Strutt & Parker Intranet (SPiN)
Strutt & Parker's intranet - 'SPiN' - is the primary source of information for over 900 staff distributed in offices the length and breadth of the UK.
It is a repository of information and documents; an internal contact database; a personnel management system; a communication tool; an external marketing database and more.
Access control
To gain access to more than just basic information users need to log in, giving them personalised content and abilities.
For example, users with higher-level privileges might be able to access board meeting minutes while lower-level users would not even be aware of the documents' existence. The permissions system controls whether you are able to read certain content, edit or add content, types of content and so on.
The system keeps track of new staff's progress through the company's induction process. Here a user is reminded of the documents they have still to review in order to complete the induction.
Content management system (CMS)
Content management is distributed amongst employees, controlled by a flexible 'permissions' system. This allows the workload to be spread and releases the expertise available within the company.
Depending on the user's permissions they may be able to contribute by writing articles, posting news stories, uploading documents and so on. Their abilities can be restricted to certain areas of the site, minimising the risk of duplication and ensuring people contribute within their particular area of interest and expertise.
Local news
Users are presented with information that is targeted to them. For example, an office manager can post notices that are only seen by people in their own office, while the central office can post items 'nationally' which the whole company will see.
Personnel
SPiN also includes a comprehensive Personnel system. This operates at a basic level as an internal address book, allowing staff to access contact details easily. More that that, it shows the relationships between staff, managers, partners, secretaries and so on.
Users are able to view their own Personnel records, but can generally only view the basic contact information of other staff. However, the permissions system extends to 'line management', whereby staff records can be viewed and edited by their real-world managers.
The personnel system also records users progress through whichever training courses they are signed up to, allowing managers - locally and centrally - to keep abreast of staff development.
Marketing database
The intranet doesn't just serve internal purposes. Integrated into it is the company's external marketing database. This comprehensive system is the central location where all contacts, clients and prospects are logged.
An extremely flexible 'list build' application allows staff (with the appropriate permissions, naturally) to slice up the data in a multitude of ways in order to create mailing lists. With several hundred search options available - many of which have dozens of sub-options - there is a staggering array of detailed lists the marketers can use to target just the right people. All of this is accomplished through an easy-to-use interface, belying the system's complexity and power.
