10 ways an intranet can combat email overload

In recent years, email platforms like Gmail have enhanced security features, such as alerting users when sending emails to recipients outside their network.

Wait—aren’t all emails sent to recipients outside a network? Who actually uses email as their primary tool for internal communication?

Surprisingly, a LOT of people.

Originally designed for asynchronous communication, email remains heavily used for internal document collaboration, image and file repositories, and even discussions. In fact, one recent survey shows that a significant majority of internal communicators (93%) still prefer email for reaching employees.

However, this heavy reliance on email has led to a growing issue of email overload, where important messages get lost in the clutter of an overstuffed inbox.

But just because it’s a common way of communicating doesn’t mean it is the best way to communicate.

If you want to improve your internal communication (and avoid email overload), you need to move internal discussions and communication out of email and onto your intranet.

Below are ten ways your intranet can help you combat email overload and improve internal communication.

1. Enhanced search functionality

While email search functionality has come a long way in the last ten years, it’s still far from perfect. And even if we can eventually locate a long-lost message, is the time and effort really worth it? The sophisticated search functionality with intranet software helps employees locate everything they need. When employees can easily find what they are looking for, they don’t waste time searching.

2. Centralized conversations

Even when we locate important information within an email chain, we often forget that a single message is potentially just one in a sea of other conversational threads. One employee may reply to all, while another may forward it on to others. Before you know it, there are dozens of conversations happening at once, accessible only to those in the thread. Because intranets are a great place for discussions, you won’t have to worry about searching through broken threads. Tagging abilities ensure that relevant discussions are easily found without wasting time, helping to alleviate email overload.

3. Reliable communication analytics

According to a survey conducted by APPrise, 30 percent of employees admit they don’t read emails from their employers. This is extremely frustrating to internal communicators—especially when there are important news and announcements that must be read. An intranet empowers communicators with the platform to inform employees of critical news and events. It also provides them with reassurance (through analytics) that their communication efforts are working, minimizing the frustration caused by email overload.

4. Efficient file management

Sending attachments through email has many limitations. Firstly, it hogs the memory on your server. If you have any doubts about this, ask your IT team. Some files are too large to even be sent through email, which means you may not know your attachment wasn’t correctly sent. Also, if you have ever tried searching for an attachment within your email, you likely know it isn’t easy, which isn’t too surprising considering most of us have overflowing inboxes. Using an intranet helps manage large files more efficiently, reducing email fatigue.

5. Improved group collaboration

A former colleague of mine was once accidentally included in a reply-all email that wasn’t intended for every single employee. It was during a live CEO town hall, where an employee accidentally replied “Blah blah blah” to thousands of other colleagues. While the story is admittedly entertaining, it does remind us of the potential consequences of all-staff emails and that email is not intended for group discussions. Intranets provide a better platform for group discussions. 

6. Accessible approvals and permissions

While it’s great to have an electronic record of permissions, it hasn’t always been easy to find these approvals when necessary. Critical information shouldn’t be locked away in silos or an email inbox. By moving important discussions to the intranet, employees can easily locate the information they require to do their job, alleviating the issue of email overload.

7. Streamlined version control

If you want to upset your brand manager, try using an outdated or stretched-out logo that you found in an old email folder. Your intranet can help you manage version control, so employees can collaborate and communicate effectively on numerous projects, with the knowledge that they are working on the correct versions of documents and images.

8. Keeping everyone informed

“No one tells me anything!” is a familiar phrase heard in a lot of workplaces. Employees may not be intentionally left out of important discussions, but many are still feeling out of the loop. This is because most decisions and departmental discussions are still happening within email. And then when a key person is finally brought into the discussion, they feel left out because they weren’t involved in the first place. An intranet helps surface relevant information and discussions so employees feel involved from the beginning.

9. Capturing and sharing ideas

It’s not uncommon for employees to brainstorm in an email chain—sometimes even accidentally. For example, a member from your marketing team casually mentions a witty headline for an upcoming holiday campaign. But since that subject isn’t relevant at that moment, it is forgotten. However, months later when it’s time to execute that campaign, no one can recall what that brilliant idea was or where it was discussed. With an intranet, your employees have a location to post ideas that can easily be discovered when the timing is right.

10. Starting your day with a clean slate

I hate to brag, but sometimes I forget to open my email inbox. Now, obviously, all job roles are different, and if you rely heavily on external collaborators, you don’t have it as easy as I do. The point is that the majority of my collaboration and communication is conducted internally with colleagues, so I therefore communicate either through our intranet or through instant messaging applications. 

As you can see, internal communication can vastly improve just by moving certain conversations and content to your intranet. Email isn’t going away any time soon, nor should it, but if you are still using it as your primary source of internal communication, it’s time to rethink things.