Once you switch on a new SMLWRLD Essential intranet, it's empty except for three articles including a Welcome article, a Guided Tour and a Getting Started guide. This means that for the end-user it’s as simple as going through the steps in the Getting Started guide.

Processes like uploading an article are very easy and self-explanatory. The user simply clicks the Upload Article button, which produces a new page. Once you have given the article a title, description and assigned the relevant tags, you can drag and drop your document and click Save and Publish. It is very straightforward and requires no training.

The same applies to creating a customer directory entry, which is a case of filling in a form with the basic information such as name, contact details and address. The directory will also generate a Google Map, with a pin telling you which customer that office belongs to.

The most challenging part is organising your content migration, which is where our Customer Success team step in. They will talk new clients through any tricky steps in the migration process, making the transition as smooth and painless as possible.

The team also helps clients identify the structure that makes the most sense for their organisation, and ensures that once that structure is laid out on the intranet, it's very easy to maintain.

Unlike big corporate intranets, which have layers of permissions and admin rights, the Essential intranet is designed for smaller business with a more collaborative environment. Anyone is free to upload content, and is actively encouraged to do so.

Once the intranet starts to take hold, it quickly becomes standard practice for newly created documents or articles to be put straight on there. The intranet will grow with the business and ensure that information and knowledge are captured in the right place for perpetuity.

Gone are the days of information being hard to find. Business owners don’t need to worry about knowledge leaving the business when key staff members exit. All internal knowledge is permanently at the fingertips of staff. No one ever needs to email a document or direct a colleague to the shared drive again.