As the nation quickly turns to a work-from-home reality, how are your employees receiving, reading, using, and implementing critical information? Which communication tools are they using the most?

Our people are our most important priority in this global moment. There’s never been more on the line in proving the ROI of your intranet communication system.

As a leader in SharePoint Intranet analytics, we see our customers relying on this platform for all key communications.

With the world facing a new economy on the other side of COVID-19, experts expect a lasting impact with an increasingly remote workforce.

We’ve summed up our key takeaways to connect, lead, and best utilize communication and collaboration through your existing SharePoint investment.

STREAMLINE IN A FAST MOVING SITUATION

Centralized communication for your teams is essential. A recent paper on Coronavirus communication published by Harvard Business Review offers highlights for all organizations. Still, consolidating messaging and managing team communication overload is a delicate balance that begins with a solid intranet platform.

While SharePoint is commonly acknowledged as an essential tool in the world of internal communications platforms, its effectiveness can go unrealized without simple tracking and analysis.

COVID19 PANDEMIC: NOW IS THE TIME TO IMPLEMENT SHAREPOINT ANALYSIS AND MEASUREMENT

Determining whether your document was read, and who is using the content can be quickly answered using Webtrends Analytics for SharePoint -- tools that are too often overlooked.

As a timely example, Webtrends analytics allows your Communications Team to quickly ensure your people are reading and engaging with the latest strategies and policies, and validate which channels and communication vehicles employees use most.

The benefits are undeniable and ultimately help you identify:

• The amount of traffic to your corporate communications pages, trended over time.
• The amount of traffic to corporate communications pages, segmented by Country and Business Unit.
• The exact channel used to access the content (e.g., email newsletter)

ADDING ANALYTICS TRACKING TOOLS IS INCREDIBLY EASY

Organizations using SharePoint often “set it and forget it.” They don’t monitor and measure adoption, usage, and collaboration until it comes time for reinvestment or deciding if SharePoint is still necessary.

Some groups never even realize the tracking tools are available.

This COVID-19 global pandemic is a critical time to tighten up efficiencies and quickly look at analysis and measurement. Webtrends platform discovers important work patterns and behaviors, allowing for gradual and transparent change management implementation over time.

IMPROVED PRECISION AND FEWER REDUNDANCIES, IMMEDIATELY

Using the right analytics, organizations achieve measurable performance improvements not only in terms of communications efficiencies but also in terms of reduced resources.

• a freer exchange of ideas

• an active surfacing of expertise

• improved innovation

• more connected and cohesive workforce.

Whether SharePoint is new to your organization, or the platform has been in use for several years, Webtrends has the case studies, specific metrics, and reporting for all common use cases on our website.

Virtually overnight, organizations of all sizes are communicating with scattered and remote teams in a universally stressful global health environment.

Answering employee's immediate questions and relaying critical personal and operational information is paramount, and will remain so.

Still, at what point do we all hit communication overload leading to unread content? As the current situation evolves and we potentially move to a longer-term work-from-home scenario, your messaging and frequency may change. Webtrends will continue to share our key takeaways (from the sources we’re reading, ourselves) to connect, lead, and best utilize communication and collaboration through your existing SharePoint investment.

HOW TO SAY IT: CENTRALIZE AND CONSOLIDATE ALL CRITICAL COMMUNICATION 

Multiple messaging from various internal leaders leads to misinformation and rumors.

• Create a small, dedicated, and defined team of individuals, including leadership, HR, and Communications that meet regularly. This team should be monitoring the evolving situation daily or hourly — depending on the current situation and industry.
• Be the primary source of information about the crisis. Make your dedicated SharePoint central communication hub page THE final word on the latest critical company updates. Direct to other pages from there. Communicate with your internal leadership to convey the same message. This article from LinkedIn overviews this.
• Repeatedly be clear on who to reach out to i.e., “As always, please email info@CompanyHR.com with any questions or concerns.”

WHAT TO SAY: REASSURE AND DIRECT

“Number one, make sure that team members constantly feel like they know what’s going on. You need to communicate what’s happening at the organizational level because, when they’re at home, they feel like they’ve been extracted from the mothership.” — Tsedel Neeley, in an article in Harvard Business Review on remote work:

• Be confident but sincere and empathetic. As a leader, show you are also a human who is ready to support your teams in an evolving situation. Stay positive. Acknowledge the complexity of everyone’s circumstances for parents with children at home, employees with family health concerns, and more.
• Be transparent. Explain what you know, what you don’t know, and your sources of information.
• Be succinct and avoid lengthy messaging written by lawyers or topic experts.
• Simplify your resources onto a single point and then into simple to find subgroups so people can find what they need fast: i.e., Critical Health News, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Resources, Work From Home Supports. This article in Human Resource Executive stresses the importance of the EAPs in particular.
  • Monitor daily by using Webtrends SharePoint analytics to oversee what is being read.

