Our journey began two decades ago in a small office in Carrington, Greater Manchester. We’ve since evolved into a major industry player, expanding globally with offices in Manchester, London, New York, Dubai, Warsaw, and Tulsa, and staff throughout the world. We are exceedingly proud of our portfolio of innovative, forward-thinking customers like Subway, Teva, Rivian, Baptist Health, Domino’s, and so many others. 

As we continue to grow and innovate as a leading employee experience software provider, our brand needs to evolve with us. Over the past few years, we’ve introduced a range of new employee experience solutions, always with the goal of helping organizations connect, communicate, and collaborate more effectively. As our product became market-leading, it was time for our brand to reflect our progress and our vision for the future. 

What’s new? 

Our new logo, fonts, and color palette reflect Interact’s growth and future direction. The updated logo is an evolution of the three squares that were linked in a chain in earlier iterations, representing our mission to connect people. The squares are now stacked to symbolize our solid foundation and forward momentum, and reflect a portal, because our customers see Interact as the entry point to their digital employee experience. 

We’ve chosen Archivo as our primary font for its modern, readable style, complimented by Inter as our secondary font. Our new color palette is vibrant yet professional and embodies trust, clarity, and warmth. These changes not only honor our legacy but also represent our ongoing commitment to delivering innovative, user-friendly solutions. 

Looking ahead 

This brand refresh is more than just a new look; it’s a reflection of our commitment to continuous innovation and excellence. We are enormously proud of Interact’s history and accomplishments; as we move forward, Interact remains dedicated to creating solutions that empower organizations to connect, communicate, and collaborate more effectively. 

This is the beginning of a new chapter in Interact’s history, a new phase of a proven organization. If you’re interested in technology that elevates the employee experience, we would love to be part of your brand’s own journey. Get in touch with one of our experts to find out how we can help. 

The post Introducing Interact’s fresh new look  appeared first on Interact software.

The last few years have seen radical shifts in the nature of work. The next few may drive even more. In response, companies are investing in advanced digital experiences for a technologically sophisticated global workforce.

Now, for the first time, Gartner has produced a Magic Quadrant report that recognizes that Intranet Packaged Solutions (IPS) such as Interact are the platforms driving this change and enabling growth-minded companies to thrive amidst change. 

The IPS Magic Quadrant evaluates intranet providers and solutions based on a combination of market vision and execution. The analysis segments providers into Leaders, Challengers, Niche players, and Visionaries. Interact has been named a Leader—setting us apart as one of the few companies able to create a vision for a better future of work and then deliver on that ambition. 

However, if you’re a student of history or politics, you’ll know that there are many different types of leaders. Here’s what being a leader means to Interact.

Leaders understand that when one wins, we all win

We value Gartner’s analysis that Interact is a flexible, innovative platform with powerful features enabling organizations to connect equally with frontline and desk-based staff. Generating more industry-leading features that serve our customers is leadership to us.

The biggest challenges teach the most valuable lessons

Gartner also notes that the organizations we serve range in size and sector, with the largest being over 100,000 employees. Taking on the very biggest projects is leadership to us, too. Massive IT infrastructure and digital workplace projects teach everyone involved unmissable lessons about the power of the product and what it takes to release innovation when the table stakes are incredibly high. 

We learn lessons every day from some of the biggest and best employers in the world, and we use this in every project we undertake to make work better for everyone.

Innovation and transformation come from people and technology

Finally, the report mentions Interact’s clear-sighted market knowledge and ability to understand our customer’s goals and requirements from the first sales conversations onwards: in short, our people. 

Perhaps more than anything, this combination of understanding the field and putting the customer first is what being a leader is. Interact has been providing workplace communication software and insights for over a decade and we have become more than a software provider. Interact is a strategic partner capable of aligning with our customers to achieve their goals in a changing world. 

We know that innovation and transformation will only happen if there is a synchrony between the organization, employees, and technology. These are the biggest factors in adapting to change, and we’re at the heart of this. 

We drive change for organizations by enabling them to deliver first-class, personalized digital experiences for employees. We drive change for employees by giving them access to culture and communication. We are the technology that drives the change. 

Interact’s acquisition of the innovation management platform Sideways 6 is a case in point. Companies need scalable, integrated idea management software to gather and manage exceptional employee ideas that create growth. Employees want their voices to be heard and then to be recognized for their contributions. The technology is improving daily, offering more extensive integrations that allow ideas from everywhere. 

If you want a partner who is clear that being a leader in the IPS intranet sector means doing more to help you achieve your goals come and talk to us. Your will be one of the workplaces that thrives however work changes.

The post Gartner Spotlights Interact as an Intranet Leader for Large Enterprises appeared first on Interact software.

Interact, a leading intranet solution provider for enterprise businesses across North America and EMEA, today announced the acquisition of Sideways 6, an integrated crowdsourcing and idea management platform that empowers employees and improves companies through the power of employee ideas. 

“Sideways 6 is the gold standard integrated employee idea platform that provides companies with real-time data on how their employees are feeling, what they need from their employer and where the business can improve. Our enterprise customers need to harness this information from a variety of sources, and Sideways 6 allows us to easily integrate with existing systems and serve this functionality right inside the Interact intranet.” 

