Intranet Insights

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How to identify existing intranet problems

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Categorised as Attollo Intranet, Blog, Digital Workplace

In desperate need of some better organisation, communication and all-round productivity at work? Read more on how to identify existing intranet problems.

If this sounds all too familiar, it’s time those CEOs listened to your hopes of an intranet buy-in. But, if they need some persuasion, you’re going to have to go armed with a list of existing intranet problems – if indeed, you have one at all. If you don’t, your case is suddenly much easier!

Where to start

Some executives will huff and puff at the thought of figures too early on in your pitch. So workplace problems you currently have, and not forgetting the solutions for positivity, are a great way to start. After all, everyone loves a good example of the benefits they may reap by trying something new.

Before you approach those at the top of the company, speak to the workforce. The ones who deal with the system and its processes all day long. Ask them to identify any problems they are facing. Report back on how many work hours they’ve lost in trying to find the right colleague for a certain task. How much time they’ve wasted being unable to access the intranet from a different device or finding a document only to find it was years out of date.

Productivity and hours lost is always a winner where management is considered. Especially when you can show quantitative proof so here are the pain points you need to raise:

Poor connectivity

If your intranet doesn’t allow employees to collaborate, then it’s not fit for purpose. You need a tool that’s easily accessible from your homepage that can aid in bringing your team together at a moment’s notice.

A modern-day intranet like Attollo integrates with Microsoft Teams, making it the perfect portal for communications. Great for sharing ideas, giving feedback or instant messaging someone. And the best part is that staff, who are already handy on their mobiles, will be all too familiar with emojis or GIFs. Meaning they can communicate in double quick time, wherever they are.

That’s got to be better than spending hours on the phone trying to locate someone’s number and then waiting for them to respond to a WhatsApp from someone they don’t yet know. The people directory on Attollo is a fab tool to access everyone you need in an instant.

No central storage

Staff need to be able to access important documents quickly wherever they are and on any device they have to hand. With COVID-19 keeping people at home instead of offices, they need access to a central storage system.

With Attollo SharePoint intranet fully integrated with Microsoft Office 365, staff can share files on OneDrive instantly or show rich content using Vimeo, Microsoft Teams or YouTube. Having an efficient intranet in place means your workforce can get their hands on what the need, whether they’re in Luxemburg or Leeds.

Disengaged employees

Give the CEO a better understanding of how your colleagues work with technology and demonstrate how an employee intranet is a great focal point. If staff have the ability to communicate with co-workers they’ll feel more worthwhile as a result they’ll become more proactive and productive. With an intranet they’ll also get the sense of a community, which is great especially if they’re starting to feel isolated and missing the office vibe.

Attollo Intranet’s news centre is a great way to get the latest knowledge to employees, however urgent, wherever they may be working and with a fully mobile site, they can access it from any device.

Kept in the dark?

To manage projects properly and efficiently, it’s best to keep information up-to-date and in real-time. Work in a collaborative way to inform your colleagues on tasks and deadlines.

Encourage colleagues to post their own content, making them more responsible for their work. This takes the pressure off top-level management as they can designate people in senior positions to post content for them.

Still need help?

If this has been helpful for how to identify existing intranet problems? If so, check out our ebook: 10 Steps to Executive Buy-In of a Modern-day Intranet for more ways to persuade top-level management that a new intranet should be on the cards. Here at Attollo, we’re happy to give them a free demonstration and explain all the benefits they could receive.

By Sam Dolan

Sam Dolan is a consultant for Attollo specialising in Intranets, SharePoint & Microsoft 365.

Attollo helps organisations get more out of their SharePoint Intranet, making them more efficient