Modern social intranet: A powerful software solution for workplace collaboration
A modern social intranet transforms the way teams communicate and collaborate. Explore the features, goals, and providers behind the latest tool empowering the future of work.
Features & benefits: Why invest in a social intranet?
FAQs: What to know before making the leap
Social intranet alternatives: Discover a simpler, more intuitive solution
Social intranet vs. social network
We're all familiar with private messenger apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Around two-thirds of Germans use private messengers every day for entertainment, to get information, or to chat with friends and family. It's a similar concept for social media channels: They bring the world to our smartphones.
Social intranets are an attempt to bring this convenience and familiarity to the workplace with software solutions that feel like a social network within a company—with similar features, looks, and benefits. The biggest difference? The information on a social intranet is accessible only to the employees within that company.
Functions
The most important features of a social intranet
Likes, comments, reactions—these help make a social intranet, well, social! With just the click of a button, employees can show how they feel about certain topics, lending them a voice.
Inform and stay informed. Every social intranet needs a newsfeed. Updates, announcements, and tips are collected in one central place and available to everyone, anytime.
Chats are a must-have feature that allow employees to share information, exchange ideas, and grow together. With the addition of groups, team members can find a sense of belonging and ensure they get information that's relevant to them.
Up to 20% of weekly work time wasted on searching for information? Not anymore. The search feature lets users type what they're looking for, and intuitive navigation guides them through the social intranet—making finding information faster than ever.
How a social intranet can transform your organization
Why do companies use a social intranet? Consider this shocking statistic from McKinsey: Employees spend up to 20 percent of their weekly working time searching for information. Make information more accessible, more quickly, with a social intranet.
Beyond time savings, a social intranet boosts motivation, strengthens culture, and transforms your organization in these ways:
Greater cooperation
A social intranet is where networking and collaboration thrive, helping you improve communication between employees and optimize efficiency.
Higher levels of satisfaction
Social intranets boost satisfaction and motivation, creating a healthier team environment.
More innovation
The social intranet fosters exchange; exchange generates ideas. This becomes the hub for new ideas and exciting solutions (in other words, more innovation).
Social intranet FAQs
In summary: A social intranet optimizes internal communication and collaboration
Many features of a social intranet are useful—there's no doubt about that. It's a communication channel you can access anytime, anywhere, and it increases employee satisfaction and motivation. But, let's face it: A social intranet has disadvantages, too.
The disadvantages of a social intranet:
❌ Complex
❌ Stand-alone solution with little scope for integration. A social intranet includes many functions—but not all systems.
❌ Desktop-optimized instead of mobile-first, which ignores not only the usage behavior of most people, but also the 80 percent of employees who do not work in the office.
Flip-Guide: The social intranet for operational employees
A smarter, modern alternative to the social intranet: The employee app
89 percent of Germans own a smartphone, and they use it up to 2.5 hours every day. This means that the smartphone has now replaced the television, laptop, and PC as the most-used device. The figures prove it: The smartphone is firmly anchored in everyday life.
At work, however, things often look different: Only about 7 percent visit the intranet with their smartphone. The main reason: Most applications are still optimized for the desktop—and for office workers. Smartphones and operational employees are neglected.
For companies with many operational employees, the employee app is a much better alternative to the social intranet. Why?
✅ Intuitive - No unnecessary functions. The feel is similar to familiar messenger services. An employee app is so simple that it needs no introduction.
✅ Integratable - All programs bundled in one place. With one app, you bring all systems to your employees on the floor.
✅ Smartphone-optimized - Clearly laid out even on a mobile phone. An employee app is first and foremost an app—developed for use on mobile devices, but also usable on a PC.
Features of a modern social intranet
Want a platform that engages everyone? An employee app combines the features of a modern social intranet with the simplicity of private messengers. Here are the features that bring added value:
Surveys
Digital mood barometer
How is your workforce feeling? With surveys, it's no longer a mystery. Ask questions, get answers, and make emotions visible.
Chats & Groups
As simple as a private messenger
Intuitive and fast. Keep the helpful conversations flowing. Chats and groups optimize voting, regardless of time and place.
Tasks
Clear the clutter
Manage tasks digitally, and structure workflows better—for yourself and others. You can create these quickly and keep deadlines in view.
Newsfeed
Always informed
The newsfeed makes it easy to distribute and receive information. All the news in one stream.
