The Very Best Intranet Software for Small Business in 2024

Empuls – Enhance Employee Engagement with Empuls

Empuls, an employee engagement tool, empowers organizations to improve workplace satisfaction, productivity, and the overall employee experience. The platform offers an array of tools, including customizable pulse surveys, eNPS surveys, 360 feedback surveys, and lifecycle surveys, to capture insightful employee feedback and regularly monitor sentiment. With an integrated reward and recognition system, Empuls allows organizations to appreciate their employees through a points system, public recognition, and a global rewards marketplace offering digital gift cards, experiential rewards, and tangible products across over 100 countries. Furthermore, the platform centralizes communication and fosters community with its social intranet, creating a connected workspace.

Empuls distinguishes itself with advanced analytics and reporting capabilities, providing real-time actionable insights into employee sentiment. The platform seamlessly integrates with HRMS, HRIS, and popular communication tools such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, enhancing efficiency and simplifying processes. Security is a top priority for Empuls, featuring encryption, access controls, and compliance with international standards such as GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO 27001. The availability of its mobile app on both iOS and Android devices ensures that employees can engage with the platform anytime, anywhere.

Empuls offers flexible and tiered pricing based on the number of active users, with modules such as Reward and Recognize, Surveys, Social Intranet, and Perks and Benefits available separately. Pricing ranges from $1 to $3 per employee per month, with a free 14-day trial and volume discounts for larger organizations. Its user-friendly interface and extensive support resources, along with dedicated customer support, make Empuls an accessible and dependable solution for improving employee engagement and retention.

Benefits:

• Streamlines employee recognition and feedback processes.
• Elevates employee engagement and workplace satisfaction.
• Saves time by integrating multiple engagement tools into a single platform.

Simplified Pricing Info:

• Reward and Recognize: $3 per employee per month
• Surveys: $3 per employee per month
• Social Intranet: $1 per employee per month
• Perks and Benefits: $2 per employee per month
• Free trial: 14 days
• Volume discounts available.

Empuls aims to foster a thriving workplace environment through robust features designed to enhance collaboration, recognition, and actionable insights.

Assembly - Employee Recognition and Engagement Platform

Assembly is an award-winning employee recognition and engagement platform designed to enhance workplace culture, boost employee morale, and foster collaboration. Used by organizations of all sizes, Assembly offers features that empower employees to acknowledge one another's contributions, promoting a positive and collaborative work environment. The platform supports an easy-to-use recognition program, 'Shoutouts' for team appreciation, and is designed with team camaraderie in mind. Assembly integrates seamlessly with popular HRIS platforms such as Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Paychex, and BambooHR, ensuring smooth and automatic management of team members. It also includes tools for effective communication, knowledge management, and collaboration among team members. Assembly's standout feature, Dora AI, acts as an AI workplace assistant, helping teams streamline tasks such as document searches and enhancing overall productivity. The platform is user-friendly and offers custom onboarding support free of charge, ensuring new customers are set up for success. Security is a top priority with SOC 2 Type II compliance, adhering to industry-standard security practices. Assembly provides a versatile pricing model with a free plan for up to 50 team members, as well as flexible subscription plans. Discounts are available for educational or charitable organizations, with longer-term agreements also eligible for reduced rates. Assembly's comprehensive approach goes beyond recognition and rewards, aiming to engage, connect, and inspire employees to collaborate more effectively every day. Trusted by numerous organizations, Assembly's tools and resources, including webinars and guides, make it an invaluable asset in creating a motivated and cohesive workplace.

Benefits Based on Assembly's Features:

• Streamlines Employee Recognition: Encourages employees to recognize their colleagues' contributions through an easy-to-use recognition program and 'Shoutouts.'
• Elevates Team Collaboration: Promotes daily employee engagement and connection with team camaraderie insights and a collaborative environment.
• Enhances Communication & Knowledge Management: Offers tools for effective communication and knowledge management to keep information organized and accessible.
• Saves Time with AI Assistance: Dora AI streamlines tasks such as document searches and navigation, increasing overall productivity.

