Did you know Pepsi’s intranet name is “My PepsiCo?” Or that AT&T’s is “Access?” As a company grows, the employee base’s need to streamline communication, as well as share knowledge and consumer business information in a secure place, increases. Hence, the intranet: A single source or a destination where employees can login to connect and stay up to date.
An intranet stands as a way for a company to communicate with its employees, post-critical (as well as fun) information, facilitate searching and the use of team and project documents, and serve as an all-around go-to destination for finding purposeful, curated content. The intranet should reinforce the brand, emphasize the corporate commitment, and support the organization’s culture. All of these objectives should factor into the selection of an intranet name.
Approaching intranet name selection from the perspective of content strategy, companies can draw inspiration for naming an intranet based on all that it communicates to its employees— so, begin with the end-user in mind. Think about or actually create a list of the types of content employees will be able to access, such as training videos, the events calendar, news, critical announcements, or policy documents. Associate the intranet name with the content while keeping your company’s brand top-of-mind.
Intranets often hold vast amounts of content. Consider these best practices when establishing a name that balances content with the brand:
1. Know the purpose
Think about the outcome for employees who use the intranet. How do you want your employees to feel when they use the intranet? How quickly will they find the information they seek?
2. Stay on brand
Align with the company identity to make sure employees connect with the name. Balance the brand essence with the utility of the intranet. What is your voice and tone? How do you approach writing for your employees?
3. Draw people in
Make sure your intranet is a destination that lives up to its purpose. What are employees seeking when they visit? How often do they visit? What are the key types of information they are looking for?
4. One team
Strengthen your corporate culture by increasing the identity within the company walls. How do internal communications enable intranet use?
5. Be human
Help employees identify with the intranet as a team helper. What is its persona? What does this team helper facilitate?
6. Keep it simple
Avoid names that lengthen when spelled out in its complete state. Are the employees used to acronyms? Is the acronym easy to understand?
7. Make it stick
Practice saying the name in sentences to make sure people are comfortable referencing it for its purpose. How will people refer to the intranet? E.g. “Is the training course available on [the intranet name]?” and “I uploaded the document to our [intranet name] team folder.”
8. Explore the industry
If there is common language within the industry that employees connect with, consider exploring those terms as a name. What terminology is uniquely used within your company walls or in your industry?
Taking the time to create an intranet name that resonates with employees and supports corporate objectives will encourage employee engagement— and maybe you’ll come up with something as fun as Charles Schwab Corp.’s “Schweb.”
Check out this list for more examples of corporate intranet names.
