A truly social intranet is more than just social

Creating a true organization-wide connection requires more than a social intranet software. Today, engagement and community begin with a multichannel intranet platform designed for communication. Foster peer relationships, amplify employee voices, and recognize all your employees, no matter where they work.

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What is a social intranet?

A social intranet combines traditional intranet features with social networking capabilities. It's an internal network designed for communication and collaboration within an organization.A social intranet helps employees connect, share information, and work together more interactively. It aims to create a more connected and transparent workplace, improving employee engagement.With information flowing freely and meaningful interactions encouraged, it boosts collaboration and increases productivity. The goal is to break down communication silos, promote knowledge sharing, and enhance overall employee engagement and productivity.

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3 powerful features of social intranet software

Greater peer-to-peer engagement

The peer-to-peer engagement generated by a social intranet network reduces the workload on managers, fosters innovation, and builds relationships. It facilitates feedback, aids in onboarding and training, and provides great networking opportunities. It enhances communication overall, nurturing a positive workplace culture and contributing to organizational growth and employee satisfaction.

Amplified employee voice

Social intranets create a direct line of communication with employees, contributing to a culture of continuous improvement. Feedback and surveys within a social intranet platform offer a structured way to gather quantitative and qualitative data, aiding in measuring employee satisfaction, finding areas for growth, and monitoring the success of initiatives.

Increased employee recognition

Employee recognition facilitated through a social intranet generates motivation for increased productivity, fostering a sense of belonging, transparency, alignment with values, and improved retention. Intranet-based recognition ensures consistent acknowledgment and contributes to a positive workplace, increased morale and engagement, and overall organizational success.

Social intranet platforms sound great, so what’s the catch?

They’re inadequate for top-down communication: One downside of social intranets is their weak support for top-down communication. Pages and groups are often managed by individuals or departments, making it hard for important messages to stand out. This can lead to important information getting lost among many other posts and discussions.
They’re cluttered, lack centralized information, and are difficult to manage: Social intranets can quickly become cluttered and hard to manage. They often lack centralized information, precise targeting, efficient navigation, and dynamic page creation. While useful for communication, they don't compare to modern, multichannel intranet platforms, which offer a more organized and structured way to share information.
They have no seamless front door to the digital workplace: Social intranets often don't provide a smooth front door experience or useful integrations with digital workplace tools, especially for deskless workers. Frontline employees need quick self-service and easy tool access. Without these, they can feel frustrated, become inefficient, and may not adopt the system.
They don’t improve the digital employee experience: Social intranets often exist in isolation, creating additional silos of information rather than acting as a cohesive platform that complements productivity software like Staffbase intranet. Social intranets struggle to balance being a complete collaboration tool while also integrating smoothly with other essential workplace tools.

Learn more about social intranets

Find out why social intranets are not the internal comms solution your company needs

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Social Intranet Software: Does It Still Make Sense?

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3 Problems with Social Intranet Platforms

Step through the front door of the multichannel intranet into a new world of engagement

A multichannel communications approach that coordinates the delivery of content and communication across multiple channels and touchpoints. Personalized, top-down communication that’s critical for aligning employees to the mission and vision of their organizations.

A multichannel communications approach

that coordinates the delivery of content and communication across multiple channels and touchpoints.

Personalized, top-down communication

that’s critical for aligning employees to the mission and vision of their organizations.

Easy access to information and knowledge

for admins and users alike.

Seamless digital workplace integrations

for a better digital employee experience

Plus

all of the best social intranet facets for connection, peer-to-peer engagement, and recognition.

The main advantages to a modern approach to intranet strategy

News and information can find employees where they are, not the other way around.

Comms can be delivered through diverse channels for stronger employee touchpoints.

Option for strategic comms and crisis comms to be pushed to specific channels.

Learn more about Features

There's a single place to create and manage all news and messaging.

Why Staffbase Intranet is your best choice for an intranet that’s social — and so much more

Staffbase has completely changed the intranet game. It’s the #1 intranet for communications and engagement. Admins love it, and employees actually use it.

Multichannel Comms

Personalized Communication

Information and Knowledge

A multichannel communication approach ensures every employee can access the intranet from any location or device. It offers options like desktop, app, email, digital signage, and M365 integrations, allowing quick access to information and resources, saving time, and boosting productivity.

