SharePoint Intranet Service: 8 Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them

In today’s business world, effective communication and collaboration are key to organizational success. For many businesses, a SharePoint intranet service is an essential tool for streamlining communication, document management, and team collaboration. However, as powerful as SharePoint can be, it also comes with its own set of challenges. Whether you’re just starting with SharePoint or are looking to improve your existing intranet, understanding these challenges, and how to overcome them, can make a world of difference.

In this blog, we’ll explore eight common challenges organizations face when managing a SharePoint intranet service, along with practical tips and strategies to address them. Whether you’re part of a large corporate structure or a niche industry like an oil and gas marketing agency, the advice shared here will help you maximize the potential of your SharePoint environment.

1. Poor User Adoption

One of the biggest challenges businesses face when implementing a SharePoint intranet service is getting employees to use it effectively. Without proper buy-in from the workforce, the intranet may quickly become underutilized, resulting in wasted investment.

How to Overcome This Challenge:

• Engage Employees Early: During the implementation phase, involve employees in the process. Get feedback from different departments to understand their needs and pain points. This makes them feel included and more likely to embrace the system once it’s up and running.
  
• Training and Support: Offer consistent training sessions tailored to different user groups. Create helpful guides, videos, or intranet FAQs to ensure users know how to leverage the platform. