How Premier America Credit Union transformed their intranet for a more connected workplace

Premier America Credit Union set out to do something many organizations struggle with: transform their outdated internal communications platform into a high-performing, employee-first intranet.

With over 450 team members across 20 branches, this wasn’t just a tech upgrade. It was a full intranet implementation that would modernize how teams connect, collaborate, and access information.

Here’s how they turned a frustrating experience into a streamlined, intuitive modern intranet that now powers their digital workplace.

Our new ThoughtFarmer platform is light years ahead of what we had before and feels like a tool that a world class organization should have.”

Shelley Tam, Chief People Officer

The challenge: a legacy intranet that couldn’t keep up

Premier America’s old intranet, known as “The Gateway,” was showing its age, and was frustrating for both administrators and end users.

Common issues included:

• A cluttered, outdated user interface
• Poor search functionality that couldn’t surface relevant content
• Inconsistent and hard-to-maintain content
• Lack of collaboration tools and minimal engagement
• Unreliable vendor support, particularly after a platform acquisition

These issues weren’t just annoyances. They were roadblocks to efficiency and team engagement.

A people-first approach to intranet implementation

Before looking at vendors or drafting feature wishlists, Premier America took a strategic step back. They knew a successful intranet implementation starts with understanding how team members  use the platform, and what’s holding them back.

They collected feedback from:

• Organization-wide surveys with Net Promoter Score (NPS) style questions
• Focus groups with branch leaders and heavy users
• Interviews with content owners and internal communications stakeholders
• Leadership sessions to align their strategic vision with the future of the Internet.

This discovery phase revealed the following objectives: the new intranet needed to make it easy to share updates, products, and internal news, while helping team members  feel more connected. Leaders were looking for a simple, modern design that was easy for everyone to use, powerful search to quickly find what you need, and a vendor that would be responsive and reliable as the organization grows.

ThoughtFarmer helped us find a better way to deliver an engaging, easy-to-use platform that gives our team the resources they need to provide an exceptional member experience”

Merisol Speat, VP, Enterprise Project Management Office

Choosing the right intranet vendor

After identifying the must-have features like scalability, modern UX, easy content editing, and strong vendor support, Premier America began their intranet vendor selection process. Out of nine initial contenders, they shortlisted three platforms and invited users to join demo sessions.

Team members rated platforms on everything from ease of use to content customization. One vendor consistently came out on top: ThoughtFarmer.

What stood out about ThoughtFarmer:

• Easy-to-use editing tools with drag-and-drop functionality
• A clean, user-friendly interface with intuitive navigation
• Strong track record supporting other banks and credit unions
• A responsive, high-touch support team
• A trial site to explore features hands-on

Since ThoughtFarmer already serves many credit unions, it was a natural fit. Their understanding of regulatory, compliance, and document control needs made the decision easy.

Rolling out the new intranet: a strategic, inclusive launch

To build excitement and a sense of ownership around the new intranet, the team held a naming contest—and “The CAFE” came out on top. 

In true credit union fashion, they gave it an acronym-friendly twist: Creating Awareness For Everyone, a perfect fit for its role as a central place to share updates and keep team members connected.

Premier America went on to launch their new intranet in three thoughtful phases:

1. Soft Launch: A quarter of the organization gained early access to test and offer feedback.
2. Full Launch: The intranet was rolled out organization-wide, supported by training, feedback loops, and live help.
3. Transition Period: The old intranet remained available for two weeks to ease the shift.

The team wanted to build excitement about their new intranet, so they hosted a “CAFE” themed launch event with coffee carts with latte art, snacks, table games, photo ops, virtual scavenger hunts, and more! 

This approach drove early adoption and made the intranet feel like a fun and interactive community. 

Empowering teams through governance and ownership

One of the smartest decisions Premier America made was to adopt a decentralized governance model. Rather than centralizing control, they trained departmental content owners to manage their own sections, with some guardrails in place.

The intranet admin team provided:

• Templates, style guides, and publishing best practices
• Quarterly content reviews 
• Ongoing training and support

This model created accountability, empowered subject matter experts, and ensured content stayed fresh and relevant.

Evolving with analytics and team member feedback

Premier America didn’t stop improving after the launch. They used ThoughtFarmer Analytics and team member  input to make ongoing enhancements.

Highlights include:

• Migrating their entire library of procedures into the intranet, leading to a 17% cost savings
• Looking at search analytics to improve content discovery
• Using homepage customization to target content to different roles
• Encouraging engagement with polls, spotlights, and even “falling fun” animations

Final takeaway

A modern intranet is achievable and it can transform your organization

Premier America’s intranet story is a lesson in how to do things right—from discovery to implementation to continuous improvement. By putting team members  first, choosing the right technology partner, and committing to a long-term vision, they’ve created a space that informs, engages, and connects their entire organization.

If your credit union’s intranet feels outdated or underused, take a cue from Premier America: transformation is possible—and well worth the effort.

Credit union intranet success starts here

A great credit union intranet does more than store files. It connects teams, simplifies communication, and powers an exceptional member experience.

Learn more