Simon Dance, CEO, Interact

Sideways 6 integrates directly with platforms such as Teams, Workplace and Slack, and powers some of the world’s leading employee ideas programs, including MyContribution at Balfour Beatty, Straight to Stuart at Marks & Spencer and InGenius at Nestlé. These and other current Sideways 6 customers will continue to benefit from its market-leading products, while additionally gaining from Interact’s reach, expertise and products. 

This acquisition comes at a time when enterprises globally are seeking innovative ways to increase employee engagement and attract top talent in a highly competitive labor market. A Gallup report reissued in January 2023 titled, “The Benefits of Employee Engagement” ties employee engagement to 11 business performance outcomes, including customer loyalty/engagement, absenteeism, safety incidents and profitability, to name a few. Companies such as Sims Limited have already seen the value of increased engagement and information sharing due to Interact’s intranet platform. 

“We have partnered with Interact for our employee engagement, communication and intranet services for almost four years, and we have seen a significant uptick in employee engagement, eNPS and overall knowledge-sharing practices at Sims Limited. Having even more tools at our disposal to continue building internal trust and rapport is an exciting development, and we’re looking forward to the new engagement tools Sideways 6 brings to the equation.” 

Réal Hamilton-Romeo, Global Head of Communications & Marketing, Sims Limited

The Sideways 6 acquisition is the latest indicator of Interact’s year-over-year growth and expansion into enterprise companies with tens of thousands of intranet users.  

“Our customers, employees and the whole Sideways 6 family are excited to join Interact and be a part of its amazing growth trajectory. With this development, Sideways 6 customers will benefit from our increased access to resources that drive innovation and bring more value to their business.” 

Will Read, CEO, Sideways 6

About Interact Software 

Founded in 1996, Interact Software supplies an award-winning intranet platform that boosts productivity and drives engagement to provide an elevated employee experience. With customers such as Domino’s, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Levi’s, Sony PlayStation and others, Interact serves enterprise companies throughout North America, EMEA and Australia. In 2023, ClearBox Consulting named Interact a “Choice” intranet provider, the top honor in its Intranet and Employee Experience Platforms review. 

About Sideways 6

Founded in 2014, Sideways 6 is a leading idea management software company headquartered in London, UK. Committed to bringing good ideas to life every day, everywhere, and from everyone, Sideways 6 offers innovative software solutions and related services to help organizations transform their businesses by harnessing the power of employee ideas. As a consistent frontrunner in the integrated idea management space, Sideways 6 has been recognized on g2.com for ‘Best Support’ by its customers. 

The post Interact Software Acquires Sideways 6 to Increase Employee Engagement Intranet Tools appeared first on Interact software.

Our mission as an employee experience platform (EXP) provider is simple; we help organizations to inform and connect their greatest asset: their people. Our customers – especially those professionals in internal communications, HR, marketing, and any other function charged with raising employee engagement – do this through multichannel communications and rich-media storytelling every day. Through our platform, they create compelling content and communications that link employers to employees and colleagues to one another.

The need for these talented communicators, and for tools which support them, has never been more apparent than now. The seismic events of the last two years have changed the working world permanently. Organizations have been forced to take the leap into the world of hybrid working and for most, there’s no going back. For organizations – and more specifically, internal communicators – this has created a substantial change in workforce engagement.

The Great Resignation. The Great Discontent. The Great Reshuffle. Whatever you want to call it, many employees have seen the shift in the way they work as an opportunity to find work that is more meaningful, convenient, or fulfilling. Organizations are having to work harder to both attract and retain talent, and they are focusing on employee experience to help achieve this. As research from Willis Towers Watson reveals, 90% of employers intend to make employee experience a main priority in 2022.

Multichannel communications: How to plan and execute a strategy

Command attention and drive engagement in all kinds of different scenarios with a multichannel comms plan.

Download now

So, how can internal communicators help to not only keep employees happy and engaged, but also make them advocates for an organization? Employee experience platforms are key to this as the digital home for employees. Yet a historic challenge communicators have always had with comms software is effective and efficient content distribution, and with workforces becoming more dispersed, this challenge is becoming exacerbated.

This is where our latest feature upgrade comes into play. We have been working hard to create what we think is the world’s easiest intelligent content editor for multichannel communications and measurement. I think this is the next stage in evolution when it comes to informing, connecting, engaging, and empowering your people, wherever they are.

The launch video below will help you understand exactly why I’m so excited about this:

What we set out to achieve with this enhanced editing experience is allowing anyone in your organization to share create and share stories that resonate. As a standard feature of our enterprise-grade intranet software, the all-new intranet content editor does just that.

We’ve all witnessed the rise of DE&I in organizations, and rightly so. This is something that needs to be addressed by every employer, and one of the features I’m particularly proud of is our AI-powered Inclusivity Analysis which we believe is an industry-first. We want to help our customers ensure every piece of content is inclusive, and this feature does exactly that by analyzing content as it is created and suggesting more inclusive language wherever possible. Over time, this feature will help users to naturally write in a more inclusive way which I think you will agree is extremely important.