Simplified Pricing Information:

Free Plan: Available for up to 50 team members, offering limited features to help teams get started with employee engagement. Flexible Subscription Plans: Month-to-month plans with no implementation fees, making it easy to adopt Assembly without upfront costs. Customization and Discounts: Available for educational or charitable organizations and other entities opting for long-term agreements. Reward Costs: Billed only when rewards are redeemed by employees, ensuring you only pay for the rewards actually used. Cancellation: Flexible policies for month-to-month plans and custom arrangements, offering an easy exit if needed by contacting customer support.

Yammer - Enhance Internal Communication and Collaboration

Yammer is a private social networking platform that helps organizations enhance internal communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. Initially launched in 2008 and acquired by Microsoft in 2012, Yammer enables employees to connect and collaborate across various teams and departments.

Yammer's key features facilitate seamless communication and collaboration. Users can post updates, share photos, links, and videos either with specific groups or the entire organization. The platform allows creation of groups for focused communication, ranging from project teams to department-specific forums. With features like live events, admins can host town halls that include real-time chat discussions and on-demand viewing.

In terms of content sharing and feedback, Yammer makes it easy to share files and offers a SharePoint library for document access. Users can also conduct polls, ask questions, and dole out praise to boost engagement and gather feedback. The platform supports marking the best answers to questions, ensuring that the most relevant information stays accessible.

Yammer boasts robust information organization with topic tags and a powerful search functionality that retrieves results from conversations, communities, files, people, and topics. The discovery feed keeps users updated on the latest organizational developments. Moreover, its integration with Microsoft Office 365 and Teams allows seamless transitions between collaborative platforms, enhancing productivity.

Security is a priority for Yammer, with private networks, data encryption, and controlled access ensuring that only authorized users can participate. Admins can enforce file upload controls and track keywords to prevent inappropriate content. Organizations retain control over their data, with the option to export both data and metadata.

User experience is optimized with mobile accessibility across web, desktop, and mobile devices, along with community insights to measure engagement. Announcements and notifications can be customized with rich text, videos, polls, and questions to reach specific communities or the entire network.

Yammer offers a freemium model providing basic functionalities for free, while advanced features are accessible through subscription plans like Yammer Enterprise at $3 per user per month. Various Office 365 plans also include Yammer and provide access to a full suite of Microsoft Cloud services.

With its comprehensive features and integrations, Yammer aims to modernize internal communications, boost collaboration, and foster a more connected and engaged workforce within organizations.

Benefits:

• Streamlines internal communication and collaboration processes: Uses structured groups and seamless sharing to enhance connectivity.
• Elevates engagement and feedback: Provides tools like polls, file-sharing, and praise features.
• Saves time on retrieval and organization: Offers powerful search and topic tagging.

Simplified Pricing Info

• Freemium Model: Basic features for free, with paid subscriptions for advanced options.
• Yammer Enterprise: Available at $3 per user per month.
• Included in Microsoft 365 Plans: Access to the full Microsoft Cloud suite with various plan options.

For detailed pricing suited to your organization's needs, visit Microsoft's official pricing page or contact their sales team for a customized quote.

Microsoft SharePoint - Enhancing Collaboration and Content Management

Microsoft SharePoint collaboration and content management platform is designed to enhance team collaboration, streamline content management processes, and improve organizational communication.

Microsoft SharePoint integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft tools like Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, and Office 365. It enables the creation of team sites for project-oriented collaborations and communication sites for broader audience engagement within an organization. SharePoint also supports file storage and sharing with robust permission management to control access, ensuring data security and accessibility.

Benefits:

• Streamlines collaboration and content management.
• Elevates organizational communication and productivity.
• Saves time on file sharing, permission management, and process automation.

