The Communicator’s Guide to Building a Corporate Intranet: Part 5
Building a new intranet is a big and sometimes challenging project, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be a hard one! We are now at the end of our five-part series breaking up the project into manageable bites.
In Part 1 we talked about assigning and developing the project. Then in Part 2, we talked about audience: working out who, and where, your employees are. In Part 3, we pivoted to content — what do you need to say? — followed by Part 4 on navigation: how should someone find it all?
But now, we need to wrap it all up. You’ve spent all this time and energy building a great new intranet — now how do you launch it, and make it something your employees will actually use?
Building an Intranet: 1: Who? | 2: Audience | 3: Content | 4: Navigation | 5: Change
Change Management and Launch Planning
The day is quickly approaching when the cord is going to be cut on your existing intranet and the new one will go live. Without a plan in place, all hell may break loose. Don’t fret: The launch presents a significant opportunity on several fronts. First, it’s an opportunity to set the stage for this great new tool that will make employees’ work lives so much better and more efficient. Second, it’s an opportunity to engage with the entire workforce since everyone will be affected and involved. And third, it’s an opportunity to showcase the value of the work communications professionals do, not only their knowledge of their entire workforce and their content and information needs, but also their empathy for wanting to help employees in their work and personal lives.
But the bottom line is: People don’t like change. So to successfully launch a new intranet — or really, any new employee communications technology solution — you’re going to need a strategy.
Change Management Communications
When people are used to doing something a certain way, asking them — let alone forcing them — to do it a new or different way never comes easy. Like every social media update that raises a wave of complaints, introducing a new intranet is no different. You will need to educate employees not only about what the new solution is, but also how to access and navigate it with a minimum of disruption to their current work.
Employees will need to be convinced that the new solution was not an ad hoc, rash decision. To buy in, they’ll need to understand that the change was deliberate and made with good reason, to accomplish goals such as increasing the efficiency with which employees can do their work; increasing transparency in the organization’s communications; and ensuring that all employees, not just those who sit in offices with access to computers, are able to access information.
Your new intranet is a very positive thing and you’re doing it with good intentions and for good reasons! So, let’s communicate that clearly and make sure all employees are aware.
Related Article: Don’t Forget Change Management in Your Rush to Go Digital
Timing is Everything
The timing of when you let employees know about the upcoming change is just as important as what you say about it. Employees should be given some time and a chance to understand what is going to change and how to be prepared for it. You can accomplish this using both written communications — such as email for those who have it, signage around offices or break rooms, and so on — and oral, by having managers talk with their direct reports. Pre-launch messaging is also an opportunity for leadership to talk about the reasoning behind the new intranet, the investment in time and money for the benefit of employees and the organizational desire for greater employee efficiency and engagement.
Learning Opportunities
You’re going to have a whole lot of people involved in getting the word out, so it will be critical for everyone to be on the same page with clear and consistent messaging. Communications for the successful launch of a new intranet should include the following key messages:
- In several weeks we will be launching a new intranet that will be available for all employees.
- Through it, you will be able to have easy access to the information that is important to you including [the three specific things you believe are the most important to your employees].
- We have invested significant resources in developing our new intranet for the benefit of you, our employees.
- We are doing this to make sure you are able to easily access information, to save you time and to give you a choice as to how you prefer to obtain your information — through a desktop computer or your smartphone.
- A lot of time and thought has gone into the development of the new intranet and we are confident that you will find the user experience to be intuitive, familiar and fun.
- We understand that it will take some time to get used to — just like anything new — and are here to help if you need it.
Launch Strategy
Launching your new intranet (or a mobile version, or any other new employee communications solution) is an employee engagement strategy in and of itself. It gives you an opportunity to go out to the entire workforce to celebrate something new and exciting and to rally everyone on the company’s commitment to its employees.
There are several ways to tackle this. Depending on your budget, a strategic launch initiative may include promotional signage as well as events, company gatherings and giving out corporate swag and other “freebies.” I’ve seen companies successfully launch new intranets with significant resources and on shoestring budgets. Either way, an intranet launch is an opportunity that should not be missed.
When developing a launch plan, consider these tactics companies have used to support their new intranet launch, to further their employee engagement initiatives, and to ensure maximum employee adoption as well as platform utilization and engagement:
- Give the new intranet a fun, engaging name and brand.
- Deploy teaser communications — “Coming Soon!”
- Launch as part of company-wide event, meeting or celebration that captures employees’ attention.
- Create and distribute intranet branded swag and give-aways (e.g. pop sockets, t-shirts, gift cards).
- Use grassroots efforts where practical: have individuals staff tables in cafeterias and other common areas, talk to employees about the new intranet, help them to download the mobile app version, give away candy and other swag to attract them to the table.
- Create posters, pull-up banners and other signage to showcase throughout the organization, especially in break rooms and employee dining areas
- Put QR codes on all physical and digital signage, leading to the new intranet.
- Communicate through email, postcards, FAQ documents and webinars.
- Use ambassador campaigns — train managers and leadership on the intranet basics, how to access it and the value proposition; create a script of key messages.
- Make it fun: design quizzes or trivia games, contests and scavenger hunts (within the desktop or employee app version of the intranet).
- Partner with HR to include information in new employee onboarding materials; consider attending and presenting at orientation meetings.
- Launch and distribute short videos explaining the new intranet.
Congratulations! But…
You’ve successfully launched your new intranet and everyone is giving each other high-fives on a job well done! The hard part is history — but the real work is just about to begin. A few final thoughts to ensure the continued success and longevity of your new employee communications platform:
Keep the intranet updated and current. If the launch content becomes stale and no new content is added, employees will stop using it.
Take advantage of new features and functionality your intranet solution provider develops and offers. Technology is always changing and you should expect that your vendor not only is on top of current trends in employee communications and engagement, but also continues to invest in developing and improving its technology.
Solicit feedback from your employees. Ask them what is and isn’t working out with the intranet. Learn what content and features they’d like to see added in future updates. And then don’t just sit on this information. Demonstrate your continued commitment to improving their experience as employees as well as your organization’s commitment and dedication to transparency in communications by making sure you act on it.
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About the Author
Jeff Corbin has worked as a communications consultant for more than 20 years. Passionate about transforming internal communications through the use of technology, he was the founder and CEO of APPrise Mobile where he pioneered the use of mobile technology in the United States with respect to a new category of technology — employee apps.
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