Project Description
Carta implemented a SharePoint intranet to engage their remote workforce.
Creating a beautifully designed internal communication platform to connect each employee back to the organisation and develop stronger relationships
The Client and Their Challenge
Carta Worldwide are an innovative financial services company that specialises in providing financial technology to modernise payment systems. Their advanced cloud API card issuer processor empowers customers to seamlessly manage their finances digitally. Carta also offer fraud alerts, spending analysis and financial education resources.
Carta Worldwide was founded in 2008 and now has a presence in multiple countries around the world, including Canada, the United Kingdom and Morocco. As their operations continued to expand, they found the need for a new intranet that would become a single source of communication and knowledge for all employees.
Carta chose ThinkShare as their intranet partner because of our proven success at supporting digital transformation journeys. We have a wealth of experience delivering solutions that enhance hybrid and remote working models. ThinkShare is fully cloud-based, and this familiarity with remote working increased trust with the client. For years we have confidently delivered projects remotely, from the planning stage to building and deployment. We create engaging intranets that become a place employees want to visit for updates.
One of the critical challenges of managing a distributed, remote workforce is preventing isolation and disengagement. Carta wanted to connect each employee back to the wider organisation by helping their people build relationships beyond their individual offices to feel a sense of belonging to one company.
The Solution
A SharePoint out-the-box intranet built on SharePoint Online was selected for the intranet. It allowed Carta to integrate their new intranet with other applications and tools in the Microsoft 365 suite, including Yammer communities, all in one location. Reducing the number of platforms employees had to switch between was crucial for high user adoption.
At the beginning of the project, we hosted workshops to gain deeper insight into Carta’s requirements. Carta expressed their preference for enhanced personalisation to make their internal communication platform reflective of the branding already curated for their customer-facing sites.
We discussed how we could move beyond SharePoint’s out-the-box basic design functionality to make it more visually appealing. By creating custom images for their headings instead of basic text, they could apply their chosen font which was not supported in SharePoint. Different sections of the intranet were separated using colour blocking with Carta’s colour scheme, thus making navigation more user-friendly. We also updated the page layouts to ensure the theme was consistent across all intranet pages.
Accessibility was a key consideration when deciding to change the standard text headers to new images. We ensured all headers were accompanied by alt text which could be easily understood by screen readers to deliver a fully functional experience for all employees.
Ongoing collaboration with Carta’s internal team during the design stage was crucial to achieving a final design that matched their vision and incorporated the desired imagery. Together we were able to achieve maximum personalisation and maintain brand consistency.
The intranet was designed to elevate the employee experience. Considering their remote-first approach, Carta needed to find engaging ways to connect their employees working in offices spanning several locations. We included features such as the local weather and current time on the solution’s homepage. People could easily see their co-workers’ local time and schedule communications to be received during their working hours to protect work-life balance. Local weather updates sparked conversations to organically enhance connection across the organisation. This aligned with Carta’s commitment to updating their work practices to fit the expectations of their remote, asynchronous workforce.
Again accounting for the lack of face-to-face communication in their work model, creating opportunities for socialisation and relationship building became a priority. The ‘social countdown’ feature boosted the visibility of upcoming social events. Yammer communities were integrated to give employees a dedicated space to share personal moments, not just company updates, so it could become a more employee-led platform. The goal was to help their workers develop stronger bonds with co-workers they don’t have direct regular contact with and feel connected to the activities and successes of other offices.
A key goal of the project was to simplify knowledge retrieval and ensure important information was accessible directly from the intranet homepage or navigation bar. SharePoint’s document management capabilities reduced siloed knowledge and created clarity around key policies. We improved how company news was displayed and how internal communications were received.
Our experienced consultants have a deep understanding of exactly what users need from an intranet. Here are some of the key features from Carta’s intranet:
Key Features:
- Shared key organisational activity and messages
- Targeted relevant content to a specific audience with a ‘my news’ section
- Increased efficiency with a ‘quick links’ section to help users find information faster
- Highlighted seniority and departmental structures in an organisational chart page
- Included a people directory so everyone, especially new starts, could identify each other
- Hosted Carta’s third-party HR platform to make it accessible directly from the intranet
ThinkShare provided support throughout the project with weekly calls to ensure Carta were happy with their new intranet. We supported the client to build their knowledge of SharePoint’s features so they could maximise the functions available and drive enthusiasm for the project. Their employees were able to gain confidence in building and adding their own content without technical assistance.
The final design flowed seamlessly with Carta’s corporate branding and provided easy access to all the essential information employees needed to achieve productivity and success at work. It was adapted to the requirements of a globally dispersed, remote workforce operating across time zones.
The Outcome
ThinkShare worked in close partnership with Carta to deploy a beautifully designed bespoke intranet that delivered all their requirements, whilst surpassing expectations. Carta needed an engaging application that surfaced important company updates, securely stored documents and created natural opportunities for connection and collaboration in a geographically dispersed workforce.
The project’s goal was to create a platform that would transform their internal communications and be demonstrably useful for employees during the workday. Through close collaboration with Carta’s internal team, we focused on the user experience and corporate branding. When creating the user interface, we were mindful of accessibility while ensuring the design was vibrant and modern to encourage employees to use their new intranet.
It was essential that the intranet was easy to maintain and could continue to grow as the business expanded and the workforce grew. We provided regular support and training so Carta could learn how to maximise their new system, equipping them with the skills needed to successfully manage the intranet’s content and keep it up-to-date. Carta were fully involved in the process of creating header images and icons that fit their company branding, so they were able to independently maintain a cohesive look and feel after the project ended.
Integrating Yammer communities encouraged employee participation through conversations, polls and Q&A functions. This addition helped achieve Carta’s goal of curating a cohesive culture and bringing employees from all sites together.
ThinkShare enjoyed building a strong collaborative relationship with Carta to create an intranet that aligned with their need for strong corporate branding and personalisation. We are pleased that their employees are already beginning to engage with the new intranet and strengthening relationships with their remote colleagues.
