Evaluating intranet vendors? Here’s 18 questions to ask

Jonathan Davies

11 mins read

Table of Contents

1. The importance of finding the right intranet vendor
2. 18 questions to help you evaluate intranet vendors
3. A list of the best intranet vendors

How does intranet software work?

The importance of finding the right intranet vendor

In order to find the right solution for your business, you need to analyze each platform’s intranet strategy and features to make sure the way they work fits the way you work. Before you can assess the intranet software vendor, you need to assess your internal workings to figure out how an intranet can best serve your employees and company as a whole.

1. Ask your employees what they want and need from an intranet solution

• What frustrates them within the current communications and digital workspace platforms?
• Do tasks seem to take longer than they should? How can that be improved?
• What would they like to see incorporated into an intranet solution?

2. Assess your resources

• Human. What internal expertise do you have to support this intranet software? Will you need to hire new staff to maintain the system, or is that something you want your intranet solution to provide?
• Budget. What financial resources do you have to support your intranet tool implementation? What are the one-time and recurring costs that you need to take into account when purchasing?
• Time. What is your launch timeline like? How soon do you need to implement this intranet system?

3. Come up with a list of business objectives and needs

This list will guide your evaluation of prospective intranet vendors. Objectives can be:

• increase employee engagement
• improve teamwork
• drive collaboration and
• boost productivity

At this point, you will want to look through a list of solution options, compare the features that they provide with your business objectives, look carefully at their intranet strategy approach, and then narrow down your search to 3-5 intranet vendors that you believe will be a good fit.

Keep in mind: the main factor in successful intranet adoption is usage. Employee usage is what will drive the adoption process forward, so keep an employee’s mindset when searching through your options. Which features will keep them coming back to the intranet? Which features align best your employees’ daily usage of the platform?

After you have narrowed down your search, it’s time to ask the important questions.

18 questions to help you evaluate intranet vendors

1. Will your solution facilitate cross-departmental communication?

Cultivating communication across your entire enterprise should be one of your main goals when implementing an intranet solution. You want easy-to-use social features that optimize communication between your employees – top down, bottom up, and every way between.

2. Will it be easy to use for every employee?

Your intranet software needs to be accessible and user-friendly to every employee, no matter their skill level.

3. What are the additional, recurring costs after the initial intranet implementation?

Ask about service costs or additional costs that you could be charged for down the road.

4. How long is the intranet implementation process?

Make sure your potential intranet vendors lay out the implementation process for you, step-by-step.

5. Can we customize your solution, and if so, will that add to the overall cost?

Are you looking for something that you can build off of to make your own?

6. Who will provide staff to manage the intranet software?

Do you have the in-house expertise necessary to maintain your intranet tool?

7. What kind of customer service do you offer?

Find a vendor that is going to work with your specific needs.

8. What happens if something goes wrong with the system and needs to be corrected?

Understand how each vendor will react to a major crisis or software breakdown.

9. What integration capabilities are there?

Make sure that your potential vendors focus on integrations in their intranet strategy.

10. What measures do you take to secure your system?

Intranet security is a major element in your intranet software solution.

11. Can this intranet software be updated easily? Will there be any additional costs?

You are going to need intranet software that will be adaptable and relevant – now and later.

12. What kind of training will be needed during the intranet implementation process?

13. Have you ever worked with a client that had similar needs to ours? How did you meet them?

Ask for real stories and examples from real clients.

14. What is your company’s unique brand and what are its values?

It is important to maintain the standards of your enterprise’s brand.

15. What are some stories of successful intranet implementations you have had with some of your clients?

Understand how your intranet software vendor defines success.

16. What approach will you take specifically to our intranet solution?

You need to know your vendor’s exact intranet strategy going into your solution.

17. What type of measurable results can we expect after implementing your intranet solution?

Get your intranet vendor to help you map out your intranet KPIs ahead of time.

18. Why should we choose your intranet solution over your competitor’s solution?

Understand what gives them the edge in your decision-making process.

A list of the best intranet vendors

• Happeo - social intranet solution
• Lumapps - intranet platform
• Jostle - cloud based intranet solution
• Google Sites - simple intranet tool
• Google Workplace - collaboration suite
• Jive - collaboration solution
• Sharepoint - team collaboration software
• Simpplr - employee intranet
• Interact Intranet - software to connect employees
• Currents - workspace app
• Confluence - intranet solution

Now you can use all that data to choose your intranet supplier.