The Challenge
ASB wanted to create a dynamic platform where employees could share, collaborate and harness the creativity and productivity of the entire organisation.
The dream intranet had five essential requirements. Key to success was a platform that would reflect ASB’s heritage of technological innovation, provide an online community where staff could connect, collaborate and share and establish mechanisms to ensure product and service content would remain up-to-date and accurate. It also needed to deliver a corporate communications platform to break down barriers and promote engagement, and link disjointed applications through data integration. The site also needed to reflect ASB’s distinctive culture and support deeper engagement.
From inception, the vision was to create a virtual collaboration space that rivalled the impressive working environment created at ASB’s new head office at North Wharf in Auckland.
The Solution
Datacom has a long-running relationship with ASB and in October 2013 we pitched for and won a competitive RFP. ASB had already selected Microsoft SharePoint 2013 as a base platform for its intranet solution. With extensive SharePoint experience, we were able to quickly pick up the project and add functionality with our own social intranet tools.
The Datacom team embedded themselves at ASB’s North Wharf head office and, together with people from across the bank, began to put together an intranet that would inspire staff and deliver on the bank’s core values.
“I’m really excited about the new site – there is a heap of potential for us to work more collaboratively as a region in a way we have never been able to do before – it could be a game changer.”
ASB Branch Manager and intranet user
Results
In September 2014, Datacom and ASB delivered a ground-breaking project – one of the first truly Enterprise Social platforms in New Zealand. The social intranet solution works hard to maintain the features of a traditional intranet, with tools to help ASB’s people be more efficient and effective. At the same time, it creates an environment that allows people to become active participants in ASB, rather than passive consumers of information.
Employees have the ability to post feedback on news, events and content pages and share their own updates through the newsfeed. The intranet has improved employee engagement levels with organisational material and provides a more engaging method of delivering CEO communications through a new blog that allows social interaction. Personal homepages (MySites) have allowed people to share their skills and knowledge on both work and non-work matters.
Importantly, the social intranet has provided the impetus for ASB to look at how it collaborates with people wanting to take full advantage of a system that gives everyone a voice, no matter what their role or location in the business.
Within the first month of operation ASB has seen:
- Many conversations started by ASB people from across the spectrum of the bank, different geographical areas and levels of the organisations
- Information within the conversations support a more collaborative environment and a desire to share information and knowledge
- Two-way feedback – five CEO blogs have resulted in over a hundred comments from staff, providing insights ASB has never had access to before
The Partnership
Datacom staff set up shop in ASB’s office on the North Wharf in Auckland, and worked collaboratively with the ASB team to ensure that the intranet met the organisation’s expectations and needs.
For more on Datacom's ongoing partnership with ASB Bank, see the video below featuring ASB Executive General Manager - Technology & Innovation, Russell Jones.