Thanks to our all-new editing experience, anyone with editing permissions can create remarkable content regardless of their skill level. We recognized that every organization has people who have valuable stories to share with their colleagues, but not everybody in your army of publishers is a skilled communicator. Your comms team may be well versed in writing and using typical content editors like our previous rich text editor to create and publish their content, but this isn’t always the case for storytellers in the wider organization. To remedy this, we have created simple drag-and-drop functionality allowing users to create rich content using a variety of text blocks, column blocks, image blocks, video blocks, and more.

As intranet software has evolved from a single webpage experience to a multichannel communications tool, we have incorporated all the relevant channels and platforms into our product, including email, mobile, SMS, digital signage, and digital workplace platforms such as Teams and Slack. Not only can users maximise the reach of their comms across these channels and platforms at the most effective time for each employee and in their preferred language in one click using Engagement AI, our revised analytics functionality allows granular measurement of the effectiveness of every piece of content across every channel.

I’m so proud of the hard work that has gone into building each of these features, and all of us at Interact are excited about the impact these will have on our customers’ internal comms. There are plenty of other exciting new tools to discover in this game-changing multichannel content editing experience. Find out more about how you can enhance your culture, enrich your organization, and connect your greatest asset – your people – over on the feature page.

Multichannel communications: How to plan and execute a strategy

Command attention and drive engagement in all kinds of different scenarios with a multichannel comms plan.

Download now

The post Introducing the world’s easiest intelligent content editor appeared first on Interact software.

MANCHESTER, UK – February 5, 2019 – Interact, a global provider of enterprise intranet software, today announced that four customers have won their respective categories in Ragan’s Intranet Awards 2018. The awards program seeks to recognize organizations whose intranets have transformed their organizations’ cultures, facilitated internal communications and made day-to-day tasks easier to complete. This is the seventh consecutive year that Interact’s customers have been honored in the awards program, and the company had more winners than any other intranet provider this year.  

Winning customers include Travelex in the “Employee Engagement” category, Sony Interactive Entertainment in the “Launch or Relaunch” category, Avon and Somerset Police in the “Mobile Integration” category, and Magic Memories in the “Use for Human Resources” category. Several Interact customers also received honorable mentions this year, including Kent Community Health NHS Trust in the “Gamification” category, and Travelex in the “Internal Social Network” and “Best Overall Intranet” categories.

Guide

Be inspired by Interact award winners

Download the 2019 Winners’ Annual and uncover ideas from a range of organizations including Sony, Travelex, Magic Memories and Avon & Somerset Police

Download the free annual

“Interact has provided excellent support for the ideation, creation and launch of our intranet,” said Jennifer Clark, Senior Vice President of Communications at Sony Interactive Entertainment. “Since using Interact’s software, we’ve been able to completely overhaul our intranet to make it much sleeker and easier for employees to use. It’s become the home to several business initiatives and has allowed staff to better test products before they go to market. We’re incredibly proud of the work we’ve accomplished with Interact and are excited to see how it will continue to evolve to meet our ever-changing business needs.”

“Interact has provided excellent support for the ideation, creation and
launch of our intranet”

Jennifer Clark, Senior Vice President of Communications at Sony Interactive Entertainment

Simon Dance, CEO at Interact, says, “It’s thrilling to see our customers getting recognition for the creative ways they’ve deployed and used their intranets to accomplish their business goals. Not only do their achievements show how impactful an intranet can be in improving internal communications and collaboration, it also demonstrates how truly diverse this technology is. From Sony Interactive Entertainment’s use of virtual lip sync events to double down on their company culture, to Magic Memories’ creation of its Virtual Learning College to empower staff to complete leadership trainings, there are truly no limits to a thoughtfully-designed and well-deployed intranet hub.”

Interact is proud to have award-winning customers. Get inspired by stories from their creative deployments https://www.interactsoftware.com/guides/interact-excellence-awards-2019

About Interact

Interact is a global software company, connecting over one million users across more than 850 organizations with our digital workplace solutions. We specialize in solving internal communication and collaboration challenges by combining our sophisticated intranet software with outstanding professional services, focusing on developing long-term strategic partnerships with our customers. Interact has offices in Manchester and New York, and operates across the whole of the US and Canada, EMEA and Australia.

The post Interact Customers Win Four Categories in Ragan’s Intranet Awards 2018 appeared first on Interact software.

MANCHESTER, UK – January 31, 2019 – Interact, a global provider of enterprise intranet software, has announced the winners of its ninth annual Interact Excellence Awards, which uncover the world’s leading digital workplace solutions and the individuals and teams that have inspired them. Entries spanned from small non-profits to international enterprises, giving unique insight into the challenges of today’s digital workplace, and the creative ways in which companies are using intranets to overcome them.

The submissions were judged by a nine-strong external panel of experts who evaluated each application on the company’s ability to solve business challenges, foster collaboration, improve two-way communication, engage employees and increase overall productivity.

The judges of this year’s program have expertise spanning communications, engagement and digital workplace strategy, with experience partnering organizations around the globe. Their impartial input was key in selecting this year’s winners and their participation is what sets the Interact Excellence Awards apart.

