Sunday, April 28, 2024
- Advertisement -
HomeResearchA Close Shave: 5 reasons why you need a social knowledge platform

A Close Shave: 5 reasons why you need a social knowledge platform

Why should you invest in an internal communications system? That is the question A Close Shave, which has developed the learning and knowledge sharing platform Academy, is answering in the article below

“There are five good reasons why – and actually many more, but an article called ‘716 reasons why you need a social knowledge platform’ just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

You can also call a spade a spade and say ‘modern intranet’, but even with the use of ‘modern’, it still invokes thoughts of Windows ’95 and network logins.

These days internal communication systems are much more, and quite different from their predecessors. But many people still have unfortunate associations. This is why we’ll give you five easy reasons why you should get a social knowledge platform for your company (and of course preferably ours, called Academy).

1. In the clouds

Oldschool intranets were only accessible from certain physical locations where the information was stored. Luckily, we have moved on from those days, and most software solutions now use ‘the cloud’. This is also known as SaaS (Software as a Service), and is used to describe cloud based solutions, where users can access the system using the internet.

This means that employees can access important information anywhere there’s internet (no matter if they’re working on the go, at home or at night). And with 3G and 4G (and the new 5G, gasp!) it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find anywhere on the planet without access to the internet.

With direct access to training courses, information and videos, employees can keep up-to-date any time – and this is one of the factors that boost employee engagement, and in turn ensure happier and more effective employees.

2. Take out your phone

Academy, and many other newer platforms, are developed based on a mobile-first strategy. This means that users can access the system, and all its information, anywhere, any place, using their mobile phones.

A lot of companies develop apps with this in mind, but this isn’t necessarily a good idea. Apps are expensive and difficult to update, since they need to be developed particularly for each device – some apps will face problems if a user is using an older smartphone, or has a phone by a brand that isn’t Apple or Android based.

Academy is a web-app. This means that the system can be accessed from all devices (we have registered logins from over 364 different devices), and that the system can easily be updated with new features on a monthly basis.

The most important thing is that this means users can use the system like they would any other app, and in doing so take their work training, and their community with the colleagues with them in their pocket.

3. Engagement and accessibility

Sitting tied to the computer for an hour to complete an e-learning course based on a 20-page manual is neither motivating nor beneficial for learning.

With Academy learning is made fun, and users are motivated to seek information with gamification and social pulls. Users can complete their training whenever they want, and take breaks whenever they need.

In return, users are rewarded with points, achievements and recognition when they complete trainings – the carrot has always worked better than the stick.

Autonomy in the learning process improves learning, and so do the social interactions that make up parts of the Academy system.

4. Keep your finger on the pulse

How is it actually going? This could be a tricky question to answer by the HR workers of the past. But with todays options in monitoring and analytics, you can easily keep up with progress.

Tools like Google Analytics, along with the tools in Academy, make it easy for managers to get quick access to an overview of their employees, and take action where and when it’s needed. And of course reward or promote employees, who are making a difference.

You can’t improve what you don’t know, but with modern tools management can see exactly how the company and its employees are developing, and thereby ensure a healthy growth in both employee satisfaction and on the bottom line (which are related, of course).

5. Professionals first

Employees today expect to be informed, and to be recognised for their professionalism and skills.

Both can be done with an internal communications platform. If you want to increase professionalism and improve skills in your organisation, it comes down to informing, involving and training employees – and taking them seriously.

With two-way communication, and a good relationship between employees and management, both skills and job satisfaction can be improved – it doesn’t just come down to making sure employees have completed trainings or read up on news, but also to listening to the people out on the roads, and making changes when the need arises.

Academy can help you create the foundation that ensures healthy communications throughout the organisation, not just from the top down.

Can I get it in bulletpoints?

Yes, you can:

• Cloud-based

• Quick implementation

• Continuous development

• Focus on culture and community

• Knowledge sharing

• User-centric interface

• Mobile-first strategy

• Statistics and monitoring

• Accessibility

Want to learn more about how a social knowledge platform could be the next step for your company? Then book a non-committal meeting by emailing Mette Skovdal at mette.skovdal@acloseshave.com

image_pdfDownload article

Most Popular

- Advertisement -