Unlocking the power of intranet collaboration
‘Teamwork makes the dream work’ as they say. But all too often, people can end up working in silos and feeling disconnected. When teams work together effectively, you see remarkable benefits to your business. And the right technology can underpin and encourage your people to work collaboratively.
With hybrid and remote working now part of everyday business, organizations need digital spaces that make collaboration simple. That’s where intranet collaboration comes in.
A collaborative intranet acts as a central hub where employees connect, share knowledge and work together effectively. Rather than juggling endless tools, teams can collaborate directly within their intranet which reduces friction and improves productivity. Here, we’ll explain how a collaborative intranet can be a powerful tool for your business.
The importance of intranet collaboration
The success of any organization depends on its people working well together. Intranet collaboration is essential because it:
- Connects distributed teams
- Creates a shared space for knowledge, projects and communication
- Ensures employees can quickly find the resources they need.
Without a collaborative intranet, knowledge often gets trapped in silos. That slows progress and increases frustration. A well-designed intranet breaks down those barriers and fosters a positive culture of teamwork.
Encouraging community building
Collaboration isn’t just about completing tasks. It’s also about creating a sense of community. One of the great joys of working in a team is the relationships that you build and the friendships that you make.
A powerful intranet brings people together, builds trust and fosters a sense of belonging. That means happier employees.
There are obvious personal benefits to this, but it’s important for businesses too. When people feel part of a community, they’re more motivated and engaged with their work. They’re less likely to leave a workplace that they enjoy. That strengthens company culture and creates a positive working environment. And a community looks out for each other, building a support network and strong teamwork. That can boost productivity for your business.
Encouraging both formal teamwork and informal communities, a collaborative intranet goes beyond productivity. It creates a thriving workplace culture that directly impacts business success.
How a collaborative intranet impacts organizations
A collaborative intranet delivers measurable value across the business. Key benefits include:
Improved communication: centralized messaging and updates keep everyone informed.
Knowledge sharing: employees can share expertise, best practice and resources.
Increased productivity: teams spend less time searching for information and more time acting on it.
Stronger engagement: intranets encourage participation and connection.
Better decision-making: an improved flow of information aids understanding.
Cross-functional innovation: bringing together diverse people and expertise sparks fresh ideas and creative problem-solving.
Best practices for implementing intranet collaboration
Getting intranet collaboration right takes planning and a considered approach. You don’t simply set and forget a new or improved intranet. Be proactive and precise in your implementation.
There are five important steps to take to achieve effective intranet collaboration:
- Define clear goals: which collaboration challenges should your intranet solve?
- Engage employees early: involve staff in design and testing to increase the likelihood of adoption.
- Keep it simple: make the platform easy to use and intuitive to navigate.
- Encourage contributions: recognize and reward knowledge sharing.
- Review regularly: monitor usage and adapt features as your business and user needs evolve.
Tools for intranet collaboration
We’ve all been there – hunting for a message that could have been sent on email, Viva Engage, Teams or somewhere else entirely. Switching between apps and tools can be a real timewaster.
You can simplify workflows by bringing information, tools and communities together in a single hub. Communication becomes so much simpler with one place to track conversations and decisions.
The best collaborative intranets integrate with the tools you’re already using. That includes:
- Document collaboration – shared editing and version control.
- Social features – likes, comments and discussion threads.
- Project spaces – dedicated areas for cross-team work.
- Integration with Microsoft 365 – frictionless workflows between Teams, SharePoint and Outlook.
- Enterprise search – find documents, people, and content from external sources in one place.
Fresh integrations, for example, combines powerful intranet functionality with Microsoft 365 to deliver an intelligent, connected digital workplace. It goes beyond collaboration by integrating AI-powered search, smart content management, and built-in governance tools like content dashboards and engagement analytics. With seamless integration into Teams, SharePoint, and Viva, Fresh transforms how employees discover, contribute, and connect across the organisation.
Case study: Connecting 100,000 users with a single digital workplace
We worked with US-based, TD Bank, to replace its internal social media platform and dated, clunky intranet. In its place, we implemented a consolidated digital workplace, built on SharePoint, powered by Fresh.
By implementing a collaborative intranet, TD Bank connected around 100,000 employees across multiple regions. This ensured teams could access information, share knowledge and collaborate more effectively.
Early in the project, select employees were recruited to build communities and raise awareness of the upcoming platform. Another 1,200 “geniuses” championed the intranet to colleagues. They promoted their new intranet’s collaborative behaviours, celebrated the change, reassured people and encouraged adoption.
Consequently, when it launched, engagement was far higher than expected. Within days, 60,000+ employees had been into the new platform. Time spent on the platform increased steadily. This resulted in stronger alignment across the organization.
FAQs
How can businesses improve collaboration through their intranet?
By creating central spaces for communication, encouraging knowledge sharing and integrating collaboration tools employees already use.
What features should I look for in an intranet collaboration tool?
Look for document sharing, project spaces, real-time communication, social features and integrations with existing business systems.
How can intranet collaboration enhance team communication and productivity?
It reduces reliance on email, makes information easier to find and creates dedicated areas for cross-team collaboration. It’s simpler to reach out to people across the organization and share expertise. That leads to faster decisions and less duplication of effort.
How can an intranet impact a company's success?
A collaborative intranet builds stronger connections across teams, improves employee experience and ultimately drives productivity and innovation. That helps the business stay competitive.
Make Fresh your collaborative intranet
Modern SharePoint intranets can be transformative for businesses. Done well, they enable and improve collaboration, communication and culture. That benefits your business hugely. It also makes your teams happier, more engaged and productive. That’s another big benefit for a business.
At Fresh, we collaborate closely with our clients to create lasting, powerful company intranets. If your business would benefit from that, let’s chat.