7 signs that your old intranet is no longer fit for purpose

Out with the old intranet, in with the new

In years past, an outdated intranet may have been able to fly under the radar. When your employees were primarily office-bound, they could always turn to their deskmate for guidance or use your happy hour to catch up with colleagues.

However, in the new world of work, dispersed and hybridized environments are the norm. Consequently, top tier digital experiences that seamlessly connect colleagues from across the globe are now non-negotiable.

Nearly 70% of respondents note that their C-suite has gotten more involved in their digital workplace since COVID-19. As visibility reaches an all-time high, are you confident that your intranet has what it takes to serve as the center of your digital workplace?

7 telltale signs that your intranet needs an update

As you look ahead to your 2021 strategy and beyond, your intranet is poised to play a crucial role in driving your enterprise forward. To future-proof your custom intranet solution, watch out for the following warning signs, which indicate that you may not have the digital infrastructure needed to thrive in the new world of work:

#1. Internal comms metrics take a nosedive

Analytics may not tell the whole story, but they certainly provide useful clues about what your employees are looking for. If you notice that readership is consistently declining, it may be time to rethink how your intranet is supporting your internal comms strategy. Ideally your solution should drive an omnichannel approach that makes it easier than ever to launch integrated messaging experiences that mirror what your colleagues have grown accustomed to as consumers.

What about those without access to built-in engagement measurements? If your intranet doesn’t provide real-time analytics reporting, it’s absolutely time to consider an upgrade. 72% of internal communicators who measure their messaging believe it is valuable for brainstorming future strategies.

#2. Email becomes the go-to

While email is a valuable tool, it shouldn’t have the monopoly on office communications. An overreliance on email can result in information overload and eat away at employee productivity levels. Currently, the average worker spends nearly 13 hours on email each week and considers 40% of these messages “not important”.

From user-generated content to social networking functionality, your intranet should give your employees plenty of communications channels to choose from. If you notice that email is the only medium for office updates, it’s a sign that employees may not have access to other messaging options or that they may not feel comfortable using them.

#3. Some teams are left out of the equation

With workforces more dispersed than ever, your intranet is needed to connect the dots and serve as your digital headquarters. This can only be achieved if every segment of your enterprise regularly engages with your platform.

Mobile responsiveness is one of the most important steps you can take to encourage universal usage. By providing mobile intranet access through a fully responsive web interface and native mobile apps, you can cultivate a sense of connection that spans from your frontline teams to your C-suite executives.

#4. Two-way comms are non-existent

When employees feel heard at work, they are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to perform to the best of their abilities. Consequently, if you’re looking to drive performance, you need to make sure all of your employees are empowered to raise their voice. From pulse surveys to feedback forms, a next-gen intranet provides multiple channels for two-way communications. If your existing solution doesn’t offer every user the opportunity to contribute to the conversation, it may be time to rethink your intranet.

#5. Finding key content is an all-out journey

Picture this: your employee is looking for a specific insight, but they can’t remember where they read it. Instead of having to search separately through various documents and emails, they can type the key words into your intranet's search, which will generate relevant results across all source types.

Without a unified search experience, your employees are losing time trying to find information that should be at their fingertips. Give every user what they’re looking for and maximize productivity with a consumer-grade search experience.

#6. Design is stuck in the last decade

Your intranet should have an authentic look and feel. From the moment a user navigates to your homepage, brand-specific colors and logos cultivate a sense of unity and cohesion.

If you can’t tell what organization your intranet is designed to support, it’s a sign that it might be time to give your platform a makeover. Avoid cookie-cutter templates and take advantage of targeted homepage capabilities to ensure that every employee sees the updates that are most relevant to their role and region.

#7. Questions and confusion are a constant

There will always be users in need of a little extra guidance, but if your entire workforce finds it difficult to navigate your platform, you have a problem. To encourage maximal adoption, your intranet should be intuitive and user-friendly. If your intranet team is constantly flooded with how-to questions, it may be time to rethink your information architecture and consider building out support resources for your users.

Are you ready to revamp your intranet?

The first step to enhancing your solution is realizing that it’s in need of an upgrade. Next, it’s time to launch a cutting-edge intranet platform that will serve as your workplace’s digital headquarters. If you’re ready to debut your next-generation intranet, get in touch with our digital workplace experts.