Kvadrat experienced internal doubts at the intranet launch. Now the platform is the global go-to knowledge center across 28 countries and 45 locations.
Kvadrat was worried that their employees as well as production departments wouldn't use the intranet. Today, 69.78% log in daily.
Before launch, doubts were rampant - too time-consuming, unnecessary, won’t be used, especially for employees unfamiliar with social media. So, we didn’t anticipate such a high adoption rate. Now, every department fully embraces our internal communication platform
Malene Lynnerup Jensen, Consultant, People Development
Daily login
69,78%
Overall
100%
Management
96,30%
Communication & Marketing
89,74%
Customer Service
87,72%
Finance
82,91%
Sales
82,76%
Supply Chain
32,73%
Warehouse
The Challenges
Kvadrat is a leading design and textile company with 951 employees across 28 countries and 45 locations. Kvadrat produces modern textiles and related quality products for architects, designer brands, the furniture industry and consumers around the world.
Due to Kvadrat's size and global reach, the senior management wanted to better unify their business. Sometimes colleagues in the field felt a little distant from headquarters. The management team had read the book "TALK" by Boris Groysberg and wanted a solution that would cover the following:
- Intentional - Talk with a purpose
- Intimate - Face to face or virtual
- Interactive - Talk with, not to, people
- Inclusive - everybody has a say
How could Kvadrat bring everyone closer to the head office, strengthen the dialog, cross-functional collaboration and a sense of belonging, and give everyone a voice across borders, while at the same time significantly reduce the number of emails?
Through a large virtual community!
We looked into a SharePoint solution and realized that our data foundation wasn't solid enough. It would have been too much work. We needed an easy-to-use platform and chose Colibo as it's a plug-and-play solution. Colibo is incredibly intuitive. It's easy to use and we can pretty much design our intranet solution exactly how we want it to look.
Malene Lynnerup Jensen, Consultant, People Development
Customer service was crucial for us. We felt supported at every level. Line's invaluable assistance went far beyond expectations and showed us how to fully utilize and customize the platform. Her dedication made us feel heard, not just another small fish in the pond.
Navigating the digital universe: Kvadrat's intranet as the main gateway
In 2018, Kvadrat launched their intranet platform called "TALK", however, it was primarily used by management for company updates. In 2023, the People Development team at Kvadrat joins forces with the Adoption Team at Colibo to create a virtual exciting shared Kvadrat community. Over the years, Colibo had developed new functionalities to support this.
Key initiatives:
- Customized user journey for employees and management
- Info screens for production departments
- A more dynamic and visually appealing intranet that matches the design company (widgets, color themes and a dynamic background representing the headquarters).
The results
Encouraging people to use the platform has worked. The "TALK" platform has now become a symbol of a unified brand and identity for employees. Malene explains:
For us, Colibo has been a game-changer. We have tried to make it the primary gateway to all our other systems. We link to our ERP system, our recruitment system, etc. It takes you further into our digital universe. You can always find the link you need, even if you forget to save it. And the number of internal emails has decreased significantly as desired.
Improved design culture
The increased use of the intranet has also significantly improved Kvadrat's internal design culture, which is an important part of Kvadrat. Every year, all employees are required to attend a design event to stay up to date on design trends. Kvadrat has created a group called "Design Culture" on the platform where employees can share their experiences with design.
Malene elaborates:
Our design culture is much more in the spotlight. We inspire each other via the platform. People are sharing internally more than ever before. For example, we never shared new product launches globally - now we do. Before, we lacked insights into each department's design culture.
And the numbers don't lie
We experience high usage rates. Those who were initially skeptical are now active participants. In areas of skepticism, engagement rates exceed expectations. The platform has evolved to become an integral part of our organizatonal culture.
A few final words from Malene
The myth that no one would use the intranet solution has been debunked. It's an outdated narrative. People are using it everywhere, even in the production units. It's amazing how much it's being used, as opposed to the idea of 'who has time for it'.
For Kvadrat, Colibo has been worth every penny. And let's not forget that the platform is constantly evolving.
