Case
How Borås launched the intranet app
With a clear goal and a smart strategy, the City of Borås launched its intranet app in Sitevision. The result? They reach more employees while having a secure channel for internal crisis communication.
Background and Challenge
Two needs, one solution - why the app became a reality
When the City of Borås decided to develop an app for internal communication, it wasn't just a technical solution that needed to be implemented - it was a whole new way of working and reaching out to employees who previously had limited access to information.
To understand why the City of Borås chose to invest in an app, we need to rewind to 2022, when the IT department saw the need for an alternative communication channel in the event of operational disruptions, while the communications department wanted to reach employees without access to a computer. The solution? A Sitevision intranet with social features, complemented by an app. A close collaboration between IT and communications took shape, with Anders Kihl, business developer, playing a key role.
- "We saw an opportunity to use an app to solve several problems at once. We already had an intranet, but it was mainly accessible to officials at the computer. What we wanted was to create something that really reaches out to everyone, including those working in the field," says Kihl.
Solution
The pilot group - a key to success
The project started with modernizing the intranet. A more social platform with profiles, groups and better functionality was introduced. This became a fundamental building block for the upcoming app
- We knew that if we just launched an app without having a good platform at the bottom, it wouldn't work. That's why we started by strengthening the intranet," says Elin Ahlgren, web strategist for Borås City.
Then a pilot group was formed with committed test persons who contributed with valuable feedback and played a crucial role in the project.
- "The pilot group was able to see what functions worked well and what needed to be improved before we released the app widely. It was a smart move, because otherwise we would have risked facing a lot of skepticism at launch," says Anders.
An important part of the project was that the pilot group consisted of people from different parts of the organization. To ensure broad support, a mix of managers, IT technicians and communicators was chosen, which made it easier to spread the message before the launch. And to get employees to start using the app, a clear launch plan was needed.
- "We made a big communication effort to explain why the app was important and what it could do for users," says Elin.
The app was promoted through different themes:
- "Intranet in your pocket" - to emphasize that all important information was now available everywhere.
- 'Staff directory in your pocket' - a feature that many appreciated as it made it easier to find and contact colleagues.
- 'Crisis communication internally' - an important aspect that underlined that the app could work even if other systems were down.
96
percent active users of the app
The result
An app that works in both everyday life and crisis
Today, Borås City has over 1916 active users of the app, which is a large proportion of those within the organization who have a mobile phone (about 2000 employees). A real test was last autumn when the intranet needed to be moved to a new environment. This meant that all users were logged out and had to log in again. This even increased the number of users, which was very positive.
We see that the app is used and that it really fills a need, especially among field staff who previously did not have access to the intranet," says Elin Ahlgren. Another major benefit is that the app has become a central part of the municipality's crisis communication.
- "If our regular IT environment is down, the app still works. It's reassuring to know that we can reach key people even in the event of technical problems," says Anders Kihl.
The City of Borås is now looking forward to further developing the app and adapting it even better to users' needs.
- "Right now we're working on investigating and testing audience-driven publishing of news, but also how we can develop notification functions to better reach different target groups," says Elin.
"- If our regular IT environment is down, the app still works. It's reassuring to know that we can reach out to key people even in case of technical problems"
Anders Kihl, Business Developer at Borås City
Thinking of launching an app? Three lessons from Borås City
Engage pilot users early
Having a mixed group test the app before launch was key to getting it off to a good start
Clear communication is everything
We made sure the whole organization understood the value of the app, using themes like 'Intranet in your pocket' and 'Crisis channel' to make the message clear
Dare to try
Our motto is to dare to test - it is better to learn from experience than to get stuck in investigations
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