Have you been looking into a new intranet, but facing skepticism and concerns within your organization? Changes often bring organizational resistance, particularly if there are unanswered questions- so let us help you out! Whether it’s you or your boss who needs to be convinced, here are some common objections to implementing a new social intranet, and the answers that will overcome these hesitations.
Objection 1: “We already have an intranet!”
Maybe, but does anyone use it? Corporate intranets are frequently outdated, serving as file graveyards rather than vibrant social collaboration platforms where employees can share information easily, stay up to date on company messages, and get to know their teammates. The new style of intranet is a social business platform that combines project collaboration tools with familiar social features that your users will love. Instead of struggling to find information on their own, they’ll be able to collaborate much more easily.
Objection 2: “Implementing a new intranet is too expensive.”
It might be expensive in the short term, but your long-term costs will decrease as productivity increases.
If you already have an intranet, you know that its maintenance and server costs can be exorbitant- particularly if it’s not fully being used. The new social intranet, on the other hand, allows you to pay only for the features you need and the amount of users you actually have. For businesses that are thinking about implementing an intranet for the first time, the cost savings come rather from the cost of lost time and lost productivity.
Objection 3: “Our collaboration needs are met by email and in-person meetings.”
A study by EffectiveMeetings found that the average employee feels that 31 hours a month are being wasted in meetings- does that really seem like you’re being productive? Social intranets allow you to create online meeting spaces where group members can collaborate at the times that best suit them- which also creates a more welcoming environment for remote workers. Furthermore, the average employee also spends 28% of their time daily responding to and writing emails- hardly a constructive use of time. Implementing a social intranet ensures that employees can easily contact each other and find thought leaders within your organization when needed, rather than needing to email back and forth to find the right information or the right person. It’s a sure bet that employees are already familiar with social networks- so let them operate within their own social business network!
Objection 4: “It’s not possible to quantify the benefits or calculate the ROI of social collaboration software.”
The benefits for social intranets depend on your company’s needs, and the uses to which your social intranet is destined. One common goal, for example, is the desire to improve employee productivity. Some ROI metrics that you could use to calculate that include increased employee communication, measured through number of messages shared on the intranet or posts on the community forums; faster task completion; or increased access to files. Other general KPIs that you can use to calculate the usefulness of your intranet as a software tool are page visits daily, response speed, and the number of files uploaded and shared within the portal.
Intrigued yet? Every organization has their doubters, but there’s no denying that social intranets have clear benefits. Read our whitepaper for further information on how implementing a social intranet can benefit your organization!
