Is your SharePoint intranet really connecting and engaging your employees, or do you have a sneaking suspicion that it’s falling short? If so, it may be time to start searching for a SharePoint intranet alternative. This post lays out the five biggest red flags – and what to do if you notice them.
Organizations pour valuable time and resources into SharePoint, and while they may be happy with the initial results, cracks begin to show over time. Because here’s the reality: SharePoint isn’t designed to be a true intranet, and that’s likely holding your workforce back.
If you’re experiencing any of the five warning signs below, it’s time to face the music: your current setup is failing you… and it might be time to consider a SharePoint intranet alternative.
How do you know it’s time to find a SharePoint intranet alternative?
1. Information is MIA
Are employees on a perpetual scavenger hunt (or worse, a wild goose chase) for crucial documents, people, and policies? According to Gartner, 47% of digital workers struggle to find the information they need. SharePoint is likely making matters worse.
Poor searchability, unintuitive structure, and “site creep” (an unwieldy accumulation of disorganized content, data, and sites) make it a black hole for information, leaving your team frustrated and unproductive.
If you hear frequent complaints about hard-to-find information, or if you and your colleagues are bogged down by requests for documents or policies, you may want to look into alternatives to a SharePoint intranet that offer intuitive navigation and powerful search.
2. IT is drowning in requests
Is your IT team swamped with requests to fix, update, or customize your intranet? SharePoint demands significant technical expertise and ongoing maintenance, turning comms and EX into a burden.
In our talks with former SharePoint customers, we found that they made an average of nine SharePoint requests to IT per month, each taking an average of 3.5 days to resolve.
In addition to siphoning technical resources away from work that matters, this IT dependence creates bottlenecks that prevent organizations from sharing key knowledge and improving their intranets. Modern intranet software lifts this burden from IT, making it a compelling SharePoint alternative.
3. You’re getting “ghost-town” vibes
An intranet can only serve its purpose if people actually use it. If you’re seeing low visits and engagement levels, SharePoint’s limitations may be to blame. A poor user experience and outdated features can cause employees to view your intranet as a last resort.
In contrast, an effective intranet is a traffic magnet. When Interact customer Audacy switched from SharePoint to a full-featured intranet, 98% of users visited the new intranet weekly, with engagement holding steady at 91% two years later. To get numbers like that, you’ll likely have to say goodbye to SharePoint and hello to an alternative that truly engages and supports your workforce.
4. Employees are left behind
With approximately 80% of the global workforce in deskless roles, mobile accessibility is non-negotiable. If employees on the front line, in the field, or on the road struggle to access important company information on their devices, your SharePoint intranet is falling short.
Even the best content in the world is ineffective if it doesn’t get in front of the right audience at the right time. A modern intranet should be accessible anywhere, anytime – a key feature to look for when considering SharePoint intranet alternatives.
5. It looks the same… to everyone
One-size-fits-all experiences just don’t cut it anymore. If a hybrid operations manager in London, a delivery driver in Indiana, and a marketing associate at your New York headquarters have identical (or even very similar) experiences on your intranet, your digital workplace isn’t delivering what it should, and SharePoint may be to blame.
Employees expect a level of personalization that SharePoint intranets usually lack, and they often become frustrated and disengaged when they have to sift through irrelevant content to find what they need – or when they get comms that don’t apply to them. This limited experience is a sure sign that you may need to change things up and consider alternatives to SharePoint for your intranet.
Shedding SharePoint: A real-world success story
Post Consumer Brands (PCB) faced the all-too-common SharePoint struggle: an outdated system that was a black hole for engagement and a constant drain on IT. By transitioning to a dedicated, full-featured intranet, “The Better Center,” PCB transformed their internal landscape and unlocked remarkable results.
Frontline adoption shot up by 41% and time wasted searching for vital HR and Finance resources dropped by 45%, instantly boosting efficiency across thousands of workdays. For PCB, ditching SharePoint was more than a software change. It was a strategic tactic that paid off in newfound productivity and connection.
Your path beyond SharePoint: How to choose the best SharePoint intranet alternative
If any of these SharePoint red flags resonated, you’re likely feeling the strain of an intranet that’s not measuring up. So, what now? Switching digital workplace tools is a big deal, and charting your journey in advance is essential. Here are the key steps you need to take to ensure a smooth process:
- Map your needs and pain points: Start by gathering honest feedback from employees and internal teams. What’s currently missing? What causes frustration or slows down work? Understanding these specifics will define your ideal solution.
- Envision your ideal digital hub: Picture an employee experience platform that truly empowers your workforce. What does seamless communication look like? How would it connect disparate teams? Defining this vision helps you recognize the right fit.
- Build a compelling case for change: Translate your defined needs and vision into a persuasive argument for stakeholders. Highlight the measurable benefits of a new employee experience platform, such as improved productivity, high ROI, and reduced IT burden.
- Weigh your options: Explore modern alternatives that are designed from the ground up as employee experience platforms. Set up walkthroughs of your favorites and arrive prepared with smart EX product demo questions to be sure their features address your key challenges – for example, a large frontline workforce or flailing engagement.
- Plan for adoption, not just deployment: A new employee experience platform’s success hinges on employee adoption. Plan your approach strategically. Consider solutions that prioritize user experience and offer robust support for onboarding and continuous engagement to ensure long-term results.
- Craft your launch strategy: Develop a comprehensive plan to introduce your new platform to the organization. This can include building excitement, creating incentive-driven challenges, and coordinating multichannel communications to drive adoption and engagement.
- Optimize and evolve: Recognize that your employee experience platform is a living tool. That means you must continue to gather user feedback, measure EX over time, and make improvements. This will ensure your digital workplace remains relevant, valuable, and supportive of your evolving organizational goals.
From SharePoint’s failures to a stronger future
Coming to terms with digital workplace issues can be daunting, but remember: you’ve already taken the most important step. By recognizing current pitfalls and understanding what’s truly possible, you can turn your digital workplace into a must-visit destination that keeps communication, productivity, and business goals on track.
