Top 6 Examples of Must-Have Features for a Modern Intranet 

Cocentric

Apr 30 · 5 mins read

There are many advantages to using an intranet for your business. It allows a company to:  

• Communicate, collaborate, and share information internally. 

• Store and manage documents and records. 

• Track requests. 

• Create and refine a company culture.  

However, attitudes towards intranets are changing, as many people find that traditional intranets do not focus on the user experience and lack the right collaboration tools. But that does not mean you need to get rid of your existing tools. The key is to create a modern intranet software and make it a central point for the company. So, you might want to consider which components will take your corporate intranet to the next level. 

Top six must-have features to consider for a modern Intranet 

A modern intranet example includes features designed to enhance users’ efficiency and foster increased communication and collaboration within the workspace. So, we have compiled a list of the top six features that could modernise your intranet. And we have used each of these features in our own modern intranet, One Digital Workplace, which is based on the Microsoft 365 SharePoint intranet. 

1. Make it easy to find people in your organisation   

Having a ‘People Finder’ feature on your intranet homepage lets users quickly find the contact details of anyone in their company – particularly people they interact with often. This can help encourage employees to save time and facilitate faster, more efficient communication between team members to make collaboration easy. 

On Cocentric’s One Digital Workspace, the People Finder is at the top of the homepage. The page gives you access to all the relevant people in your company. You can click on the names of an individual to view their detail card. This card includes all the essentials about the person: where they sit in the business, their location, email address, any files you have collaborated on in Office 365, and access to their LinkedIn page.

2. Have a place for all governed knowledge  

Having a dedicated space on your intranet for governed documents makes it easy for employees to find and share the right information. On older intranets, you might have multiple versions of a single document floating around. So, finding the document that gives you the official information you need might be hard. 

On Cocentric’s One Digital Workspace, the Knowledge Hub allows users to access and view official documents. Users can also share a document or piece of content with a Workplace group. This shared link will still link back to the Knowledge Hub. This means you are not duplicating the content; it is still contained and governed in one place. 

3. Have branded pages 

A great modern intranet is fluid and engaging rather than rigid. Having branded pages is a way to bring your intranet to life and personalise it for your business. Branded pages also give your people more information about the company to help engage employees and keep them motivated.  

On the Cocentric One Digital Workspace, we have created engaging branded pages that provide more information about the company. You can have ‘About us’ sections and loads of content about your brand’s missions and values to inspire your people. 

4. Make the most popular tools and documents easily accessible  

Having a set of quick links for users to access is a great way to minimise time spent searching for different sites. It helps users access the sites that are relevant to them and the sites they frequently use to do their job, helping them be more efficient.  

Cocentric’s One Digital Workspace allows users to access links to sites like Workplace from Meta, Office 365 suite and HR sites to help our people quickly access the information they need when they need it. 

5. Integrate other tools into your Intranet

One of the biggest drawbacks of the traditional intranet design is that it is an isolated platform. You can store, edit, share, and organise files, but it does not function as an engaging, holistic workspace for employees. Integrating an intranet with other tools like Microsoft Teams and Workplace, with updates on the latest messages and posts, as we have done with our One Digital Workplace, helps users stay engaged. Integrations give users the content that interests them and helps them keep track of all their communications with their colleagues, both work-related and social. 

6. Make your platform accessible on mobile devices 

In the last five years, flexibility has become a key feature of the modern workplace and so have social intranets. This means employees might access important information in an office, at home, or on the go. So, they might not always be able to use their intranet on a desktop. Because of this, it is important to ensure that corporate intranets have mobile accessibility. This feature will make it easier for people to communicate, receive notifications, access resources, and collaborate wherever they are – on a device that suits them best.  

Your company’s intranet does not have to be standard- it can be as unique as you are. A modern intranet that reflects your employees’ unique personalities and interests will keep them interested and engaged with the latest company news. Adding some or all of these features to your existing intranet is a simple way to make it user-friendly and take it from static to fresh.  

For more insights and examples of modern intranet platforms, check out our website cocentic.com or speak to our team.