This is how the Duo organizations made their social intranet the central point of collaboration

The Duo organizations wanted to move away from limited functionality and scattered sources of information. In fact, it stands in the way of good communication and therefore also cooperation between employees. With the implementation of Embrace's social intranet in 2016, they thus took a new course. Communication advisor Nicole Heij was closely involved in this course and explains how the Duo organizations succeeded in making their social intranet the beating heart of these organizations.

The need for central collaboration

It was clear: using separate local intranets was an obstacle to seamless communication. The old situation was no longer adequate and efficient: a joint solution of software and programs needed in which and with which all four organizations could work.

Due to the growing need for collaboration as a result of both government guidelines and later the rise of working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a shared social intranet as a means of communication is here to stay. So it's time for a new platform.

Duo+ took on the implementation and establishment of the social intranet for the four organizations and focused the intranet project on two key aspects: simplifying knowledge sharing and collaboration. “We were really looking for a way to connect knowledge with each other, share knowledge and find each other more easily,” says Nicole. “Especially the latter, because you're actually going from one intranet per municipality to one joint platform for four organizations. So how are you going to find each other if you're spread across multiple places?”

Adoption: from technical readiness to human awareness

So the new intranet was not only supposed to serve as a versatile platform for communication, but also as a central source of information and expertise. This is because this increases both accessibility and the ease of making contact with each other. And that has proven itself: the DUO organizations' intranet, called Intercomm, is at the center of the organization.

Nicole's digital curiosity plays an important role in this. “If there's anything new, I like to investigate how it works, especially for employees,” she explains. “Are there any functionalities or ideas or suggestions that we can actually do something with and also help employees get started in their work?” The Embrace User Group is also an important source of inspiration for Nicole. “There is a lot of sharing there. Not just about how to set up your social intranet, but about how to set it up, share it with each other and let it land. I really like to try that kind of thing.”

“Everything is in order and technically we are fairly complete,” Nicole continues, “but I still notice that management and adoption continue to require attention. Colleagues who are less digitally skilled sometimes find it difficult to just try things. So how do you include your employees in the best possible way? Or if, for example, a colleague takes a knowledge page offline because it is no longer up to date and does not simply update the content, you are not using it to serve your colleagues. Information can then not be found, even though you are trying to ensure it properly. That's why creating a bit of awareness is also very important.” Together with an Embrace consultant, Nicole will review this human part again.

“Creating a bit of awareness is very important.”

Data-driven decision making with Social Analytics Pro

Since 2022, Duo+ has been using Embrace's Social Analytics Pro module, which provides in-depth insight into the use of their platform. “That's very interesting,” says Nicole. “I can substantiate that certain menu structures are hardly or hardly clicked on. The figures also clearly show the difference between the fun news and the not so good news. That is sometimes quite confronting, because what do you miss in communication and how can you make that more attractive so that it is read more?”

She also keeps a close eye on the search terms, as this provides a good indication of information that is missing or not easy to find. “Basically, I want to start from the employee and make the content match what they need,” explains Nicole. “When departments don't fill in their information, those pages stay empty and at some point they'll see what's missing. But I also want to do it proactively: if I see that there are twenty search results on one topic in a month and it's not on Intercomm, I can also address that information need to the content editors.”

Streamlining Notifications with TopDesk Integration

Because Duo+ wants everything in one place, they also use the Topdesk integration. Nicole: “Together with the service team, we decided to do things completely differently with TOPdesk. Previously, we all had messages in the timeline with “program x doesn't work”, followed by “program x will work again”, and then “oh no, not anyway”. Thanks to the integration with TOPdesk, you can now view your own notifications. In addition, we have given the Topdesk widget a permanent place on the personal dashboard. Here we show all major messages. That way, we have a much cleaner timeline.”

It also fixes many redundant reports, because colleagues can immediately see what faults are known. From the widget, they can click directly to TOPdesk, where they can see the details of the notification and also subscribe to related messages. “This is a very nice bit of cooperation between ICT and Communication and an added value of this interior.”

“It is precisely through personal guidance that you notice that people become enthusiastic and really see the benefit of it.”

A personal approach leads to success

For Nicole, the biggest success factor of their social intranet lies in constantly repeating and training people how to use it. “In the beginning, we had new employee training courses, including a tour of Intercomm. We also provided training courses about profile and the Knowledge Connector,” says Nicole. “If you can give personal attention to employees who are having trouble using the platform, that helps enormously. That's where you really see the added value if you can use the social intranet full-time.”

Fortunately, employees are also finding Nicole and her immediate colleagues more and more, because they actively respond to the timeline and are therefore clearly visible within the organization. “We think along with them and give them tips, such as creating calendar items or application forms. These options automatically take a number of things off your hands, such as subscribing or unsubscribing participants or forwarding emails to a contractor. So we can take some shortcuts because it can all be submitted a bit more automatically. It is precisely because of this piece of personal guidance that you notice that people are enthusiastic about that idea and really see the benefit of it.”

In short: think from the end user's point of view. “Know who is looking for what information and make sure you make it that easy for them instead of looking at what you find most useful,” explains Nicole.

People and technology come together

So making a social intranet the central point of your organization is certainly not easy, because it includes much more than just technology. It's about people, communication, and deep understanding of organizational needs and employee experiences. The fact that they are well aware of this among the Duo organizations is evident from the fact that their dynamic intranet can also fulfill the crucial role they aim for: promoting knowledge sharing and collaboration within not one, but even four organizations.

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