch an intranet. Junot is equipped with Microsoft 365, and SharePoint offers the possibility. But the quality of the design does not meet the requirements. So he decided to look for another solution.

“Our teams work in the world of luxury, and we pay particular attention to design,” explains the manager. To encourage its adoption, it was important for the intranet to align with our brand image.”

After a benchmark, Junot opted for the Powell Intranet solution, which is an overlay for Microsoft 365. It meets the expectations in terms of rendering but also has the advantage of offering functional modules that are more advanced and simpler than those of SharePoint. Finally, it is able to work with Teams. However, the use of the latter has been revived.

“We wanted an intranet with an internal communication tool,” explains Leslie Gesini. Some solutions offered this, but employees would have had to be trained, even though they were already partly used to using Teams,” she explains.

 

 

Objectives

Results & impact 

For this project, the group was accompanied by BeWe, a specialist in Microsoft collaboration solutions. Launched last September, the MyJunot intranet is displayed on the start page of web browsers and is also accessible in Teams via an icon at the top of the side menu bar. Employees can find news about the group and the head office departments and information about sales, marketing, and human resources. They like to have an overview of what’s going on, and they react to the articles a lot, even if it’s just with an emoji,” says Leslie Gesini.

The integration with Teams makes it easy to repost the link to the articles in the team messaging conversation channels, the general one of the company, or the one of the agency or the particular profile of the employees concerned. “Employees don’t have their eyes glued to the intranet all day long,” notes the manager. This allows us to notify them of new publications.

More engaged employees

Thanks to the modules offered by Powell Intranet, several specific areas have been set up, starting with the employee directory, where everyone can introduce themselves. An organization chart of the group is also proposed, allowing each person to detail their missions.

“Knowing how we are structured and who does what is important, especially since we are growing a lot,” says Leslie Gesini.

The images of the events regularly organized by the different agencies can now be consulted in a photo album, which allows them to be shared by e-mail or on social networks. Previously, they had to be consulted or retrieved from the server. But the intranet is also intended to give a voice to employees. A suggestion box has been set up to bring up proposals to the head office that were not previously made.

“We process all of them, and if they are deemed to be good, we implement them,” says the manager. Employees are also asked to give their opinion thanks to the solution’s quiz module. “Initiatives were taken in their favor, but we noticed that they might not really meet their expectations,” says Leslie Gesini. Now, we ask for their opinion, and we decide based on the majority.

Central access to business tools

On MyJunot, a tool space gives access to various business applications: sales, marketing, human resources, visit planning, real estate portal for publishing offers, etc.

“This saves time,” says the manager. We no longer need to search for them in the browser’s favorites or worry about access codes,” she explains. It’s also easier for newcomers. For its part, the form tool has come to facilitate processes.

For example, it has been used to set up a system of IT support requests intended for the service provider in charge of outsourcing, with all the necessary information for them to process them.

“We no longer waste time contacting the outsourcer’s switchboard and explaining our problem. It’s much more productive,” says Leslie Gesini. The forms are also used, among other things, to collect employee feedback after training, or to facilitate co-optation, which is very important in recruitment.

Automated manual tasks

For OnBoarding, the intranet immediately found its place. Newcomers are invited to introduce themselves via their file in the directory. Then, Powell’s Welcome module allows to broadcast this presentation so that everyone discovers this new colleague and welcomes him. Previously, a specific graphic creation had to be done, then it was broadcasted in PDF or PNG format on WhatsApp.

Finally, the task of the general services was also lightened. Every morning, they had to look at the birthdays of the day and then send an email inviting everyone to wish the person(s) concerned a happy birthday. The Birthday of the Day module automated this task. Connected to the Active Directory, it broadcasts the message with the person’s thumbnail and everyone can wish the person a happy birthday directly in Teams, via email or mobile call.

“It was a fairly time-consuming task. In addition, when the birthday fell on a weekend, it was not taken into account,” says the manager. Now, we have made a small development to display the birthdays of the past days as well as those to come, in order to anticipate when they fall on the weekend or a holiday.

Conversational uses in development

On the Teams side, the uses have grown. One of the challenges was to reduce the number of e-mails. Messaging is one of the main ways to conduct business. The desire was to not be overwhelmed with messages and risk missing the important ones. Now, conversations are done in Teams’ chat tool and team channels.

“Everyone is getting on board,” says Leslie Gesini. But not all agencies have the same level of use yet, she acknowledges. The adoption of the intranet is simple, that of Teams less so. It requires more training.

Chat is used for work-related discussions, including those about a document, as well as for simple messages of encouragement or congratulations between colleagues or for personal exchanges. The team messaging system also encourages everyone to participate and develop collective intelligence. Conversations are thus created on subjects in order to involve all the collaborators in the discussion.

Next steps

Within the general channel, the agencies interact with one another, especially when they are faced with a problem, in a mutual aid logic. For example, when they are looking for a professional contact: plumber, architect, lawyer, notary… But in this last case, the intranet has also come to the rescue, allowing the setting up of a professional directory, which everyone can add to.

“It is starting to include a lot of contacts, and it is very much appreciated,” notes the manager.

For MyJunot, the next big step will concern franchisees. The latter already have access to Teams channels but not to the intranet. It is therefore planned to offer them a watered-down version. This is an important issue for the group. Its first two franchises are recent, but its objective is to develop its network in all the major cities of France. In the meantime, the ambition conveyed through the intranet as Teams has become a reality.

“Teams have become closer,” says Leslie Gesini. As communication about what each person does is better, we have regained the respect and understanding for each other’s work that had dwindled after the health crisis,” she notes. A new group synergy is being created,” she says.

Conclusion 

Junot’s strategic implementation of Powell Intranet and Microsoft Teams, with the support of BeWe, has successfully addressed the challenges posed by dispersed agencies and the lingering effects of the health crisis. The new digital workplace has fostered improved communication, strengthened employee engagement, and streamlined access to essential tools. By creating a more connected and collaborative environment, Junot has not only reignited passion among its teams but also laid a strong foundation for future growth and expansion, particularly through franchising. The case of Junot demonstrates the transformative power of a well-integrated digital workplace in uniting teams and driving organizational success in the luxury real estate sector.