BauWatch Base provides the BauWatch feeling

In 2022, BauWatch launched its new portal for social intranet, digital workspace and data integration. This was desperately needed, because the organization expanded rapidly within Europe. Floor Beek, Director Marketing & Communications: 'There were more and more new colleagues and therefore also the need to share news and onboard employees.' Don Heijmans, IT Business Solutions Manager, adds: 'We have so many different applications that we started looking for one platform in which you can find and use them all. And we were also looking for a platform that grows with us into a personalized working environment in which you as an employee see and find what you need to do your job well.' Read all about this portal in this customer case.

Start from scratch

Janine Dumont was hired as an external project leader and she led the project: "BauWatch did not yet have an intranet or digital workspace. On the one hand, that is very nice, because there is no old (often outdated) information that you have to reuse and there is also no comparison material in the form of an existing platform, which people are often attached to anyway. On the other hand, it is also a disadvantage. There is nothing so there is a lot of work to be done. The need on the organizational side was very clear: BauWatch is growing fast within Europe. In addition to the Netherlands and Germany, Belgium, England, Spain and France are also affiliated. Other countries will soon follow. HR, Marketing and Business Solutions joined forces and together with the working group it was decided: we need one personal internal communication and information platform."

Microsoft 365 based

Don explains what it had to meet: "We have drawn up a clear list of requirements. For example, it was important that it was Microsoft 365 based, in order to be able to connect well to our IT landscape. In addition, it must be easy to implement and have many functions. Such as onboarding, a good news environment, a timeline and a clear knowledge base. And it must be able to grow into our digital workplace. Initially it is used as a social intranet, but in the future we want to be able to unlock data from other systems. Furthermore, it is important to be able to personalize, so that you show news or information that is relevant to that person. And a good contact list is important, so that everyone knows how to find each other."

From pilot to RFI

Janine explains about the process: ''There were requirements, a steering committee, a working group and a core team. Together with the core team, I drew up the plan of action and we started a pilot with another supplier. An international group of 22 colleagues tried everything over two months to get a good idea of the possibilities. In addition, we investigated the wishes and requirements with another international user survey. For example, at the end of the user survey, we had a good understanding of what we really needed. And the other vendor's platform didn't meet that. We then set up an RFI to re-market demand. Several suppliers responded to this and we invited three of them to give an extensive demo, in accordance with the same set-up.  That made it possible for us to be able to compare really well. Synigo's platform came out on top. Both in terms of wishes and requirements in terms of functionality and price!''

Solution: BauWatch Base

Floor: "We call the platform BauWatch Base, because this is the foundation for every employee in his information and communication needs. To achieve this, it is important to pay attention to acquaintance and adoption among employees. We worked with Adoptics so that our editors were well trained to post new stuff. We wanted to bring the introduction of the platform with a lot of humor to make people curious and activate. We created a lot of buzz even before Base was launched. For example, posters with QR codes were everywhere that linked to funny videos. We have paid attention to clear information and instructions to get to know the program well, and a helpdesk has been created. An ambassador team with enthusiastic and committed colleagues tested and sharpened the campaign ideas. In addition, we drew up a content plan. Every week the new employees are introduced according to a fixed format, the management updates us every week about the ins and outs and we share all up-to-date HR information. Everything to entice colleagues to come to the platform regularly."

Result: better cooperation

Don talks about the use and the further developments: "Employees are happy that there is one place where they can find everything. It's their home screen: in Teams and on the App. Especially the contact list (read: face book), the news, the pre-boarding and applications in one place are very much appreciated. Employees know how to find each other more easily. We have established a foundation and will now continue to develop it. I don't think it's personal enough: everyone still sees all the apps and a lot of news. That's what we're working on. We are also still preparing the knowledge base. This will ensure that even more people will work with it. And then there are the integrations. By unlocking information, setting up tasks and workflows, we want to reduce the number of times someone has to click. Think, for example, of integrations with Salesforce, Topdesk and Numbrs."

The BauWatch feeling

Janine adds: ''The aim is also to train editors per department. So that in addition to news, showcases (read: featured projects or topics) can also be placed and maintained. This is essential to get and strengthen the BauWatch feeling The CEO has always said: 'We are one company and we have to work on that together.' It is very nice that someone at his level is very hard behind this and that BauWatch now has such a good platform for this."

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