Read Bethany Children's Health Center's success story

Discover how Bethany Children's Health Center Informs, Educates, and Engages with 1000+ Healthcare Workers

Read the Case Study

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A seamless employee experience through integrations

Learn more about Integrations

Unlock the power of Microsoft

Unlock the power of Microsoft and create a seamless experience between your intranet and the tools and services your employees need to get work done. Add access points and overviews of Microsoft Teams, calendars, files, tasks and more with just one click

Search across systems

Search across systems like M365 and Google Workspace to ensure employees can find relevant information and resources to improve efficiency, reduce search time, and avoid information silos.

Provide a one-stop shop for HR self-services

Provide a one-stop shop for HR self-services with Staffbase Integration Builder's low-code, no-code approach to establishing a comprehensive HR hub for simplifying absence requests, shift planning, and payslip distribution. Seamlessly integrate with popular HRIS systems including ADP, Workday, SAP, and Oracle.

Efficient workplace tools and connections

Boost user adoption by streamlining access to efficient workplace tools and connections like the cafeteria menu, employee directory, personalized profiles, and event calendars.

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Engagement that goes beyond social

Employee Engagement

Build communities that employees can join based on interest and passion, creating a sense of inclusion around important workplace and personal topics.
Boost engagement with user-generated content on social walls, as well as options for liking, commenting, mentioning, hashtagging, and bookmarking on the content of your choice.

Employee Recognition

Recognize and acknowledge employee achievements, fostering a culture of appreciation and motivation.
Boost employee engagement, satisfaction, and morale.

Employee Voice

Engage employees by conducting surveys and polls to gather feedback, opinions, and ideas, creating a real sense of inclusion and empowerment.
Feature surveys on news articles and pages for maximum reach and relevance.
Gather employee input or speed up paper processes by building and publishing forms.

Employee Collabration

Connect employees conveniently and securely through 1-1, group, or managed user group conversations in a convenient built-in chat tool to connect workers both in the office and the frontlines.
Utilize engaging chat features like voice messages and reactions to better connect and communicate with all colleagues.

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Top-down communication that’s easy for admins

Planning and Collabration

Content and design

Admin and Governance

Intranet Analytics

With a shared editorial calendar and collaborative editing workflows, seamlessly plan and collaborate on strategic communications, eliminating silos and ensuring effective internal communication.
Collaborate on content without worrying about something getting lost, with the ability to restore older versions of a page, and keep track of which editor made changes and when.

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Frequently asked questions about social intranet

What is social intranet?

A social intranet is an internal network or digital platform that combines traditional intranet features with social networking capabilities. It was originally meant to serve as a communication and collaboration tool within an organization, allowing employees to connect, share information, and work together in a more interactive and engaging manner.

What are the key features of social intranets?

User profiles enable employees to create personal profiles, share expertise, and connect with colleagues.
Activity feeds display real-time updates, fostering transparency and engagement.
Collaboration tools encourage teamwork and information exchange.
Groups and communities allow individuals to form specialized interest groups and work on specific projects.
Messaging and chat functions promote instant communication and quick decision-making.
News and announcements keep employees informed about company updates. Mobile accessibility ensures connectivity on the go.

What are the benefits of social intranet?

A social intranet offers several benefits, including improved communication among employees, enhanced collaboration on projects, streamlined knowledge sharing, increased transparency in company updates, faster decision-making, and the creation of a more engaged and connected workforce. It fosters a sense of community, breaks down silos, and enables efficient access to information, ultimately boosting productivity and innovation within the organization.

What is the difference between a social intranet and a front door intranet?

A social intranet and a front door intranet are digital platforms used in organizations, each with distinct purposes. A social intranet encourages communication and collaboration among employees. In contrast, a front door intranet not only supports these activities but also acts as a central gateway to access vital organizational resources and information.

What are the cons of social intranet?

A constant flood of scattered and unrelated updates, messages, and discussions can overwhelm employees and distract them from their tasks. Security concerns may also arise since confidential information shared on social intranets might inadvertently become more widely accessible. Maintaining engagement can be challenging; without proper management, social intranets may become underutilized or filled with irrelevant content. Collaboration is often better supported by external tools. Integrating with employee self-service software and third-party document repositories can require extensive customization. Overall, while social intranets can be powerful tools, their attempt to do everything often means they excel at nothing in particular.