Working Group Communication & Adoption (Suite)

Communication Plan

✍️ To do - Communication Plan

Make sure you start working on a clear communication plan at an early stage of the project. Important components here (can) include:

• Project principles (objectives, etc.)
• Communication strategy
• Possible dependencies on other projects
• Communication planning

Below you will find some pointers: 

🔹 Start on time

Make sure you involve and inform the organisation from the start of the implementation about what they can expect. Change also causes resistance. Therefore, give your colleagues time to gradually get used to the changes. 

🔹 Why? 

To accept change, it is important that the organisation understands why the choice was made to implement new software. What are the benefits for the organisation? How does the new software contribute to your objectives? What are the benefits for individual colleagues? To create sufficient support, it is important to inform the organisation about this and actively involve them where possible.

🔹 Inform and communicate 

Make sure you continuously inform the organisation during the implementation phase and keep them updated on interim results and successes. This can be done in various ways and through different channels. Prepare a communication calendar in which you specify which communication message you share at what time, via which channel, and with what purpose. Examples of tools you can use here include: 

• Updates via intranet
• Briefing sessions for managers
• Digital newsletter
• Walk-in sessions (possibly remote) to let colleagues get acquainted with the new software
• Involving end users in test sessions 

🔹 An involved Management Team (MT)

Ensure involvement within the board and/or MT at an early stage. They have an important role model function on the new intranet and are therefore a key link in the adoption phase. Share with them "the story" of the intranet and why your organisation embraces this platform. Make sure they promote the platform as the primary communication channel within the organisation. Also make agreements with them about the use of other communication tools such as e-mail. 

💡 Marketing examples leading up to go-live: 

• Announcements: posters on doors/canteen, teasers via current intranet/staff magazine/newsletter (what's in it for you), countdown on current intranet, (video) blog from management, cake!
• Stickers with cut-out for face on toilet mirrors, with a call to be 'visible' and complete your profile
• Official kick-off by manager/board member/ambassador group/Sinterklaas
• Photobooth in canteen to have photos taken on the spot
• Coffee cups
• Banner for workshops, festive opening, internal conference
• Smoothies for entire team/department when all profiles are completed
• @snowball challenges to fill profiles (I nominate @.... and @... to upload a profile photo)

💡 Marketing examples after go-live

 

• Share a short infographic 'quick guide' (several examples available from clients) on the day of go-live via various channels (email, placing on desks, in the canteen, prominently somewhere on the homepage and later send to new employees on their first day
• Create a Helpdesk group with intranet tips and tricks. From here you can regularly share tips about using the software. For example:
  - How do I complete my profile?
  - How do I arrange my start page?
  - How do I set my email notifications?
  Also work with instructional videos! 
  This group can also be the place for users to ask questions (to each other).
• Organise workshops (on location), join team meetings. Try not to make these walk-in sessions; generally, these sessions do not work well (in terms of attendance) but let colleagues register.
• After one year (for example via a nice infographic) inform the organisation about how 'it is going', with figures about the use of the new platform.

Ambassadors

Recruit ambassadors for broader deployment of your communication and adoption within your own organisation. They can help you spread information about the intranet (project) further within the organisation and provide feedback on what is happening within the organisation so you can respond to this with the intranet. You can also test with them whether you are on the right track with the intranet, if anything is missing and/or could be added to make it an (even bigger) success. The ambassador group thus also functions as a sounding board. 

✍️ To do - Recruit Ambassadors

Think about who you can use to make the intranet (project) a success. Think for example of people who have "standing" within the organisation because they have been working there for a long time, have a certain position, or simply because they are well-liked.

Also think of people who could tell you more about what is happening in the organisation, for example in the area of internal communication. They can be an important source of information about bottlenecks or opportunities to respond to with the new intranet. 

Ambassadors can also help you after go-live with answering questions from the organisation and sharing tips and explanations. 

Moreover, working with ambassadors ensures that the new intranet is not "from the Communication department" but is seen as belonging to the entire organisation. 

Below are some pointers:

🔹 Involve ambassadors
 

When you have a good group of ambassadors, it is important to actively involve them in the intranet (project). Actively inform them about decisions made within the project group. Give them earlier access to a test group and let them start working on the platform. 

🔹 Visible ambassadors

Make sure ambassadors are visible within the organisation, so people know who the intranet ambassadors are. Think for example of an added icon to profile photos and a mention in the profile. This way, the organisation knows who to turn to with questions and possible comments about the intranet. 

🔹 Clear roles and responsibilities 

Ensure there is a clear division of roles within the ambassador group. For example, you could make 1 or 2 ambassadors responsible for sharing tips and tricks, some ambassadors responsible for monitoring posts on the intranet and adjusting where necessary. And some ambassadors answering questions in the Helpdesk group. 

🔹 Strong bond, also after go-live 

Maintain a strong bond with your ambassadors. Meet regularly, even after the initial period following go-live. They remain important stakeholders in adoption, and this takes time. Agree in the management plan to meet quarterly to discuss the progress of the intranet. 

Community Management

When starting a (new) social intranet, you also start a new online community. This is a completely new way of working. This behaviour change can be guided through community management. Community management is very important to keep your platform lively, current, and valuable. So ensure active and sustainable community management if you want to make your intranet a success! 

✍️ To do - Know your end user

An important aspect of community management is knowing who your end user is. 

You want to facilitate your end user as optimally as possible with a social intranet that works for him/her and makes the workday more enjoyable, convenient, and efficient. 

So make sure you know who your end users are, and what their needs are: 

• What is their digital skill level (are extensive manuals, training, videos etc. needed)?
• What is the average age?
• What does a workday look like? Does everyone start behind a desk and computer or are there also mobile employees?
• What do they want to see on an intranet?
• What information is frequently searched for?
• What do they need? For example more human interest, visibility of the MT, being able to follow organisational developments?

✍️ To do - Provide added value

Now that you have an understanding of the end users' needs, you can respond to them. Is there a need for connection among each other? Then provide human interest elements on the platform. Is the MT insufficiently visible? For example, give a "Look of the week" a place in a blog/banner widget. 

Also invite end users to ask questions, share knowledge, publish information, and engage in conversations with each other. This way you continuously create valuable content on your platform and people keep considering the intranet an important source. 

Tip! Create a content calendar. Together with ambassadors and other stakeholders, think about what will be happening in the next 3 months, both inside and outside the organisation. Respond to this by publishing timeline posts, organisation news posts, polls, widgets, etc. Also divide roles in the content calendar: person X ensures a relevant external link is shared every two weeks, person Y ensures a human interest piece from the organisation is shared once a month, person Z ensures a discussion is started once a week. 
This way you continuously benefit from content from different angles and the group of end users is more likely to follow the example and actively participate themselves. 

Management

When the platform is live, it needs to be managed. A management plan is a necessary document for this. It records the principles of the intranet and which roles and responsibilities exist and how they are divided among the various stakeholders. The management plan also makes agreements about monitoring the progress of the intranet.  For example, how often you meet with stakeholders to discuss progress. More information about managing the platform can be found here.  

In-depth