Intranet Wish List

If you’re updating or replacing your intranet, you know you’ll need to reach consensus on a million decisions. Even after you’ve selected your platform, whether it’s SharePoint or one of the many SaaS platforms now available, you’ll still need to determine all the features and functions your new intranet will offer.

What are the best features and functions? You might want to consider some of the five capabilities on this list:

Be easily updated by nontechnical people

Keeping a steady stream of fresh content is important for maintaining your intranet’s relevance. If you have to wait for your IT department to upload new material or make even the smallest change, your content could be old news by the time it’s posted. Look for an intranet solution that makes it easy enough for people on the communications team to maintain the site.

Make employees’ jobs easier 

When the tools employees use day in and day out are just a click away, that saves them time and hassle. A directory that makes it easy to find people helps too. But what about all those documents and files that employees need less frequently? Just because it’s on the intranet doesn’t mean it’s easy to find. Disciplined meta tagging and a good search function can make all the difference.

Customize content for audience segments

Does an engineer in London see the same content as a supply chain manager in Atlanta? Do employees of different brand in your holding company see content that’s specific to their brand? Most platforms can now point meaningful content to employees based on their geography, their business unit, and/or their job function. It’s like having the content curated to individual needs.

Enable two-way communications 

Your intranet can be a lively Main Street where employees bump into each other and share their latest news — if they’re able to upload content. You can open this capability to everyone in the company, or you can train and approve content managers to represent each division or location in your organization. At the very least, you can allow employees to post comments.

Consider those without computers

Mobile-friendly intranets are helpful for hybrid and remote employees who might be traveling, running errands, or doing school pickup during the traditional workday. Most intranet platforms require a company email address to log in, so if you have a large non-desk workforce without company email, you might want to consider an employee app to keep them connected.