Corp portal

Implementing a corporate portal serves as an essential tool for optimizing business processes and simplifying employees' access to internal data and services. A well-designed portal not only automates routine tasks but also boosts employee engagement, enhances communication within the company, and eases the onboarding process for new hires.

What is a Corporate Portal?

A corporate portal acts as a unified information space for organizational interactions. It accelerates and increases the efficiency of work processes, serving various departments such as administration, human resources, and more.

Features and Benefits

During the onboarding phase, each employee gains access to the portal, equipped with all the necessary resources and services required for their role.
Through the portal, employees can:

Access salary details, bonuses, and incentives for a chosen period.

Request necessary documents from accounting.

Submit travel requests to office managers.

Order corporate transport and other available services.

As employees settle into their roles, the corporate portal effectively enhances productivity and streamlines internal processes by:

Facilitating convenient online document sharing without the need for downloads.

Simplifying time management, work scheduling, and report generation, thereby promoting discipline.

Providing easy assessment of task costs and final metrics.

Optimizing repetitive or duplicative tasks and processes.

Improving inter-departmental and remote team interactions.

Explore Corporate Portal Features with Corp App

Homepage - A central entry point for quick access to current news, events, and announcements.

Employee Directory - Contains colleague profiles with contact information and messaging capabilities.

Corporate Social Network - A platform for sharing ideas and discussing projects.

Task Management System - A tool for team collaboration and project tracking.

Employee Services - Access to leave management, travel arrangements, and other administrative services.

The corporate portal is akin to an internal "warehouse" of everything necessary for work, enabling employees to quickly and easily find the information they need without disrupting colleagues.

CorpApp

webmobile

The platform for corporate communications and interaction of distributed teams

The Necessity of a Corporate Portal

Without a corporate portal, companies may initially hesitate to invest in process automation. In such scenarios, accessing necessary information falls on colleagues or the individual employee, a method that lacks focus on employee value and creating comfortable working conditions. Employees face challenges such as disparate corporate information, inefficient communication, prolonged routine tasks, and reduced engagement and loyalty.

Typical Structure of a Corporate Portal

The corporate portal should reflect the unique processes of a company. Each organization determines its portal's structure and functions. A standard corporate portal structure might include:

Section	Purpose	Example Usage
Homepage	Gateway for current news and announcements.	Keeping employees informed of company news.
Employee Directory	List of employees with profiles and contact info.	Quickly finding a colleague's contact details.
Corporate Social Network	Platform for group communication.	Employees discuss projects and ideas in chats.
Knowledge Base	Repository of documents and guides.	Accessing necessary instructions for tasks.
Task Management	Tool for project and task management.	Teams assign and track task completion.
Employee Services	Access to services like leave requests.	Submit a leave application through the portal.
Analytics Reports	Tools for data analysis and visualization.	Managers review performance reports.

A corporate portal can be customized to meet a company's specific needs or built from an existing solution with subsequent configuration.

Why is a Corporate Portal Necessary?

Typical goals for implementing a portal include:

Consolidating corporate information in a single access point.

Automating routine tasks and business processes.

Enhancing communication between employees.

Boosting engagement and increasing personnel loyalty.

The solution allows for the systematic organization of crucial information about clients, projects, and documents, providing role-based access for secure and efficient operation.

Differences Between a Corporate Portal and a Corporate Website

Despite being distinct instruments, both serve as the company's "business card"—one for employees, the other for clients.

Corporate Portal

A closed web platform for internal use by company employees, providing access to corporate information and resources crucial for work.

Corporate Website

An open online resource representing the company and its services to external audiences, including clients, partners, and potential employees, used to convey news, promotions, and events.

Parameter	Corporate Portal	Corporate Website
Audience	Employees, partners, limited users	External audience including clients and partners
Access	Authorized access, data protection	Open access for all, no authorization needed
Functionality	Task management, documents, internal communication	Information on company, products, news
Goals	Enhance employee efficiency, optimize processes	Promote company and attract clients

Commonalities:

Both may contain company information and activities.

Both improve communication in different contexts.

Both require regular updates to maintain relevance.

Differences:

The website targets external audiences—clients, partners—while the portal is for internal staff use.

The website is publicly accessible without authorization; the portal is accessible only to authorized users.

The website provides company and product information, whereas the portal manages tasks, documents, and internal communication.

The website is for promotion, and the portal enhances employee productivity.

Achieving Business Goals with a Corporate Portal

A corporate portal is crucial for optimizing employee work and improving internal communication. Let's explore how this is implemented at LighTech.