“We were pleasantly surprised by the intranets and companies competing in the awards,” remark Steve and Cindy Crescenzo of Crescenzo Communications, who served as judges.

“We are finally making the transition from intranets that are glorified print publications with awkward design, one-way information distribution channels, and sterile, corporate content…to thriving communities with tons of interactivity, conversations, cool graphics, creative content, and multimedia! Judging this contest gives us hope for the future of our profession!” 

Multi-national foreign exchange and payment solutions provider Travelex were a winner at last year’s awards and have been recognized in three categories for 2019, including taking the winning title for Best Stakeholder.

“The Interact Excellence Awards were critical in giving us the confidence to showcase our intranet externally, allowing us to go on and win a range of international awards over the last year,” said Tricia Scott, global intranet manager at Travelex.

“The awards are a great opportunity to look at how other organizations are executing their intranets in a modern, innovative and exciting way. I also find it a great way to expand my network and share knowledge with some of the best intranet managers out there, even when that person might be in a completely different industry or country.”

Simon Dance, CEO at Interact adds: “A successful intranet connects both tools and people. It not only can help shape a company’s culture, but it can also play a critical role in impacting the overall employee experience. This year’s diverse roster of entries demonstrates that when an intranet is deployed strategically, it can drive tangible business results in everything from increasing productivity, to preventing employee turnover. Our company is proud to power these impactful corporate initiatives.”

Winners of this year’s awards program include:

Best Launch

Winner – Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, Spark

Finalist – Wrightington, Wigan & Leigh NHS Trust, Wally

Finalist – FNZ Group, FNZ Connect

Best Stakeholder

Winner – Travelex, The Lounge

Finalist – Federation of Small Businesses, myfsb

Finalist – WABCO, @PACE

Best Offline Worker Strategy

Winner – Magic Memories, Click

Finalist – International Rescue Committee, RescueNet

Finalist – Acadian Companies, Acadian Central

Best Use of Video

Winner – Wheatley Group, W.E. Connect

Finalist – Travelex, The Lounge

Finalist – Equinox, EQX Connect

Best Design

Winner – Institute of International Education, Eddie

Finalist – GBGroup, be/connected

Finalist – Curo Group, The Orb

Best Success Story

Winner – International Rescue Committee, RescueNet

Finalist – Family Service League, The Hive

Finalist – Avon and Somerset Police, Pocketbook

Essential Intranet

Winner – Sony Interactive Entertainment, Center Stage

Finalist – Federation of Small Business, myfsb

Finalist – Travelex, The Lounge

Judges’ Awards for Innovation

Wrightington, Wigan & Leigh NHS Trust, Wally

UFCU, UFCU Connect  

Midland Heart, Midland Heart

To learn more about the awards program and all the winners, in addition to how you can get started with Interact, please visit: interactsoftware.com/awards

About Interact

Interact is a global software company, connecting over one million users across more than 850 organizations with our digital workplace solutions. We specialize in solving internal communication and collaboration challenges by combining our sophisticated intranet software with outstanding professional services, focusing on developing long-term strategic partnerships with our customers. Interact has offices in Manchester and New York, and operates across the whole of the US and Canada, EMEA and Australia.

The post Interact Announces 2019 Excellence Awards Winners appeared first on Interact software.

With nearly 6,000 shops closing in the UK in 2017 and huge chains such as Sam’s Club and Bon Tons shutting their doors in the US in 2018, the industry is undergoing a significant shift.

Several factors are contributing to this decline of the High Street, most notably a decrease in footfall in town centres and the growing popularity of online shopping. These are all combining to drive changes in how consumers shop, meaning retailers have to adapt to survive.

As such, more and more retail businesses are turning to digital tools to help them stay competitive in a rapidly changing marketplace. An intranet is one of those tools, offering endless benefits to businesses. In retail specifically, there are three key areas in which an intranet has become an indispensable corporate tool.

Employees

It’s no secret that the retail sector as a whole suffers from low job satisfaction and high employee turnover rates, with retailers facing a continuous battle to attract and retain top talent. According to recent research, nearly a third (29 percent) of retailers said they’ve seen an increase in employee turnover over the last 12 months, with the turnover rate of part-time hourly store employees increasing from 76 percent in 2017 to 81 percent in 2018.

Clearly, bucking this trend should be a key priority for retailers, which is where an intranet can be invaluable. For most retailers, there is a divide between the back office and the shop floor, with employees often feeling disconnected and undervalued. And one way to overcome this to survey employees and monitor employee satisfaction changes. Without understanding satisfaction, there’s no way to know whether there is an impact on loyalty. But, investing in an intranet – particularly one that is mobile-minded – can help retailers unify a distributed workforce and foster greater employee engagement by breaking down these barriers.

