How to Choose the Best Intranet Software for Your Business?
In recent years, big corporations and small businesses have increasingly invested in intranet software. This sky-rocketing demand for digital workplace tools is no coincidence! Modern Intranets are no longer a future trend but rather a mandatory strategy for companies to learn and stay competitive in today’s markets.
What is an intranet? Ultimately, an intranet is defined by the user. It can be a perfect mix of a social network, professional directory, website, and internal communications platform. Nonetheless, a modern intranet provides a very sophisticated set of applications designed to make organizations more productive, connected, and efficient.
The status quo strongly indicates that organizations that have a modern intranet are more successful than those with an old and static intranet and more so, those without any technical support. But, with so many intranet providers out there it can be difficult to choose the best course of action.
So, what needs to be considered when shopping for the best intranet software? To answer that question, you must first address what you are trying to solve or improve within your organization?
In this article, we will outline the various reason why organizational seek help, 3 important factors to consider in your search, and examine our very own intranet software. Our goal is to help organizations best understand the capabilities, process, outcomes, and purpose of an intranet in order to make an informed decision.
Understanding the “Why” and Desired Outcomes
When an organization decides to commit to an intranet it is often driven by wanting to be more in control, expand, and/or improve themselves. To meet those objectives organizations first need to understand why they seek to change and ask themselves the important questions, such as:
- Why do we need to leverage internal technology?
- What are the expectations and standards we hope to have for our organization?
- Does our organization promote a proactive mission and positive culture?
- How has our technology failed us in the past and could it jeopardize our growth?
- Will our current communication work for us now and in the future?
- Do our communication channels support our employee’s engagement, performance, and collaborations?
- Are we adhering to the ways our people want to work and who will be able to use the intranet?
- Is our company information well-organized, secure, and accessible?
- What type of ROI do we seek, how fast do we want it, and how can we be successful?
- What do we want our company to look like after an intranet launch?
Benefits of an Intranet
The commitment to a migration of a modern intranet can be an expensive investment. However, it can be the pedestal that elevates an organization to positively change, innovate, and connect its entire workforce to achieve desired goals. Successful intranet software can offer some of the following outcomes:
- Modern communication and collaboration channels that provide an improved user experience
- Increase in employee engagement, productivity, and performance
- United workforce that supports the mission, generates new ideas, and improves long-term plans
- Document storage, system adaptability and responsiveness, and data security on the cloud
- Managerial insights to make important decisions on topics such as cost-reduction, new investments, and expansion.
- Improved onboarding cycle and a decrease in staff turnover.
Features, Budget, and Intranet Software Providers
After conducting a thorough internal review, an organization must bring in all relevant stakeholders to discuss what is important, features needed, estimated budget, and software preference. With that, management can finally proceed to research and demo different features, prices, and intranet software providers.
1. Features
Aren’t all intranets the same? No, there are various things that go into the personalizing an intranet that you might not realize. Intranet features range across the technological spectrum it just depending what capabilities you would like to have, ease of use, and how flexible the intranet platform can be.
In the lifespan of an organization, it can go through many brands, management, and team changes; a powerful intranet must be able to adapt, innovate, and not fail at the first sign of struggle. In the example below, Valo Intranet outline various successful features that have constantly been updated to fulfill modern requirements and support the longevity of an organization.
2. Budget
When it comes to adding costs, internal communications are sometimes at the bottom of the list. Therefore, the budget for an intranet at small companies can be very small and limited. A certified provider can adjust costs accordingly to deliver an optimal product/service that is in line with your budget. The expertise, planning, licensing, deployment, and support for an intranet can range from a few hundred to a couple of thousands depending on how advanced you desire your modern intranet. But, when working with a well-recognized provider these costs become transparent, flexible, and most of all a valuable investment.
3. Intranet Software Providers
When your organization starts to research different intranet providers it should consider various factors, such as:
- Intranet Software Knowledge and History – How long have they been in the industry, how often are they updating their knowledge and resources? (e.g. Microsoft Partners)
- Location/Flexibility – Are they local, can they provide on-sight support, how often can we be helped, open support?
- Team Dynamic – Who will we be working with? Do they have a history of being successful? Are they friendly, understanding, and transparent?
- Success Stories – Are there any success stories of an organization that they have helped within or industry? Are there any relevant examples that we can trust?
- Successful Product/Service Demo – How well did the demo go? Were they able to address our desired outcomes? Are the design, content, and advice beneficial?
Klarinet and Valo Modern Intranets
Partnered together with Valo, we have a proven track record of providing exceptional intranets, service, and support for clients. We go beyond technology and do our best on focusing on what is important – creating an open corporate culture and building a community for a better workday experience. Together, we specialize in enhancing system performance, optimizing user experience, and developing streamlined processes that support business objectives. To find out more about how we can help you optimize SharePoint, Office365, or PowerApps, please contact our solutions delivery team or reach us by phone at (866) 211-8191.