Feature	Benefit	Example
1. Enhanced Internal Communication	Employees easily find contacts and discuss projects.	Internal chats and forums for Q&A sessions.
2. Document Storage and Management	Easy access to updated documents, eliminating outdated confusion.	Knowledge base with guidelines and policies.
3. Business Process Automation	Reduces task completion time, allowing focus on key responsibilities.	Task management system for tracking progress.
4. Project Management System	Team members view progress and share updates for coordinated actions.	Task boards to visualize project status.
5. Analytical Tools	Access to current data helps respond to business changes swiftly.	Dashboards with key performance indicators (KPI).
6. Employee Training and Development	Staff enhance skills and qualifications without leaving the office.	Webinars and online courses available to all employees.

Alina

CEO LighTech

I have my dashboard with key team metrics, KPIs, and workload. Everything updates instantly, enabling real-time process tracking.

Daria

Project Manager LighTech

It's easier to collaborate with remote teams. The time-tracking functionality and task boards for sprint planning in one interface are very convenient.

Tatyana

Sales Manager LighTech

In my corporate portal account, I can see all my payroll and bonuses details. If I need a work certificate, I order it here just like other documents. It's all done in a couple of clicks.

Corporate Portal: Who Needs It, When, and Why?

It benefits:

Large companies with numerous employees and complex processes needing improved communication and task automation.

Organizations with remote teams to maintain connection and collaboration among geographically dispersed workers.

Companies aiming for growth and efficiency; centralizing information and automating tasks reduces completion time.

Ideal Timing for Portal Implementation

Implementing a corporate portal can occur at various stages of a company's development:

Startup Stage: Establish structure and processes from the beginning to prevent future confusion.

Growth/Reorganization Stage: Optimize processes and improve team interactions.

Anytime: Automating tasks and enhancing communication can always increase efficiency.

Obvious and Potential Business Benefits

The advantages are:

Routine task automation reduces time and resource costs. Example: Automated document management speeds up processing.

Internal chats and forums support an open corporate culture and team cohesion, encouraging personal motivation for efficiency.

Unified access to documents and resources saves time for new employees and HR managers, e.g., a knowledge base with instructions and policies.

Access to training materials cuts costs on external training, allowing time and money to be directed towards business development.

A transparent culture boosts productivity and staff loyalty as feedback and inquiries improve working conditions.

Secure communication channels decrease the risk of information leaks, ensuring the safety of web resources.

Data analysis tools assist in making informed decisions with KPI dashboards for tracking progress.

Implementing a Corporate Portal

Embarking on a comprehensive process involving several stages. A typical implementation algorithm includes:

Implementation Stage	Description	Example
1. Define Goals and Objectives	Clearly articulate the portal's purpose and the problems it should address.	Automate leave application processes with forms and tools.
2. Form the Project Team	Assemble a team of IT, HR, and business representatives led by a project leader.	Team members include staff who understand business processes and can outline system requirements.
3. Requirement Analysis and Concept	Analyze user needs and develop the portal concept.	Personalizing content and tools for different employee groups for ease of use.
4. Select Platform and Technologies	Decide between a ready-made solution or custom development.	Choosing a platform with open APIs for future integration of new services.
5. Development and Implementation	Actual portal development with user involvement and feedback collection.	Quickly fixing interface issues based on testing and user feedback.
6. Training and Support	Train employees and provide access to manuals and technical support.	Assign responsible parties for updating policies and instructions on the portal.
7. Evaluate and Develop	Regular portal performance assessment, feedback collection, and improvements.	Reduced task completion time as a measure of portal implementation success.

How to Evaluate the Effectiveness of a Corporate Portal

Evaluating the effectiveness of a corporate portal can be a daunting task. However, by understanding key metrics, you can assess and enhance its performance effectively. Here are the main metrics to consider:

Number of Visits: Track the daily, monthly, and yearly visits to evaluate user traffic.

Average Time Spent: Analyze how long users stay engaged on the portal.

Active Users: Monitor the number of users actively engaging with the portal.

Feedback and Responses: Collect and review user feedback and responses.

Engagement Rates: Measure likes, comments, and shares to gauge user interaction.

Content Creation and Updates: Track the quantity of new and updated content.

Business Process Efficiency: Monitor task completion times, error rates, and other related metrics.

For example, if introducing a task management portal reduces routine task completion time by 30%, it indicates increased efficiency.

Evaluating portal effectiveness is a continuous process requiring regular monitoring and improvements. Keep an eye on trends, identify issues, and address them promptly.

If activity declines in specific sections, conduct surveys to understand the reasons and make necessary changes in structure or content.

Conducting a Metrics Audit to Improve the Portal

To analyze portal effectiveness, perform the following steps:

1

Set Target Values: Define target metrics based on business specifics and goals.

2

Regular Tracking: Consistently monitor metrics, comparing them against targets and past data.

3

Identify Improvement Areas: Use the analysis to spot problem areas and improvement opportunities.

4

Implement Changes: Update portal structure, content, or features to boost efficiency.

5

Evaluate Changes: Measure the impact of changes by tracking subsequent metric trends.

For instance, if there's a high bounce rate on the registration page, simplify the form for better usability. Post-change, monitor the bounce rate's decrease to confirm effectiveness.