For example, they can provide on demand access to sales performance data, such as sales figures, targets and projections, giving workers an idea of how both they and the wider business are performing. They can also give workers more opportunities to engage with the business and join in with discussions, polls and blogs. Creating a collective culture among staff helps to ensure that every employee feels part of the wider business, from a senior manager to the shop floor assistant in a retail store. This allows workers to feel recognised and valued, which translates into increased employee loyalty and a positive workforce

Customers

The customer experience is critical to any retail business, and an intranet can play an integral role. From supporting employees in solving customer issues to providing training, intranets should always be accessible for employees to consult whenever they need some extra guidance. Bookstore chain Waterstones have used their intranet, Watson, as a tool to not only save money, save time, and become more efficient and productive, but to also deliver a better customer experience, whether it’s by sharing customer service tips or learning more about the week’s bestseller.

Ultimately, intranets act as the crucial go-to area for employees, providing access to all the necessary information needed to help them appear knowledgeable and solve customer issues in a timely manner.

For example, they can be used for online training, enabling continuous employee development by providing courses in all aspects of an employee’s job. This allows them to add more value to the company and offer a better customer experience.

Intranets are also the perfect vehicle for delivering one version of the truth. This means that every employee has access to the right policies and process and the same information. Therefore, whether it’s customer complaints, return policies, pricing or sales items, employees can self-serve without having to rely on other personnel or departments, thereby speeding up issue resolution.

Competition

In such a competitive landscape, retailers have to find ways to get ahead of their rivals and intranet software can give them this edge. When it comes to resolving issues that affect more than one store, for example, intranets provide the perfect channel to communicate problems and solutions. Head office can communicate any resolutions to everyone company-wide quickly and easily.

Then there’s the ability to share best practice. One of the main advantages of having a single source of information is that retailers can even retain the ideas of staff who are no longer with them. This can be a massive advantage and creates an accessible and trusted source of information to help employees.

Finally, an intranet can capture valuable expertise that might otherwise go to waste. Every business has its experts, whether it’s those employees who have been there a long time, or those who have developed a particular skill in a field. An intranet helps shine the light on these people via forums, blogs, and posts.

These various benefits of intranets are invaluable to businesses in an industry as complex as retail. By creating a community and engaging employees, an intranet can empower staff to contribute to their organisation’s vision and give retailers an edge in a hugely competitive market.

The post Employees, customers & competition: how an intranet can support retailers appeared first on Interact software.

In today’s hyper-competitive world, it’s more important than ever for businesses to make sure they’re routinely engaging with their employees. According to Pew Research, millennials are officially the largest generation in the workforce (with Generation Z nipping at their heels) and they have become notorious for changing jobs a lot throughout their careers. In fact, millennials will move companies an average of four times in their first decade after college, highlighting how important it is to foster loyalty.

From extra hours spent on training, to a loss of organizational knowledge, and even potential customer turnover, employee churn can lead to significant financial ramifications for any company. Finding ways to better engage employees is therefore essential. This is where intranets can be invaluable. There is currently plenty of debate as to whether intranets still have a role to play in today’s digital workplace, but when it comes to engaging employees there are a few simple reasons why they are more relevant now than they ever have been – particularly for millennial workers who have lived their entire lives with technology at their fingertips.

Connecting employees to the company

For the most part, employees just want to be kept in the loop. They want easy access to the information they need to do their jobs, so it’s important to have this available in one central location. Intranets serve as the gateway to the broader digital workplace, connecting workers to the information and tools they need to be successful and feel like they have a pulse on what’s going on in the company. Integrating documents, connections to other digital workplace tools, forums, directories or corporate communications right into your intranet deployment can be an extremely effective way of broadcasting important messages and keeping employees in touch with the company. It can also be a sure-fire way of beating the employee rumor mill. Sharing content like press releases, internal news, mission statements, and annual reports through an intranet platform will make employees feel that the company is being transparent which, in turn, can increase loyalty.

Ultimately, it’s important to remember that we live in a digital age and being able to access specific information at the touch of the button is now expected. Fulfilling this expectation with a readily available repository of content on your company’s intranet will, therefore, go a long way towards helping employees feel connected and engaged.

Connecting employees to each other

Intranets aren’t just about getting things done, they’re also about facilitating employee collaboration and helping them connect with the right people. With today’s workforces being increasingly dispersed across multiple offices and geographies, it can be hard to know who to turn to for additional insight and expertise on a task or project. An employee in Berlin might need the expertise of an employee in Los Angeles, but not realize it because they rarely communicate (or even know each other exists in the first place). The same is true for employees in the same office with large workforces, as teams tend to work in silos and may not know who outside their immediate team structure can add a valuable new perspective.

An intranet can solve this issue by creating a connected and people-focused ecosystem. Employee directories, for example, allow employees to search for co-workers based on their title, expertise, and interests, creating a more unified company experience by connecting colleagues through their professional and personal interests.

Intranets also facilitate two-way communication and interaction, helping team members connect and foster collaboration. Features such as blogs and quizzes can give employees a platform to share stories and exchange ideas. For millennials who are used to keeping in touch with family and friends through platforms like Facebook and Twitter, social media-like features offer these workers a familiar way to build a greater sense of community among their co-workers.

Making employees feel valued

In order to identify and reduce potential churn, businesses need to keep a constant eye on the satisfaction of their employees across the entire organization. Pushing out pulse surveys through an intranet can be an effective way of achieving this, enabling HR teams to easily and continuously collect data that they would have otherwise had to collect in paper or email form to gauge employee sentiment. These surveys, which should be short, concise and very specific, can identify particular areas where the company may need to improve, as well as instilling a culture of continuous improvement.