Simplified Pricing Information

SharePoint (Plan 1) at $5.00 per user/month (annual subscription, auto-renews). Microsoft 365 Business Standard at $12.50 per user/month (annual subscription, auto-renews). For more detailed pricing and custom options, visit the Microsoft 365 website or contact Microsoft sales for enterprise-level solutions.

Guru - The Ultimate Knowledge Management Platform

Guru is a comprehensive knowledge management platform designed to centralize and streamline access to an organization's collective knowledge. Leveraging AI-powered search and recommendations, Guru ensures users receive personalized, instant answers within their workflow based on context such as role, location, and current focus. By integrating seamlessly with tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Chrome, and Microsoft Outlook, Guru allows users to access and share verified knowledge without disrupting their existing workflows.

One of Guru's standout features is its collaborative content creation and management capabilities. A collaborative content editor allows multiple authors to work simultaneously, comment in-line, and track real-time changes. The AI Content Assist feature aids in creating and summarizing complex topics, while predefined templates ensure consistent content creation. To maintain content quality, publishing approvals enable designated users to control what gets published.

Guru also excels in knowledge organization and maintenance with features like the Card Manager for bulk actions, intelligent duplicate detection to identify redundant content, and Auto-Archive to keep the knowledge base up-to-date. Security is paramount, supported by Single Sign-On (SSO), SCIM, and sophisticated permission controls to safeguard content.

Further enhancing its capabilities, Guru offers browser extensions, robust API integration, and mobile apps for iOS and Android, ensuring that knowledge is readily accessible on the go. Despite a few limitations—such as the absence of real-time monitoring and built-in team management features—Guru stands out with its ability to centralize organizational knowledge, enhance collaboration, and boost productivity.

• Streamlines access to organizational knowledge.
• Elevates content creation quality.
• Saves time on content management and organization.

Features Overview:

• AI-Powered Search and Recommendations: Uses AI to deliver relevant information based on context like role, location, and past activity, ensuring users get personalized, instant answers.
• Integration with Existing Tools: Seamlessly integrates with platforms such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, Chrome, and Microsoft Outlook, enabling smooth knowledge sharing.
• Content Creation and Management:
• Collaborative Content Editor: Multiple authors can work simultaneously, comment inline, and see each other's changes instantly.
• AI Content Assist: Helps in creating and summarizing complex topics.
• Templates: Ensures consistent content creation.
• Publishing Approvals: Controls content quality by designating who can create content and requiring approval before new material is published.
• Knowledge Organization and Maintenance:
• Card Manager: Perform bulk actions to maintain a clean environment.
• Duplicate Detection: Identifies redundant content to keep the knowledge base pristine.
• Auto-Archive: Automatically archives neglected items to maintain up-to-date and relevant knowledge.
• Security and Access Control:
• Single Sign-On (SSO) and SCIM: Log in using an external identity provider and automatically provision accounts.
• Permissions: Control who can create, edit, or view content with advanced permissioning.
• Security: Ironclad protections safeguard content.
• Advanced Features:
• Favorites: Save frequently used information for easy access.
• Workspaces: Create separate workspaces for different teams within an organization.
• API: Customize Guru experience and sync with other systems.
• Browser Extension: The Chrome extension allows accessing and managing knowledge without leaving the current page.
• Slack and Microsoft Teams Integrations: Bring Guru Cards into channels and access validated knowledge directly within the chat platforms.
• Mobile App: Available on iOS and Android, ensuring knowledge is accessible on the go.

Simplified Pricing Info:

Guru’s pricing is straightforward at $10 per user per month. This package includes access to features such as Enterprise AI Search, seamless integration with various apps, a customizable company portal, and multilingual content translation. This transparent pricing model ensures organizations can harness Guru's powerful tools without hidden costs.

With its extensive features and focus on enhancing the knowledge-sharing process, Guru is a trusted and reliable solution for businesses seeking to improve collaboration and efficiency.