HOW OFTEN TO SAY IT: CENTRALIZE AND CONSOLIDATE ALL CRITICAL COMMUNICATION 

How much information is too much information? Consolidating messaging and managing team communication overload is a delicate balance that begins with a solid Sharepoint intranet platform and Webtrends SharePoint analytics.

• Give regular updates with a schedule. Depending on the news cycle and what is happening -- creating a consistent daily update schedule for essential news is essential for morale and productivity in a fluid situation. Being transparent and consistent is vital and very attainable through your SharePoint intranet. Knowing what messaging is received best is achievable through Webtrends.
• Track your communication success. It has never been more critical to track not only "what is being read" and "when it is being read,” but also and "what time is it being read." Now is the time to check in on which SharePoint intranet tools your teams are you relying on most? Webtrends analytics quickly help you avoid redundancies.
• Monitor HOW employees are working best and adjust messaging appropriately. Look at analysis and measurements. The Webtrends platform discovers important work patterns and behaviors. Using the right analytics, organizations can achieve measurable performance improvements; not only in terms of communications efficiencies, but also in terms of reduced resources.

At Webtrends, we’ll continue to monitor the advice and resources of our clients and experts as the COVID pandemic continues.

Whether SharePoint is new to your organization, or the platform has been in use for several years, Webtrends has the case studies, specific metrics, and reporting for all everyday use cases on our website.

We are continually seeking solutions that work for our customers in a learn-as-we-go pandemic situation.

One customer recently gave us insight into their Coronavirus Situation SharePoint Site. The brand new site is being updated with perfect frequency and relied on by all teams for the latest critical information during a global pandemic and work shift. They know it's serving the organization well because they've also set up Webtrends SharePoint analysis to track down to specific use.

Webtrends reports allow your team to determine quickly:

WHAT COVID-19 RELATED INFORMATION IS BEING VIEWED BY YOUR TEAMS

• Content-based reports show which pages are being viewed the most and least. View the "Life of a News Article" to help determine the cadence of when new material should be posted.
• Use Link Tracking reports to see which messages on the page are of most interest and which can be removed.
• Track high frequency examples of questions being asked and address them.

WHO IS VIEWING YOUR COVID-19 INFORMATION

• Understand Adoption of the messaging using the User Attribute-based reports.
• Segment information by Region, Country, Office, Department, and User to see which groups have read the critical messaging.

BUILD YOUR COVID-19 CRISIS SITE AND KEEP IT

Regardless of industry - every organization should be creating a SharePoint crisis management site for all things related to the current crisis. Last week, Susan Hanley of Computerworld outlined her top SharePoint tips and resources for your COVID-19 site.

"We know there will be other crises and in the spirit of keeping our site architecture flat and allowing users to follow sites for topics that are most relevant to them – and having a reusable template to deploy the next time a crisis occurs ... we need a unique site," said Hanley.

It may be interim, it may be permanent, and it may evolve as your work patterns change, but most of all, let it be thorough. The sample outline below includes the top topics our clients are addressing and assessing with Webtrends for SharePoint:

• USE DISTINCT TOPIC PAGES
  • Actions & Precautions your company is taking
    • Social Distancing at Work: Common Areas, Your Desk, Customers Interaction
    • Company cleaning and sterilization updates
    • Face mask policies

• Current Company News & Latest Updates
  • Video Archive of leadership announcements or tutorial videos
  • Corporate Press Releases
  • Customer communications

• Health & Wellness Pages
  • Safety precautions for employees
  • Health and family health guidelines
  • If the employee is client-facing, what should they say to your customers?
  • Links to reliable external resources (CDC, WHO)

• Family and EAP Resources
  • How to Protect Yourself and Your Family
  • Links for Financial Resources

• Working from Home Resources
  • Remote work guidelines and expectations
  • Test your Internet Speed
  • Video meetings support
  • Tips for video meetings
  • How to Use Collaboration tools\
  • Questions and Contacts:
    • All important employee-resource contacts and email addresses to help address any questions.

• MAINTAIN A FAQ MINDSET Address any questions you anticipate.
  • Which of our offices/stores are physically closed and for how long?
  • What is happening in our other state offices?
  • Will you give sick pay to colleagues who are unable to work due to coronavirus?
  • How long is the work-from-home mandate in effect?
  • Will there be layoffs?
  • What restrictions are there for large meetings in affected areas

• KEEP IT CURRENT Once you set up your coronavirus hub page, it is critical to keep it absolutely current as the news and tone intensifies or things begin to return to normal. Track everything with Webtrends SharePoint analysis and adjust information based on your reports.

At Webtrends, we’ll continue to monitor the advice and resources of our clients and experts as the COVID pandemic continues.

Whether SharePoint is new to your organization, or the platform has been in use for several years, Webtrends has the case studies, specific metrics, and reporting for all everyday use cases on our website.