It’s also important for employees to feel like their hard work is being recognized – both by their peers and by management. Therefore, HR departments should consider deploying tools or initiatives such as employee recognition programs that allow staff achievements to be highlighted across the business. Recognizing employees for doing an exceptional job on a project, reaching a new milestone, or celebrating work anniversaries and promotions can be hugely effective in boosting both employee satisfaction and engagement.

Most importantly, employees need to feel like they’re valued and being heard within an organization and will expect to see their ideas turn into action for the betterment of the workplace. Creating a constant feedback loop and establishing a values-based program to recognize employees who embody the values of the business are but a couple of different ways in which intranets can be used.

Highlighting achievements through a company intranet adds a personal touch and provides a level of authenticity that the modern, millennial workforce needs. It also shows employees that they’re not just another number on an excel sheet, but are actually valued components of a very intricate corporate ecosystem.

The great thing about a company intranet is that there are so many different ways it can be used to keep employees engaged. Businesses just have to remember that employees want to be kept in-the-know, feel valued, and be connected to other people within the organization. Failing to achieve this can lead to disengaged employees that are more likely to seek fulfillment elsewhere. Despite a growing generational divide in the workforce, an investment in an engaging intranet can be an easy way to let all workers know that the company cares, fostering long-term loyalty and a satisfied workforce.

The post 3 ways intranet platforms can improve employee loyalty and engagement appeared first on Interact software.

Therefore, companies need to rethink and continuously improve the way they communicate with their staffs, especially as face-to-face opportunities become more limited. In addition to physical barriers that can impede communication, there are new generational challenges too, especially as Gen Z begins entering the workforce more in the upcoming year. To address these hurdles, internal communications professionals should adopt a digital mindset and use the new tools available to them to deliver their messages more effectively.

Content better be mobile ready and multimedia in form

Recent research from SimilarWeb has shown that for the first time ever, mobile has overtaken desktop in how people access the internet. That said, it’s probably a safe bet that employees are also engaging with enterprise content through their mobile devices, making it necessary for businesses to publish and share information with a mobile-first approach in mind. So, rather than prohibiting personal devices, companies need to realize that mobile is part of the modern way of working, and internal communications professionals can take advantage of this direct access to staff to communicate with them more effectively. They can achieve this by catering to all the different ways employees prefer to receive communications, so while it will be important to have one mobile-friendly hub where all content, resources, solutions and tools can be accessed securely, critical messages will also need to appear in SMS as well as email form to ensure they are being received.

Not only will internal communications materials need to be mobile-ready, they will also need to take advantage of multimedia formats – especially to catch the attention of tech-savvy Gen Zers. These employees are adept at digesting information from online channels, so 2019 communications will be all about using the solutions available in today’s digital workplace to create messages that are dynamic, impactful and highly engaging to drive conversations between younger employees and senior management. Internal communications professionals should utilize social media-like business solutions, create video blogs and use communication and collaboration tools to make sure the information they’re trying to deliver gets heard and – more importantly – remembered by these young newcomers.

Will digital assistants lead internal comms in the next year?

When we think “digital”, artificial intelligence, machine learning and chatbots automatically come to mind, but internal communicators don’t necessarily need to be fully embracing these kinds of tools just yet. Even though excitement around chatbots has certainly reached a new high, I’d argue that this technology is a bit overhyped. And while some internal communications professionals may be eager to turn over the reins to digital assistants to alleviate their workloads, this technology still needs more time to mature, especially in terms of better understanding subtle linguistical nuances.

So, we should expect organizations to take advantage of this technology to some degree, but chatbots won’t be taking on advanced communications functions just yet. They can be useful in conveying simple facts, information and perhaps some company news. However, when it comes to matters that require a human touch, they simply won’t be able to do the same job as a thoughtful person. Another more immediate benefit of digital assistants is their ability to be available at all hours. So, when real humans aren’t reachable (such as holidays or after-hours) this technology can be useful in helping employees with simple queries so they aren’t left without answers for too long.

Don’t just send content – listen and analyze, too

While it’s important for communications pros to make sure the information they’re sending out is accessible, easy to read and understandable, it’s equally important for them listen and use data and insights to inform their strategies. Making sure employees feel like they’re being heard is critical to protecting the health of the business. And there are many new ways to measure and monitor employee sentiment and satisfaction. While many communicators are familiar with the great intel they can gather through surveys and questionnaires, 2019 will shed light on the importance of employer net promoter scores (eNPS). These specialized, digital surveys can glean more valuable insights in regard to how employees view the organization as a whole. Not only can this help better understand their general sentiment, it can also uncover who the organization’s ‘promoters’ and ‘detractors’ are. Using eNPS, communicators can also pinpoint issues that need to be remedied immediately. The remediation phase should be a constant practice, not just a one-off exercise. This can help create a constant feedback loop and let employees know that they’re being listened to and that they truly have a role in enacting change within the company.