Benefits of Using Intranet Software for Small Business

• Enhanced Communication: Facilitates seamless internal communication with instant messaging and group chat features. Encourages transparent and clear information sharing across all levels of the organization.
• Centralized Information: Acts as a central repository for all company information, documents, and resources. Reduces time spent searching for important documents and data.
• Improved Collaboration: Supports collaborative workspaces where teams can share ideas, documents, and projects in real-time. Integration with various project management tools to streamline workflows.
• Employee Engagement: Boosts employee morale by offering social features like recognition walls, forums, and feedback systems. Keeps employees informed about company news, updates, and events.
• Streamlined Onboarding: Simplifies the onboarding process for new hires with easy access to training materials, resources, and company policies. Provides a dedicated space for new employees to connect and engage with team members.
• Increased Productivity: Automates routine tasks, allowing employees to focus on more critical job responsibilities. Enhances task and project management with deadline tracking and prioritization features.
• Secure Access: Ensures data security with advanced encryption methods and customizable access permissions. Regular backups to protect against data loss and ensure business continuity.
• Mobile Accessibility: Mobile-friendly interface allows employees to access the intranet and stay connected from anywhere. Supports remote work and flexible working conditions.
• Scalable Solutions: Scalable to accommodate growth and changes in the business environment. Customizable features to meet the specific needs and preferences of your small business.
• Cost-Effective: Reduces operational costs by minimizing the need for multiple disparate tools and services. Offers affordable pricing plans designed for small businesses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What is intranet software, and why does my small business need it?

A: Intranet software is an internal network tool used to facilitate communication, collaboration, and information sharing within an organization. For small businesses, it helps streamline operations, improve employee engagement, enhance productivity, and centralize important resources and data.

Q2: How do I choose the right intranet software for my small business?

A: When selecting intranet software, consider factors such as ease of use, scalability, integration capabilities, customization options, security features, and cost. Evaluate different options based on these criteria to identify which software best meets your business needs.

Q3: What features should I look for in intranet software for a small business?

A: Key features to look for include: - Document management and file sharing - Communication tools (e.g., instant messaging, forums, announcements) - Collaboration tools (e.g., project management, task assignments) - User-friendly interface - Integration with existing tools and applications - Customization options - Robust security measures

Q4: How does intranet software improve communication within my small business?

A: Intranet software consolidates various communication tools into a single platform, making it easier to send messages, share announcements, facilitate discussions, and collaborate on projects. Employees can quickly find and share information, reducing the need for long email chains and minimizing misunderstandings.

Q5: Can intranet software help with remote work or a hybrid work environment?

A: Absolutely. Intranet software is ideal for remote or hybrid work settings as it connects team members regardless of their physical location. Features such as video conferencing, real-time chat, file sharing, and collaboration tools ensure that remote employees remain engaged and productive.

Q6: Is intranet software secure?

A: Modern intranet software prioritizes security by implementing measures such as data encryption, user authentication, access control, and regular security updates. When choosing a platform, ensure it meets industry standards and regulatory compliance requirements to protect sensitive business information.

Q7: How much does intranet software typically cost for small businesses?

A: Costs vary depending on the provider, features, and the number of users. Some vendors offer subscription-based pricing models, while others may provide one-time purchase options. It’s important to compare different pricing plans and consider the long-term value to find a solution that fits your budget.

Q8: How long does it take to implement intranet software?

A: The implementation time can vary depending on the complexity of the software and the size of your organization. Basic setups might take a few days to a week, while more comprehensive systems could take several weeks. Many providers offer implementation support to help you get started quickly.

Q9: What kind of support and training is available for using intranet software?

A: Most intranet software providers offer a range of support options, including customer service, technical support, and user training. Support may come in the form of online resources, tutorials, webinars, and dedicated customer success teams to assist you throughout the onboarding process and beyond.

Q10: Can I customize intranet software to fit my business needs?

A: Yes, many intranet solutions offer customization features that allow you to tailor the platform to your specific business requirements. You can personalize the interface, create custom workflows, and integrate third-party applications to enhance the functionality and user experience of your intranet.