TOPdesk boosts internal communication and information access with Omnia-based Microsoft 365 integrated intranet

Service Management Solutions provider TOPdesk's implementation of a new intranet has brought about a remarkable improvement in the company's internal communication, knowledge management, and collaboration. The new intranet platform has reduced search time for employees from hours to minutes, streamlined the flow of information, and boosted organizational cohesion.

Service Management Solutions provider TOPdesk has been providing service management software solutions and services to organizations for more than 28 years. With over 850 employees spread across 17 offices in 11 countries, TOPdesk helps over 4500 organizations worldwide deliver better services.

In 2021, TOPdesk decided to replace its previous communications platform, which mainly consisted of the CRM and workplace software Bitrix24, with a new intranet to boost internal communications and organizational cohesion. They turned to Omnia, a Microsoft 365 integrated intranet platform, to deliver a streamlined and well-structured information and communications solution.

Reduced time searching for information

The previous communications platform TOPdesk was using lacked many of the functions they needed to build a more user-oriented, transparent, and attractive intranet. It was difficult for users to identify the right workgroup or forum to which they wanted to send a message or post an article. As a result, everyone sent their messages and posted their blog posts everywhere, with little or no confirmation that the colleagues in mind had received any of it.

TOPdesk needed a platform with a flexible architecture and smart targeting, search, and navigation functions. One which presents constantly fresh and relevant content to all users. And one which the users easily navigate in search of documents, conversations, tools, internal competence, and other resources.

The new Omnia-based intranet has dramatically reduced the time users spend searching for news, information, files, knowledge, collaborations, tools, and other resources. The new solution has also made TOPdesk's organizational matrix more comprehensible and easier to navigate, making it easier for employees to engage in collaborations, conversations, or just connect socially, thus bridging international, office, and departmental gaps and strengthening organizational cohesion.

Steffen Groß, Head of Services at TOPdesk Germany, explains that the platform they wanted had to offer smooth integration with Microsoft 365, Teams, and SharePoint as they had a lot of SharePoint-based data and sites to include in the new intranet. Omnia was presented to TOPdesk as an option in the spring of 2021, and they were quick to order. The implementation project started a few months later in June, and the new intranet was launched one year later in April.

In addition to being the most cost-effective solution and offering the flexibility and functionality needed in an intranet platform, Omnia also scored the fastest page view and search results response time. This is a critical feature for an organization like TOPdesk that relies heavily on internal communication and information sharing.

The looping process leads to a robust information structure

One of the main reasons why it took almost a whole year to build and implement the new intranet was TOPdesk's then-current reorganization. The project was a restructuring loop, and every so often, they had to redo the entire information and template structure due to yet another organizational matrix. However, the looping process resulted in a robust and carefully considered final structure, which was invaluable to the organization.

Kalin Rashev, Head of Local Development at TOPdesk Germany, explains, "We had a number of challenges throughout the project. The most significant one was our never-ending organizational restructuring process. For instance, all templates for creating documents and collaborations had to be rebuilt many times to reflect the changing organizational hierarchy."

TOPdesk would have been more efficient if they had made small incremental releases of the intranet instead of having one "big bang" release. Then they could have tested different features, layouts, and user interface options successively and made corrections along the way to the final rollout. But since the organization kept changing during the project, this more agile release model was difficult to apply.

In conclusion, TOPdesk's implementation of the Omnia-based Microsoft 365 integrated intranet has brought about a remarkable improvement in the company's internal communication, knowledge management, and collaboration. The new intranet platform has reduced search time for employees from hours to minutes, streamlined the flow of information, and boosted organizational cohesion. Overall, the success of this implementation demonstrates the value of using the right communication and collaboration tools to enhance organizational performance and efficiency.