In the new year, internal communications professionals will have a lot of new digital tools at their disposal, and if used properly, it can make them incredibly more effective at their jobs. Optimizing content to be both mobile-ready and multimedia in format will help ensure that their communications are being read. Collecting feedback through digital platforms will also help them analyze data to better inform their strategies. As communications pros continue to adopt more strategic, digital thinking, business leaders will see what an important role they play in keeping employees informed and happy, and realize how that impacts the overall strength of the business.

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Your intranet is a great way of getting all your documents in one place. Your employees know where to go and can be confident they are using the most up to date version. However, documents need to be managed. Without content owners and version control, there is a danger that your intranet will become just another shared drive, and worse still, your employees will lose trust in it. The key is to only put documents on that are useful to the majority of your workforce. Use the analytics to keep track of any documents not in use and encourage content owners to take responsibility.

2. Inaccessible on the move

In a business world of BYOD and flexible working, your intranet needs to be accessible at all times. This means at any time, on any device, at any location and on any browser. This is all possible by hosting your intranet in the Cloud. Don’t be tempted to build a wall around it, blocking access to your employees.

3. Just a top down communications platform

You won’t engage your employees if you just use the intranet to announce business news. Adding the option for colleagues to leave comments on posts and documents is a great way to get messages out there whilst engaging your employees. Forums are another great way to get discussions going and business ideas flowing, whilst breeding a culture where your employees feel they have a voice, and ultimately increasing productivity.

4. Avoided by board members

Your intranet should be all inclusive. The executive team need to lead by example, so getting them on side and engaged will filter down energy and excitement around the intranet. Giving employees a platform where they feel comfortable communicating to the senior team, will provide you with invaluable insight into how people are feeling, plus empower employees. Of course to make your intranet a success, you need everyone on side, especially the ones who hold the purse strings.

5. Unexplored

There are some great features on your intranet that will keep your employees coming back for more. Make the most of them, even if you don’t see the value straight away. Simple tricks like adding pictures to the people directory is a great way to increase collaboration, especially across multiple sites where not everyone knows each other. Making full use of endorsements on profiles will also help employees discover who the experts are within your organisation, so be able to answer queries quickly and build relationships with colleagues.

6. One way communication

If a post invites employees to comment, don’t forget to reply. It’s frustrating and word will soon spread. Responding is a simple way to get your employees returning the intranet, and a great way of getting more colleagues to participate. Plus of course it’s a great measure of your intranet’s success.

7. Seen as a quick fix to changing the culture

Used in the right way, your intranet is a great tool to help the journey towards change. You can deliver important and relevant messages to each individual, ensuring they are only seeing communications that mean something to them. However, improving the technology won’t work in isolation. You still need to lead the way and keep checking to see how employees are feeling. Finding champions across your organisation is a great way of driving engagement, so keep track of your top contributors and share the responsibility.

8. Full of jargon

The intranet needs to be seen as an easy tool that will help your employees do their job. If it’s filled with terminology that means very little to a lot of people, they will turn off. If there are essential words and phrases to your business, try adding a jargon buster that employees can access easily. This not only increases knowledge, but avoids employees feeling embarrassed when they have to ask. Likewise, when launching your intranet, try to avoid descriptions such as ‘cutting edge’ and using words like ‘revolutionise’. This could scare off some of your employees and they’ll lose interest before even seeing it. Ultimately you need to remember they will be thinking, ‘What’s in it for me?’

9. A single objective

Do you know what your intranet is trying to achieve to all stakeholders? This may sound like a silly question, but it’s easy to forget to ask. Once you know, you can make sure you’re on track and easily deliver the results each of your stakeholders are looking for. And don’t promise the world. Set objectives you can meet: 100% adoption is not realistic.

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Regardless of size, businesses have a lot of documents, so if these are not managed correctly it can be the cause of a lot of frustration. We’ve all been there, searching the shared drive, not knowing where to look, what version to use, what it’s called or sometimes whether it even exists.

An intranet is the perfect solution as it provides one central place to manage your documents. Plus intelligent search function will allow your employees to search keywords and view recommendations and experts within your business.

2. You’re drowning in emails

Email must take part of the responsibility for lost and out of date documentation. They fly around all over the place, so people could be looking at the wrong thread, and important messages, as well as people, can get missed.

Providing a platform for your employees to create visible team spaces where ideas can flow, experts (sometimes initially unknown) can contribute and knowledge can be shared is a proven way to deliver results. Intranet teams allows you to do just that.

3. Knowledge is hidden away

Finding the right person with the knowledge you need can be tricky, even more so when it’s knowledge you don’t know you need. Getting the right information you need quickly and efficiently not only saves time and money, but it also does wonders for morale and productivity.

Employees can be made quickly aware of experts within the business just by searching a keyword or phrase on the intranet.

4. Work is being reproduced

It’s frustrating when you’ve been working really hard on something and then realise it’s already been done. The phrase we’re all familiar with is ‘reinventing the wheel’. It’s a waste of time, effort and opportunity to get better results through working together.

You can use your intranet to update the whole organisation or just selected members, so employees know what colleagues are working on, and at the risk of sounded repetitive, share ideas and knowledge.

