How to Get the Budget for a New Intranet
So you want a new company intranet, but you're not sure how to convince your team? This article explains the value an intranet can bring to your organization and also how to explain this effectively to key stakeholders. You'll learn how to create a convincing business case, complete a cost-benefit analysis, and get stakeholder approval.
Want to jump straight to the good stuff? Download our free guide.
Before you can even think about an intranet, diagnose the existing communication structure within your business. Conduct an independent assessment—regular surveys, focus group discussions, and benchmarking against industry standards are effective techniques.
For example, here are some common communication challenges we typically see:
- Information Overload: Employees feeling overwhelmed with communication that doesn't necessarily pertain to them.
- Siloed Knowledge: Teams are unaware of the work, perspectives, and resources available across the organization.
- Lack of Engagement: Lack of information can impact an employee's engagement with company goals and productivity suffers.
- Low Productivity: A direct result of poor communication is a decrease in overall productivity.
Why is the current mode of communication a roadblock to your company's goals? And more crucially, why is this the time to advocate for change? Current market trends or internal shifts may support the imperative for a communication overhaul.
How to Pitch an Intranet to the C-Suite
Download our free guide for Comms Leaders to learn how to build the business case for a new intranet.
To convince your C-Suite to invest in a new intranet, you must convince them of the benefits. Explore how a more modern intranet can improve internal communication and address the issues you identified in step 1.
Now let’s talk about some common benefits of an intranet.
An Intranet Can Streamline Workflows:
An intranet helps organize and streamline information flow. It ensures that information is easily accessible to the right people. Whether it’s a policy change, a new product update, or the latest sales strategy, your intranet makes information sharing more efficient.
An Intranet Can Foster Collaboration and Engagement:
Beyond its role as a broadcast media for company announcements, an intranet encourages two-way communication. From Q&A forums to employee suggestion boxes, it empowers your staff to engage, discuss, and innovate.
An Intranet Can Centralize Resources:
When critical documents and resources are scattered across various drives and email chains, it can lead to confusion. An intranet centralizes information sharing, ensuring that everyone is working from the same, up-to-date information.
How to Pitch an Intranet to the C-Suite
Download our free guide for Comms Leaders to learn how to build the business case for a new intranet.
In a metrics-driven corporate environment, ROI is a language that the C-suite understands fluently. Use real-life examples and data points to prove the potential intranet ROI.
You can use this data from (a study by Forrester Consulting of) 6 companies who implemented a LumApps intranet. Here are the highlights:
- Increased productivity of desktop workers amounting to nearly $7.5 million.
- Increased productivity of frontline workers, amounting to nearly $2 million.
- Reduced cost through IT consolidation, delivering savings of over $320,000.
- Increased efficiency of employee onboarding, amounting to over $700,000.
Chapter 4 of our free guide explains how to prepare your report, including the financial language to use.
A key piece of preparing your report is to align your report with the typical style at your company. For instance, do most group presentations include slides? Detailed data? A one-pager handout?
Include Visual Aids
Data tables, infographics, and visuals can bring your proposal to life, making the concept easier to understand.
Craft a Compelling Narrative
Success stories, compelling use cases, and hard data can turn ambivalence into enthusiasm. Human beings are hardwired for stories. Consider how to include relatable use cases in your pitch.
The Personal Touch
Tailor your pitch to each stakeholder group's interests. The CEO might be interested in strategic advantages, whereas the CFO will lean more on cost-effectiveness. Understanding their language and priorities can significantly bolster your case.
Secure the Key Stakeholders’ Approval
Even the most compelling business case can hit a stumbling block without stakeholder buy-in. This section offers strategies for engaging and convincing key stakeholders to rally behind the intranet project. Tailor your pitch to resonate with their individual priorities and concerns, whether it's IT, finance, or operations.
Structure Your Business Case
Start by capturing the audience's attention with a brief overview of the challenge. Then, discuss the advantages of using an intranet platform and conclude with a clear vision of what success looks like. Use the provided ebook to structure your argument in a concise yet compelling manner.
The Call to Action
Encourage your stakeholders to grasp the opportunity an intranet presents. Appeal to their desire for organizational excellence and innovation, and rally them behind the vision of a connected, efficient, and agile workplace.
Your call to action should be clear, definitive, and aligned with your vision. Whether it's scheduling a deployment meeting or planning change management strategies, the next steps must reflect the ambition and scope of your intranet initiative.
Concluding Your Intranet Pitch
Don't forget to practice your pitch! Remember, your goal is not only to get a new tool. You're pushing for a solution that will make a big difference in the company culture. Advocate for something that will have a lasting impact on the way your business operates.
Ready to see if LumApps is a fit for your team? Book a demo now.
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