We are pleased to announce that two members of the Knowledge Architecture community, with submissions based on Synthesis, our AEC intranet platform, are SMPS Marketing Communication Award (MCA) 2024 winners.
Congratulations Consor and Harris & Associates! We are proud to partner with you.
Consor won the Award of Excellence for the Internal Website Category as well as the People’s Choice Award
Creative Brief
In a world where connectivity and collaboration are paramount, our company's internal website stands out as a beacon of innovation and unity.
In 2022, Consor successfully unveiled a refreshed brand after acquiring and merging nine firms, thus revamping our image. However, the internal division still existed. Our leadership team shifted focus toward internal communications and our segmented intranets—some acquired firms already had an intranet, others did not. Our team sought to introduce a new platform to unify teams by consolidating content from nine firms into a single user-friendly system.
Our team, in collaboration with AEC software developer Knowledge Architecture (KA), spent months gathering content and data to develop "Beacon," Consor's company-wide intranet. With a vast repository of documents, project details, and contact information, Beacon has become the central hub for all internal communications and provides easy access and transparency to enhance engagement.
Our intranet was thoughtfully designed to:
Cater to employee needs, creating an engaging and personalized experience. Even the name "Beacon" was chosen by employees through a vote, showing their sense of ownership.
Act as a tool and provide employees with all necessary information at their fingertips, from HR and IT information to customized posts.
Welcome new hires to Consor as part of onboarding and familiarize them with the firm.
Beyond its utility, Beacon embodies our commitment to innovation—through regular feedback and iterative enhancements, we ensure our platform remains agile, adaptive, and aligned with the ever-evolving needs of our staff.
Harris & Associates won a Merit Award for the Internal Website Category
Creative Brief
Our entry highlights the seamless refresh of our company intranet, HarrisLink. The previous version lacked significant updates for over eight years and required a thorough content cleanup and reorganization to reflect our firm’s growth and business needs. The new, 100% cloud-based, mobile-friendly intranet helps engage our diverse and hybrid employee population, acts as a hub for knowledge management and information sharing, and increases efficiencies through improved information architecture that allows our employee-owners to find the information they need quickly.
We customized our messaging to engage diverse audiences, highlighting the benefits of the new platform, Synthesis 6 by Knowledge Architecture, through extensive market research. Our strategy prioritized transparency, accessibility, and inclusivity, aiming to improve user experience by simplifying content creation, streamlining discovery, and cutting search time.
Our new system surpasses the previous SharePoint-based intranet in flexibility, empowering users with enhanced creativity in page design and multimedia integration. Seamless integration with VantagePoint and OpenAsset ensures easy access to Harris' information. By shifting from self-managed SharePoint servers, we've lightened the IT load and cut costs, delivering substantial savings for Harris.
We applied the "Essential Content Update" method, refining content and enhancing information architecture for improved usability. Our phased approach, encompassing content evaluation, architecture development, branding, and implementation, minimized disruptions to daily operations.
We gauge success using set metrics, such as project milestones, user feedback, and cost savings. After launch, we maintain content, provide thorough user training, and prioritize innovation, collaboration, and strategic planning to ensure sustained engagement and satisfaction with our HarrisLink intranet.