5. Information is based on hearsay

Hearsay can be quite damaging to morale and productivity. We’re not naive enough to suggest your intranet will put a hold on gossip, but it gives your business the opportunity to control important business communications in a relevant and timely manner.

By ensuring your employees are aware of what’s going on, you can be confident discussions are armed with the truth.

6. You can never find that number when you need it

Getting contact numbers for colleagues is no mean feat at times, especially when there’s a call waiting for them on the other line. When you finally get through you discover they’re not even in the office.

Your intranet directory is a great tool for finding out a whole host of information about colleagues quickly and easily. This includes contact numbers, whether they’re in the office and many other interesting facts you may not have been looking for. If you’re not entirely sure who you are looking for, you can even search for teams or keywords to find an appropriate person to help.

7. There is a lack of clarity over the business objectives

Can you be sure your employees know the business objectives and how their role contributes to success? If they want to re-familiarise themselves, do they know where to find them?

You can not only house the organisational goals and objectives on the intranet, you can regularly communicate them, set them as mandatory reads, introduce a quiz around them and keep them fresh in your employees’ minds by ensuring they appear on the homepage.

8. Phone calls come in from remote colleagues requesting documents

If a document isn’t quickly and easily found the first time, your employees just won’t look again. When they are working remotely, how do they get hold of what they need? They ring someone in the office to send it over on email, disturbing them from their work too, sometimes several times a day.

Using your intranet to manage your documents is not only an effective way to ensure your employees are using the most up to date documents, but it ensures documents are found quickly and easily with every search.

9. You’re asked lots of ‘quick’ questions

How many times do departments get asked the same question? How many holidays do I have left? How do I process my expenses ? When do I get paid? They may be easy questions, but if everyone is asking they soon mount up.

Having the information in one central place means people will quickly learn where they have to go to access what they need, and being self-sufficient is a benefit to everyone.

10. Forms go missing

Paper based forms should be a thing of the past. They are difficult to keep track of, get lost and hang around on desks taking a long time to get from start to finish.

Intranets make each process smarter by bringing all workflow and forms online, including authorisation and notifications. This means things happen quicker, colleagues are reminded to complete forms, notifications are sent to those waiting and the most up to date versions are always accessible.

11. Your employees want a platform to share their ideas

Employees want to be heard and feel valued in the workplace, although it’s not always easy to find a place where they are comfortable sharing.

An intranet gives your employees a safe space to contribute ideas. It’s a chance for them to get their ideas out into the business, get noticed, and get feedback from management and peers. Plus if required, it gives you a chance to respond.

12. Your customers are given incorrect information

Although unintentionally we’re all guilty of misinforming people from time to time (especially when it comes to directions in the street), but giving customers incorrect information can be quite disastrous.

Intelligent search means the most relevant and popular information is ranked at the top to deliver real-time results quickly. This includes people in the business who will be able to answer any questions on their endorsed expertise.

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When things (communities) pop-up organically just let them play out. – What Bill meant by this is that naturally within an organisation, pockets of individuals will create their own ‘unofficial’ communities. As this happens give it room to grow and foster and only move it when it’s appropriate to moderate or help them.

Community is not free – to succeed communities need ‘community time’ and expenditure on software. Very rarely does a community succeed without invested resource and free applications.

Community Managers are a rare breed – There aren’t pools of these people sitting around, it takes a long time to recruit. Even with the global reach and kudos of Dell it can take six months to find a community manager. Bill suggested that you should just “suck it up and do it with less staff” as the role is critical to the success to individual communities. Bill had some useful tips for managing community managers: grow from within – if you have to take a chance always do it on an internal candidate rather than external.

Finding that sweet spot – A community needs to overlap the core business objectives with something the community care about.

Launching a community – Every new community that launches has to be staffed heavily at the beginning until you have had the chance to build up a reserve of members. As you grow your reserve of members you can scale back members.

If your using terms that your executive team doesn’t know about then you have failed – If you establish a community on your intranet to reduce internal support calls to the IT support desk don’t tell your executive team about the number of questions that have been answered by the community this week or the number of people that have been engaged. Instead speak their language – explain that the community has reduced the number of support calls by 7% this quarter.

Have a strategic community policy in place, this will provide you with the framework to govern and align your communities.

Most of the discussions that have taken place at Enterprise 2.0 – Santa Clara this year have been focused around SoMoLo – Social Mobile Location, with a significant focus on mobile.

Maribel Lopez (@MaribelLopez) of Lopez Research LLC made some very true remarks on how mobile is shaping the enterprise landscape. We are now seeing a significant level of maturity with the convergence of Mobile, Social and Cloud. This coupled with the rise of BYOD (Bring Your own Device) organisations are rethinking their IT strategies.

Robert Scoble (@Scobleizer) made a profound point that both large and small organisations are now bringing in consumer products such as the iPad for the very fact that they are mobile, cheap and have a much less continual management costs than the conventional PC or laptop.

Maribel commented that the mobile landscape was evolving at a period of 1 – 1 1/2 years, this has now shifted to a 6 month life cycle. This truly is the beginning of a mobile revolution where we will see major changes in “What we connect with, how we connect and how we engage”

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