Intranet Case Study – Arizona SBDC Network

As Arizona’s largest source of support for small businesses, the Arizona Small Business Development Center (AZSBDC) Network delivers training, tools, and one-to-one counselling to champion their clients’ business growth.

After experiencing persistent workgroup challenges while relying on email and Google Drive, the AZSBDC set out to deploy their first ever intranet to centralise their operations. Thanks to Claromentis’ flexible and integrated intranet platform, the AZSBDC were able to replace outdated methods of collaboration with our suite of productivity tools, saving them time and improving efficiency.

 

“Claromentis stood out because they checked all the boxes: the interface was very flexible, the platform was so intuitive to set up, and Barclay was wonderful at answering any questions.”

Brenda, Media Production and Design Analyst Senior

 

Customer challenges

With no central platform within which to share information, deliver internal training, or work productively, it was clear to the teams at the AZSBDC that something needed to change. “We lacked tools that would enable us to be more efficient – even with the simplest of internal processes,” says Paula Wittekind, Professional Development Training and Workshops Manager.

Relying on email to process CIC support requests was proving to be ineffective, because there was no system in place to track requests, and in some cases, they were easily missed.

Similarly, with no way of finding the right information or knowing who in the network could provide the right expertise, the teams at AZSBDC needed a better way of collaborating and sharing knowledge.

The AZSBDC also needed a Learning Management System (LMS) to improve their internal training programme. Training was delivered either in-person or via video conferencing, but was not shared or repurposed for future use – meaning that those who couldn’t attend at the time missed out.

(Image source: azsbdc.net)

Why did the AZSBDC choose Claromentis?

The AZSBDC Network had a lot of collaboration needs among its ten Centers that were complicated by the great distances and communication gaps between them. Additionally, the lack of shared tools made meeting these collaboration needs a steep challenge, amid all of the new projects and acquired systems being developed without increased capacity. Unfortunately, this dynamic left AZSBDC teams and resources overcommitted while trying to create new training materials and stay ahead of the curve with more automated processes.

The Network needed an intranet that not only closed the collaboration and communication gaps brought about by dispersed locations, but also provided the tools to take their training online and automate internal processes. They found all of this – and more – in Claromentis.

Amber Medrano, a former IT Project Manager now assigned to SBDC explained, “because Claromentis combines intranet software, e-learning, e-forms, workflows, and project management tools into one digital workplace, the teams at the AZSBDC were able to resolve their challenges using a single, integrated platform rather than lots of different tools. Having to rely on antiquated file server storage and conflicting permissions between apps like email and Google Drive simply wasn’t working anymore, so Claromentis’ all-in-one intranet platform fit the bill.”

“Claromentis stood out because they checked all the boxes,” says Paula, “the interface was very flexible, so it was clear that we would be able to use it how we wanted and easily modify it as our business’ needs changed.”

Improved internal training and employee onboarding

Staff development and training are a big part of the AZSBDC’s culture, but without the online tools to manage learning, training sessions couldn’t be shared across their network at a later date.

Now, the teams at the AZSBDC have their own Claromentis LMS to build online training programmes that staff can revisit at any time.

This will prove especially useful for employee onboarding. The teams are in the process of building their ‘New Employee Orientation’ programme using our Learning Paths feature, which will give staff a personalised training plan that’s user-friendly and easy to follow. Better still, managers will be able to easily track course completion rates, training event participation, and employee certifications using our in-built reporting.

The teams have also made great use of our Polls & Surveys feature to complement their internal training courses. “The ease of having the surveys in Claromentis, without the need for another third party platform, keeps survey activities effortless,” says Paula.

 

Better and faster access to company information

The AZSBDC now benefits from a single platform that centralises documents, employee information, or team calendars. Since deploying Claromentis, they have everything they need at their fingertips.

The teams are planning to move their documents, forms, video training recordings, and event information into their intranet’s document management system, which will provide a secure and organised access point for staff across the network. In addition, important network dates are now easily accessible using shared team calendars, giving complete visibility of key events.

 

“Finally – a one-stop location to share the important dates on our network calendar with easy access anytime, by anyone in the network!”

Paula Wittekind, Professional Development Training and Workshops Manager

 

Storing information centrally has had a positive impact on collaboration too. By encouraging staff to add their expertise and skills to their employee profiles, other teams in the network can easily locate the best people to collaborate with.

Teams have also saved a lot of time by digitising and automating their CIC support requests. Previously handled via email, which made it impossible to track progress and led to requests being missed, all support requests are now managed using our e-forms and workflows software. “Our new CIC Support Request Form has streamlined our support efforts,” says Paula, “next, we’ll be launching a second form to track hiring changes and the employee setup process.”

High adoption rates thanks to a unique intranet launch

Anticipation among AZSBDC teams was high during implementation of their first ever intranet. Yet, Paula and Amber knew that holistic technology adoption by all team members was paramount to reaping the many benefits that the Claromentis system would bring. To mark the occasion, the AZSBDC, in collaboration with the Claromentis onboarding team, created a truly unique intranet launch to introduce their teams to the new system: an immersive employee training event themed as an intranet cruise!

Taking the term ‘onboarding’ quite literally, the revolutionary idea for an intranet cruise – or to use its full name, “The Fantastic Intranet Voyage and Holiday Cruise Extravaganza” – aimed to connect individual networks (or ‘islands’) across Arizona together. Barclay Martin, Account Manager at Claromentis, was more than happy to act as the cruise ship’s onboard computer, guiding teams to different ‘ports’ to train them on different intranet features.

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Slides from AZSBDC’s intranet onboarding cruise 🛳

Following the intranet cruise, which covered intranet essentials such as completing employee profiles, uploading documents, and accepting policies, the AZSBDC teams created a “12 Weeks, 12 Ways to Use the Intranet” series of weekly training sessions to showcase new features and landing pages. These 30 minute sessions grew rapidly in popularity; now, a third of the entire AZSBDC network attend these sessions every week, up from a quarter when they first began.

Training sessions are also recorded and repurposed for employee onboarding, helping new hires learn intranet best practices, meet other team members in their network, and find out where to locate relevant information.

 

“Barclay Martin acted as our “Ship’s Computer,” providing guidance at each port of call. Her true identity was revealed to everyone at the end of the intranet cruise – she was awesome!”

Paula Wittekind, Professional Development Training and Workshops Manager