Blog | 13 January 2023
Tailor-made intranet or ready-made templates?
One question many people ask is what is best – a packaged or customised intranet? There are of course challenges and opportunities with both. How have others done it? And what do the industry experts say?
We invited two experts to talk about the benefits and challenges of each intranet solution. Alexander Gustafsson from Consid talked about customised solutions and compared a packaged intranet to a frozen pizza where someone else decides what you should eat compared to letting a chef prepare a dish according to what you are craving. Hiring your own chef may sound expensive, but that doesn't mean a customised intranet has to be. It may require more from you as the client, but in the end it doesn't have to be more costly or take more time than any other solution.
Fredrik from Soleil talked instead about packaged intranets and used a house metaphor. With ready-made templates, you start from a house with walls, windows and roof that is basically ready to move into. If you then want to build an upstairs or paint, you have something to start from. In short, you can reuse ready-made building blocks and grow with your intranet. Perfect for those who know what they want, are short on time or want to start simple.
If you want to watch the full webinar, you can find it here. During the webinar, Alexander and Fredrik brought examples from customers who have chosen to go different ways. Read on to see which path they chose to take and how it worked out for them.
SBAB Bank – a customised intranet as a culture carrier
SBAB Bank is one of Consid's many customers who chose a customised intranet, partly because employer branding was an important factor.
– Culture and a sense of belonging were very important to us. Especially during the pandemic, but also still as many of us work partly remotely. The warm and welcoming feeling that we have when you step into our offices, we also wanted to have on our intranet, explains Monica Sandgren, who is responsible for internal communication at SBAB.
The new customised intranet then received fantastic figures in the survey among its employees.
– What we are most proud of, where we have increased the most, is that Helicopter reflects our corporate culture. It was our biggest pain point from the start – so we have really made progress there. From 27 to 79 (+52), says Monica Sandgren.
Read more about SBAB's successful intranet at Consid. External link, opens in new window.
The Royal Library – a unique packaged intranet
The Royal Library is a shining example of how a packaged intranet can be customised without starting from a blank sheet of paper with the costs it can entail. The Royal Library started with Soleil's basic template set Scalable to get quick access to basic available features and templates. They were then able to add functionality and solutions based on their power map. With a careful hand, they put together a unique design and details that stand out. Curious about their story and want to know more?
Read more about the Royal Library's intranet at Soleil. External link, opens in new window.
What will be the best?
Perhaps only you can answer the question of what is best. Of course, there are parameters that everyone has to take into account, such as time, budget and expectations. But that's not all, it's also about thinking long-term and being able to be flexible and develop your intranet over time or when needed. Then you will have succeeded with your intranet project – whether it is pre-packaged or customised.
