Social intranet: what is it – and how do you deploy it effectively?
Social intranet.
Maybe you hadn’t heard the term before, but social intranets are upcoming in the corporate world. Not surprisingly so, as this development is directly linked to the rise of the social media platforms we are all so familiar with. Besides that, the use of it has positive effects on your employee engagement!
In this article we’ll tell you what social intranet is and how you can use it effectively!
What is social intranet?
Social intranet is an (online) place where your colleagues come together to discuss or collaborate. It is a platform where news updates or questions are shared. The main purpose of a social intranet is interaction.
Social Intranet ensures that your organization stays connected. Because the platform is online, it can be consulted 24/7 and from anywhere in the world. Information can be shared and processed quickly, without having to schedule meetings or calls. This promotes the sharing of knowledge within your organization and prevents downtime.
What is the difference between social intranet and regular intranet?
We don’t call it social intranet for no reason. Intranet is something that has been around for a long time. In the ‘old days’ you had to log in to the computers at your work before you started them up. On it you could see your schedule, request time off, submit your hours and with any luck read the newsletter. This older intranet version was mainly intended to transmit information and allow forms/documents to be uploaded.
Social Intranet is not just about sending but rather two-way communication. It allows users to respond to messages or to post their own (news) messages and ask questions.
Why use social intranet?
Social intranet has many different uses. However, the end goal is connecting. By connecting employees you will notice that the intrinsic motivation increases within your organization. The team spirit and productivity increase while absenteeism, etc. decreases.
This makes a Social Intranet perfect for increasing employee engagement and retention.
Using social intranet effectively does not just happen by itself. Although social intranet is mainly about two-way communication, you will have to take the lead yourself. You can do that as follows:
- Post fun content or news updates for your employees;
- Have employees share updates such as new deals or achievements;
- Respond under your colleagues’ posts;
- Encourage employees to respond to your news;
- Create polls or otherwise allow your colleagues to vote or participate on topics;
- Create group conversations for specific purposes.
What is essential in your social intranet solution?
If you want to implement social intranet, the following points should absolutely not be missing:
- People from all levels within your organization should be able to contribute;
- Members should be able to communicate both 1-on-1 and in group conversations;
- All your members have their own profile with some personal info and a telling photo;
- Knowledge and information can be shared in an accessible way;
- Files such as photos, videos, presentations or others can be easily shared;
- The intranet can be reached through different platforms;
- Your intranet has a vibe similar to that of a social media channel.
The social intranet solution by Bundeling
Bundeling offers you as an organization a social intranet solution with everything included. By Bundeling the members of more than 1,000 organizations, we contribute to a healthy two-way communication between employer and employee. Our platform has various features such as:
- Profilebook;
- 1-on-1 chat;
- News feed;
- Activity planner;
- Bulletin-board;
- Group chats;
- Useful flexforms;
- Polls;
- API Integrations;
- And so much more!
Want to know more? Take a look through our different functionalities and how to use them! Do you still have questions? Don’t hesitate to contact us.
