The Antwerp Zoo and Planckendael digitize their internal communication

Improving internal communication was an important part of this project. Thanks to the implementation of the Intranet, we have realised most of that objective.KRISTOF VAN BOUWEL - IT MANAGER, KMDA

The Antwerp ZOO and Planckendael cooperated with Cegeka to digitise their internal communication and prevent further fragmentation. They installed a Microsoft SharePoint server for the Intranet as the main source of information.

Preventing fragmentation

The Antwerp ZOO and Planckendael have 350 permanent employees. That requires improved internal communication, which used to be rather fragmented. “We were using an internal mailing and a bulletin board on which all the news was posted”, Kristof Van Bouwel, IT manager at the Antwerp ZOO and Planckendael says.

“Not everyone had a PC, so some employees were not informed about the latest developments. It was not clear if everyone had read the internal messages.” The Antwerp ZOO and Planckendael asked their IT partner Cegeka to build an Intranet based on Microsoft SharePoint 2010.

Quick approval

After an analysis phase in June, the first pilot version was launched and showcased to the management in September. Following their approval, everything proceeded smoothly. The development and implementation were perfectly on schedule. For the graphic design of the Intranet, the in-house designers worked in close cooperation with Cegeka.

The launch of the SharePoint server is part of the 2020 project of the Antwerp ZOO and Planckendael, which includes their organizational objectives for the coming years. “Improving internal communication was an important part of this project. Thanks to the implementation of the Intranet, we have realised most of that objective”, Van Bouwel says.

Intensive use

By centralizing all of this information in SharePoint, the organizations wanted to turn the Intranet into a live tool. Because everything takes place in the digital world, the Antwerp ZOO and Planckendael can keep track of their internal communication more easily. “We now have a good overview of the page visits and the number of clicks. We notice that the Intranet is used intensively on a daily basis”, Van Bouwel says.

In phase II of the project, the Intranet will be expanded to eliminate even more paper forms. “We would like to digitise the paper idea box, as well as registrations at the reception desk and flu vaccine requests. In the future, each employee will also have a personal page.”