Standardized but flexible
Some time ago, VRT realized that their intranet was in need of an update. They were looking for something that would align with their overall move towards the cloud, offer more current functionalities, reinforce their branding and identity, and help centralize all their existing information. We worked with them to find a suitable solution, and Modern SharePoint in Office 365 was found to be ideal.
After an exploratory session to go over all the possibilities, we created a custom proposal. The aim was to make use of new, standard Office 365 functionalities wherever possible. Where we did feel it necessary to develop our own components after all, we focused on reusability and flexibility. This ensures that the solution is scalable and expandable and will continue to meet VRT's needs both now and in the future.
Thanks to frequent feedback moments between VRT and Realdolmen, all parties were able to adjust quickly throughout the process.
The outcome
The end result is Auguste, an intranet built entirely on SharePoint Online. The intranet is named after Auguste Reyers. The Reyerslaan (where the VRT is located) also took its name from that man.
- An intranet portal that reinforces VRT's identity through consistent use of the familiar blue and green house style throughout the environment
- Distinct focus on multiple types of news through a personal, reusable news web part with varying visualizations
- Enriched news publishing functionalities
- Publication features
- News categories
- Pinning and highlighting of priority messages
- Showcase for the various TV and radio brands, integrating their respective social media channels
- Stimulates an appetite for more through extensive 'menu of the day' component
- Overview of any upcoming events at VRT: staff parties, interesting webinars, etc.
- Enables searches for workforce contact details, locations and service information
- Yammer: a popular tool at VRT for communications between employees from various departments about formal and less formal matters
Ready, set, go!
After a brief training course, Auguste's content owners got started on filling up the environment with news reports, informative pages and useful links themselves. The new Auguste has now been live for some time. With 1,000 unique visitors per day, we feel confident in stating that the new VRT intranet portal plays quite an important role. Employees find their way to the environment easily and on a daily basis, looking for the latest news, HR and IT information or the day's lunch options.