Developing an intranet for your company has many benefits. It informs your users, streamlines information, engages employees, connects the company, creates consistency, supports onboarding, and saves money.
Although your team may understand and see the benefits of having an intranet, sometimes you may need to convince your stakeholders that it will be an important, easy-to-use tool. Here are some tips on how to get each of your company’s stakeholders on board to using an intranet:
Getting Your Employees on Board
Many employees may not be thrilled to hear that you are looking to launch a new system. It’s another login to remember, another place to remember to log in to, and just another hassle. Showing your employees the value of your intranet is the first step to making it a success.
- Walk them through the proposal – show your employees a rendering of the intranet to give them an idea of what it will look like. Explain to them how the information will be categorized and how easy it will be to find anything that they need. Get their feedback on what information can be added or reconfigured.
- Give them training – provide a training session to your employees so that they are fully versed in all elements of the intranet. Record the training session so that employees can access it whenever they need.
- Add them to your intranet newsletter mail out – include all of your employees on your e-newsletter mailing list so that they know exactly what information you are sending out to your customers. This will help keep everyone on the same page and informed of anything company- related.
- Give them admin access – create admin logins for your employees so that they can access additional internal information quickly and easily. You should also give them access to update customer information so that your intranet lead doesn’t have to do all the work.
- Make them the teachers – make your employees the experts on your intranet so that they can train your customers on how to use it. The more employees who are knowledgeable about the intranet, the more one-on-one training they can do with your customers.
Getting Your Customers on Board
Your customers may have some of the same apprehensions about using an intranet as your employees do, but your employees can show them how useful the intranet is and soon everyone will be using it all the time.
- Post relevant content – post items that your customers will be interested to read about, such as supplier specials, marketing campaigns, new product launches, celebratory milestones, etc.
- Create a weekly newsletter – posting a synopsis of new information that has been added to the intranet each week will be an easy way for your customers to find relevant information quickly and easily.
- Connect your customers – encourage your customers to use the comment fields on news stories so that they can ask questions or make comments.
- Make it the one-stop place for everything company-related – add everything company-related to your intranet so your users can easily access any information. Include permanent company documents like logos, colour codes, and your brand book.
Getting Your Suppliers and Vendors on Board
Let your vendors and suppliers know about your new intranet since this is the perfect way for them to communicate their new products and specials. Encourage your vendors and suppliers to email your intranet lead any documents that they have about product launches and specials; this way this information can be added into your intranet, and you’ll have plenty of content to post on your weekly newsletter. Your suppliers and vendors will be glad to have their information sent out, and your customers will be happy to get the information!
Once all of your stakeholders see the benefits of the intranet, you’ll have everyone using it all the time! Read more about our Engynn intranet here.
