Webjet.com.au
A savvy SharePoint intranet solution that has seen productivity take flight
Webjet Limited is an ASX 200 listed online travel business operating in Australia and New Zealand and across 50 Countries. Explore how Webjet's SharePoint intranet solution boosted productivity and connectivity for their expansive online travel business.
The Challenge
The best route to a better intranet
In this digital age, an organisation’s intranet plays an increasingly vital role. Connecting people working from different locations at different times, it provides an important home base for company communication and information, and for supporting better ways of working with the technology employees already have at hand.
Pre-pandemic, Webjet’s online travel agency division (OTA) had shifted away from SharePoint to another intranet platform. However, with their existing supplier agreement reaching renewal time, Webjet’s Chief Technology Officer, Shashank Kaul decided to see what other intranet solutions were on the market, given they had expanded Microsoft Teams across their entire operations since March 2020, not just the IT department.
“We saw that SharePoint had come a long way,” explains Shashank. There was a strong desire within the organisation to combine our intranet back into SharePoint and make sure we could then use SharePoint and Teams to its fullest potential.”
Shashank Kaul - Chief Technology Officer, Webjet
The Solution
A first-class upgrade from the previous platform
Sope's five-stage approach included: Design, Build, Refine, Launch and Hypercare.
1. Design
A design workshop was conducted collaboratively with Webjet and their key stakeholders, which included an in-depth audit of their existing MS Teams structure. With the fundamentals agreed upon, a design document was drawn up, and then signed off by both Sope and Webjet.
2. Build
Stage two of the process was the building—and branding—of Webjet’s intranet. This involved configuring the site and collaboratively integrating key content such as Webjet’s policies and procedures, company glossary, their marketing style guides and internal document templates, and standard and private channels for MS Teams.
With the content and branding uploaded, Sope commenced an initial handover of the site to Webjet’s intranet admin team and held administrator training sessions to ensure they were well-equipped with the skills to get the most from their new intranet.
3. Refine
As well as refining the content of the site, Sope worked in close partnership with Webjet to develop and implement their intranet’s security matrix and Microsoft 365 governance plan; an important pillar in the implementation phase.
4. Launch
Among the most significant phases of Sope’s implementation approach is the launch process. In Webjet’s instance, the launch included Go Live planning and support: a comprehensive training program tailored specifically to Webjet’s needs, which encompassed live sessions, video tutorials, and launching (and refining) user guides.
5. Hypercare
Far from seeing the launch as a conclusion, Sope’s 360-degrees approach incorporates 30 days of support – an integral component of Sope’s project process and methodology. This was welcomed by Webjet as crucial in the success of the new intranet for employees and stakeholders as they started to use it.
As part of the five-stage approach, it was determined that Webjet’s new intranet could play a big role in staff development and retention. This resulted in the creation of an internal jobs board where employees are able to view all the current vacancies within the organisation.
The board also lists a specific role’s position description, as well as opening and closing dates for applications on the one page. This jobs board makes it easy for employees to further their careers, with every application stored in a secure document library accessible only by approved People Team members for maximum privacy and confidentiality.
Another noteworthy feature built into the new Webjet SharePoint intranet is a ‘praise channel’ for staff to recognise teammates who go above and beyond the call of duty. The purpose of this is to nurture a stronger sense of connection and community among Webjet employees. CTO, Shashank mentions:
“And it’s been really well received. It ‘pings’ very regularly with people acknowledging good work that other people do, so that’s been good."
Shashank Kaul - Chief Technology Officer, Webjet
In meeting Webjet’s brief, Sope implemented its proven five-stage methodology to truly understand the client’s needs beyond their brief, and to integrate the new intranet into the day-to-day operations of Webjet staff with minimal disruption.
The Result
Less turbulence for simpler and smarter ways of working ahead
Webjet’s new intranet now makes it a matter of course, not a chore, for Webjet staff to be connected to their colleagues, whether they’re working in-house or remotely. It also functions as a necessary single source of truth for policies, procedures and documentation through the creation of the Webjet Knowledge Hub.
“SharePoint has become the homepage for all staff, so everyone automatically sees office communications and gets updates about events through the weekly digest emails. Everything is in one place. It’s created a one-stop-shop for knowing anything about our office.”
Shashank Kaul - Chief Technology Officer, Webjet
More simplified and efficient inter-office communications have been the real standout feature of the new intranet.
The response to the new intranet has been very positive, according to Shashank. Early metrics analysis has demonstrated to the Intranet Project team that the intranet is now being used significantly more than its previous iteration, and that it is driving an increase in SharePoint and Microsoft 365 tools.
Fast and user-friendly access to reliable, up-to-date policy and procedure information is empowering employees to make well-informed decisions in time-sensitive situations, which results in reduced errors and overall efficiency improvements.
“Everything is there in SharePoint,” explains Shashank. “There’s no longer requests for ‘Hey, where is this document? Or where is the policy?’” He cites the example of a recent policy change, which became a ‘moment of truth’ for the new platform and is pleased to confirm it passed with flying colours. The day we announced a new staff benefit policy, everyone knew about it,” Shashank recalls. “Previously, when we’ve announced things like that, a month goes by and people still don’t know about it because they didn’t read the email, or they skimmed over the email. I was getting questions from people straight away, and all that happened was we put it on the intranet – that was it!”
Shashank Kaul - Chief Technology Officer, Webjet
As for what Webjet staff think of the upgrade, according to Shashank, "When I've been talking to people, they've been absolutely thrilled with everything." This glowing feedback highlights the resounding success and positive reception of the upgraded solution among Webjet staff.
The Impact
The implementation of the SharePoint intranet solution positively transformed the way Webjet employees connect, collaborate and access information. It created a unified and user-friendly platform that improved productivity, communication and engagement across the organisation.
Below are several key highlights:
- Increased usage and adoption with early metrics analysis indicated a significant increase in the usage of the intranet compared to the previous platform
- 133,629 total visits to the Intranet
- Around 10,000 documents across 18 sites
- Over 500 visits to the new career’s portal
- Daily usage of SharePoint Online home page and communication sites
- Maximised investment in Microsoft subscription and technology
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