What makes the best intranet software? Must-haves for 2023

An intranet is an essential tool for any organization that wants to improve its communication and collaboration. A well-designed intranet software can enhance employee productivity, facilitate knowledge sharing, and provide a centralized platform for all internal communication. 

However, not all intranet software is created equal, and choosing the best solution for your organization can be a daunting task. In this blog post, we will explore the key factors that make up the best intranet software for businesses. 
 

According to TrustRadius, “Intranet software refers to a secure and restricted network used by an organization. Though restricted, these networks are usually made accessible to certain groups or members, such as employees of the organization.” 

Intranets are essentially internal networks for companies to distribute information to employees, and serve as a location for employees to access documents and files, communicate with other employees, or collaborate on projects. 

Intranets are still relevant for today’s workforce, but the intent has changed from when they were first created. The original intranets were mostly focused on top-down communication so leaders could send announcements. Today, intranets must include social networking, employee recognition, and productivity elements. This functionality creates a bit of a “digital workplace” where employees can connect with each other, share knowledge, ask for help, recognize each other for a job well done, and more. 

In today’s dispersed workforce where employees work hybrid, remote, on the frontlines, and almost never in the same office, an intranet is the digital workplace where employees can meet up again. As a result, you may hear intranets called employee experience software. 

One customer on TrustRadius describes their intranet in the following way: 

“We needed a new intranet with more features to enable informed and engaged associates. Prior to using LumApps, our main communication channel with our teams was email. LumApps has given us a simple way to host content online and share news and information, while also allowing associates to interact and have more 2-way dialogue through comments, likes, and sharing.” 

There are several factors that contribute to what makes the best intranet software, but ultimately, it comes down to the needs of your business. 

If you’re looking for industry best practices, look no further than the rankings provided from TrustRadius. TrustRadius is a technology decision platform that helps buyers make informed decisions with product information and customer reviews. 

Each year, TrustRadius presents the “TrustRadius Top Rated Award. ” For two years in a row, LumApps has received a TrustRadius Top Rated Award in the category of Best Intranet Software (see the top rated list). 

The award is based entirely on feedback from verified customers. To qualify for a Top Rated award, an intranet software must meet the following criteria: 

• Recency: Product must have 10 or more recent reviews (from the past year)
• Rating: Product must have a trScore of 7.5 (out of 10) or higher
• Relevance: Product must earn at least 0.5% of the site traffic in the category

A trScore is determined by a weighted average of customer reviews, which prioritizes more recent scores and reviews that are completed with an in-depth answer versus single-click star ratings. 

What does this mean? The score values recent experiences using an algorithm , and relies on more thoughtful responses where respondents have included more content and spent quality time on conducting the review. 
 

LumApps received 30 reviews, a trScore of 8.0, and 5.95% amount of page traffic during the scoring period. Of all competitors on the market, LumApps is 1 of only 3 intranets to receive this award for 2023.  

“TrustRadius awards are especially meaningful because they are based on user reviews and represent the voice of our customers. The meaningful insights and feedback they provide inspire us to continue developing new features and capabilities that fulfill the needs of modern organizations. It’s gratifying to know our solution delivers true business value to users,” said Sébastien Ricard, CEO and Co-Founder of LumApps.

Customers answered a standard set of questions while conducting the review, including these custom questions: 

• Usability - LumApps was designed to be an adaptable solution that is easy to use. On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate LumApps’ overall usability?
• Ease of integration - LumApps offers an open ecosystem that allows employees to connect with essential workplace apps. How would you rate LumApps for ease of integration with your existing apps (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Workday, etc)? Please describe your experience with these integrations and whether or not they are providing value to your organization.

Customer reviews on TrustRadius praise LumApps for its easy-to-use functionality, seamless integration, customizable widgets, and client service. 
 

The Case for Intranet ROI

Our Intranet ROI white paper breaks down how a digital workplace investment helps enterprises deliver on goals.

There are many benefits of intranet software. In fact, we have a list of 40 benefits of an intranet, but here are the top 3 benefits of an intranet that can help most companies. 

1. Share announcements with your entire organization quickly and easily 

One of the top reasons companies invest in an intranet is the need to streamline internal communication. An intranet gives you a location to consolidate and share announcements with employees. A modern intranet will also have social networking features that allow employees to comment, like, and share the posts in order to increase engagement. 

LumApps has a feature called campaigns that allows you to send targeted messages with timely delivery. When you want to get more attention on your important announcements, a campaign is a great way to send push notices via multi-channel broadcasts. 

2. Improve knowledge sharing and employee collaboration

Knowledge sharing is the process of transferring information (documented or undocumented) from one person to another. An intranet allows you to have a space for knowledge sharing, which can increase transparency in your company, increase collaboration, and improve company knowledge. 

When employees are sharing information freely, it allows them to be more productive, be more creative, and be more collaborative when it comes to problem solving. The biggest advantage of knowledge sharing may be the elimination of silos. 

3. Increase employee productivity

A modern intranet will have built-in features that allow employees to increase productivity in several ways. For example, LumApps has a digital assistant that allows employees to self-serve their HR (how to request time off) or IT questions (how to change my password) in order to get a response back instantly. Not only does this improve productivity for the employee who needs to accomplish a particular task, but it also increases productivity of your IT or HR staff. Instead of being interrupted, these common questions are routed to the digital assistant.  

If you’re thinking about investing in an intranet, we would love to chat and hear more about how we can help your business. Book a demo today.