Most of our customers have switched to us because they are fed up with their previous intranet solutions being too expensive, too difficult to use, and too time-consuming. However, for the few that take the leap to get an intranet without a previous solution, why did they make the switch? In this blog post, we will answer the big question: why would a company have an intranet?
We’ve spoken to a few of our clients who’ve had no previous intranet to gain some insight into why would a company have an intranet. Before we begin, we should explain what exactly an intranet is:
What is Intranet?
An intranet is a privately-owned network in a closed circuit. It provides multiple tools for an organization to communicate internally, store and manage documents, and collaborate as a team. Intranets are either created in-house and managed by the IT team, purchased and hosted externally, with 3rd party consultants providing maintenance on a cloud server, or purchased as a whole, out-of-the-box solution, stored on-premise and managed internally by a designated employee or group. Our intranet is the on-premise, out-of-the-box solution.
Why Would A Company Use An Intranet?
Customers seek out our software because they have reached the end of their rope from manual, time-consuming tasks that leave room for human error. The accounting department is getting frustrated because no one is using the proper mileage submission forms. Payroll is having to send multiple reminders for people to fill out their timesheets. Employees are missing meetings or showing up on stat holidays…Ok well, that last example has never happened. But you get the point, there’s always a breaking point, and it typically revolves around managing documents and policies, disjointed internal communication, and automating online forms.
1) Document Management Software
InTouch Credit Union found us online when they were fed up with not being able to find documents they needed to perform their jobs.
Rio Ranchero Public Schools were storing hundreds of documents on a shared drive that was at risk of being hacked or deleting documents that could not be recovered.
PIMA Federal Credit Union’s employees were struggling to access the most up to date versions of their policies.
Amica Mature Lifestyles was going through a series of acquisitions and were in desperate need to provide a repository that all locations could access the most up to date standards, policies, and manuals.
IC intranet software mitigated these concerns by offering a centralized, secure location for all documents, policies, and manuals. Employees across multiple locations with proper permission levels can now upload, edit, and delete documents, with automatic archiving to prevent any lost content. Efficiency levels have skyrocketed, productivity improved, and daily operations are simplified.
2) Internal Communication Software
InTouch Credit Union employees were missing crucial updates and company emails getting congested in their overflowing inboxes. PIMA Federal Credit Union was in search of a software that could connect executives with employees across 7 locations, and provide communication, resources, and support. Redwood bank needed a simple way to share important company-wide information, and Rio Rancho Public Schools was seeking a way to share resources throughout their 19 locations and 2300 employees, which was more efficient than ‘all-staff emails’, bulletin boards, or printing and mailing.
Intranet Connections significantly reduces ‘all-staff’ emails, allows employees to share information on project sites, discussion forums, message boards, live chat and company news. This reduces the margin of error when it comes to sharing information, eliminates ‘lost’ emails, and saves time and money on manual paper solutions.
3) Move Forms Online
Redwood Bank had all of their forms completed manually by hand on paper. The approval process was time-consuming and inefficient. Projects would get stalled, forms would be forgotten or lost on desks, and retrieving forms was a hassle. After switching to Intranet Connections, they now keep all forms online and setting up proper workflows streamlined the approval process, so that no forms ever went unnoticed or got misplaced. Automating this process saved the bank hours of time spent manually escalating forms weekly.
“Intranet Connections has more than paid for itself in time-savings!” – Marc Chaton, AVP/Network Administrator, Redwood Capital Bank
Amica Mature Lifestyles was used to having approval processes take weeks to get signed off by numerous people. Sometimes a step was missed or left on someone’s desk for days or even weeks.
“Approval processes that previously took 6-8 weeks, now had the ability to be approved within 1 day.” – Sarah Santaluce, Amica Mature Lifestyles
Moving forms online reduces the chance of human error, while significantly reducing approval times, headaches and frustrations. Online forms can be fully customized to suit your industry’s needs. Automated workflows are set up to trigger notifications to the next person who needs to sign off, tightening up what was previously lengthy processes. Approval workflow histories are stored in case anything needs to be reviewed in the future, and automated mileage calculation and embedded spreadsheets save time on all sides, as well as ensure accuracy.
Intranet Connections provides an intranet software that delivers comprehensive internal communication tools and document software for InTouch Credit Union, Rio Rancho Public Schools, Amica Mature Lifestyles, and hundreds of other clients. Additionally, they loved the online expense reporting, streamlining Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and onboarding new employees with the software.
We hope this gave you an answer to the question “why would a company have an intranet”. Interested in learning more about getting an intranet? Contact us today!
