Case | Mälarenergi
Mälarenergi made the intranet a natural starting point for the workday
When Mälarenergi’s old intranet began to show its age, it wasn’t just the technology that needed replacing. The organization needed a more modern platform for internal communication, better search functions, mobile access, and content that actually felt relevant to employees. The result was Merigo—an intranet built on Sitevision that has quickly gone from being a new channel to becoming an integral part of everyday life.
From bulletin board to digital workplace
Before Merigo was launched, Mälarenergi had an outdated intranet with limited functionality. It served mostly as a digital bulletin board with a simple news feed.
“It was very outdated, both in terms of functionality and technology. “Since parts of the functionality were also starting to stop working properly, it became possible to justify the investment in a different way,” says Per Arne Hermansson, communications producer at Mälarenergi.
Before the project began, Mälarenergi conducted thorough preliminary work. Through internal surveys, interviews, and focus groups, they identified the most important needs: making it easier to find colleagues, receiving clearer communication from management, being able to access the intranet on mobile devices, and creating local areas for different companies and business units.
An intranet with Mälarenergi’s own style
Mälarenergi chose Sitevision and its partner B3 External link. to get up and running quickly with a stable foundation. But it was also important that the intranet not just feel like a standard solution.
“We wanted the intranet to also reflect Mälarenergi’s graphic profile and style in its design. I think B3 quickly found a look that made it feel like ours,” says Per Arne.
Merigo was launched on April 9, 2024. The homepage consists of a group-wide news feed, supplemented by local feeds managed by local editors. There are also shortcuts to systems, contact information, company pages, and features for finding colleagues.
Four performance goals set the course
The work was guided by four performance goals:
Relevant
Effective
Quality
Commitment
Relevance focused, among other things, on personalized news feeds, mobile access, and content tailored to organizational affiliation. Efficiency was linked to improved search functions, clearer fact pages, and quick answers to frequently asked questions. Quality was ensured through content managers on each page and automatic reminders to review the content every six months.
“You quickly lose trust if it turns out that the information is incorrect. That’s why it’s important that someone reviews the pages on a regular basis,” says Per Arne.
Engagement increased once it became easy
An important feature of Merigo is the ability to like and comment on news articles. Initially, employees had to click on an article and scroll all the way down to interact. When Mälarenergi noticed that many people were trying to click directly in the news feed, the feature was further developed.
Now it’s possible to like directly in the feed and click straight to the comment section.
“It has made a huge difference in how many likes and comments we get. We wanted to create openness and, ideally, get people to start talking to each other in the comments section,” says Per Arne.
A clear example is the digital staff meetings. The meeting itself takes place in Teams, but questions and comments are collected in Merigo. The speakers respond there afterward, which keeps the dialogue going even after the meeting.
The editors became a key driving force
When Merigo was launched, there were about ten editors outside the communications department. Today there are about fifty.
To support them, Per Arne holds regular training sessions and a monthly editors’ forum. There, the editors can share experiences, discuss challenges, and learn from one another.
“Many editors aren’t communicators by trade. That’s why it’s important that they feel they’re part of a larger whole and not just administrators pasting in other people’s texts,” says Per Arne.
The forum has become a way to share knowledge, build confidence, and foster pride in the role. It has also made it easier for editors from different parts of the organization to connect with one another.
“Many editors don’t have a background in communications. That’s why it’s important for them to feel like they’re part of a larger whole, and not just administrators who paste in other people’s texts.”
Per Arne Hermansson at Mälarenergi
Mobile access opened the door to more people
Since many employees at Mälarenergi work in the field or in production, mobile access was a key priority from the very beginning. With Sitevision’s mobile app, the intranet became accessible even to employees who rarely sit at a computer.
To raise awareness, Mälarenergi has run internal campaigns, including posters by coffee machines and on the inside of restroom doors.
“We tried to do it with a bit of humor. For example: ‘Don’t have anything to talk about? Download the Merigo app, and you’ll have something to talk about,’” says Per Arne.
The app has also become an important tool for reaching employees who don’t work at a computer every day. Through push notifications and easy access to news, information can reach the entire organization faster, no matter where the employee is located.
Result
More communication and greater trust
Mälarenergi tracks usage through analytics tools and internal surveys. The picture is clear: the intranet is being used, the news is being read, and the organization is moving in the right direction.
In the latest survey, 78 percent responded that the news is interesting. Many also feel they find relevant information, even though Mälarenergi has not set strict KPIs.
“We’ve chosen not to set exact numbers. What’s important to us is seeing that things are moving in the right direction,” says Per Arne.
And perhaps the change is most clearly felt in everyday life. Today, Per Arne doesn’t have to hunt for news in the same way. It comes to him.
“Now everyone is talking about the intranet. ‘This has to go on Merigo,’ you often hear. That’s exactly how you want it.”
– Everyone’s talking about the intranet these days. “This has to go on Merigo,” is what you often hear. That’s exactly how we want it.
Per Arne Hermansson at Mälarenergi
Next step: an even more cohesive workday
Mälarenergi’s goal is for Merigo to be the digital workplace and the natural starting point for every employee’s day. Going forward, they want to integrate the intranet even more closely with Microsoft 365 and Teams. “We want to integrate it even further. The intranet should be the place where you start, find your way forward, and get an overview of your workday,” says Per Arne.
The vision is for employees to be able to view their daily meetings, tasks, cases, and Teams directly from the intranet. At the same time, Merigo will continue to serve as the gateway to important information, even when it resides in other systems.
Three Lessons from Mälarenergi
- Do your groundwork thoroughly. Determine what the actual needs are before you start building.
- Don’t be afraid to prioritize quality. Up-to-date content is the foundation of relevance, effectiveness, and engagement.
- Build engagement in everyday life. Editor forums, comments, local news feeds, and management’s presence bring the intranet to life.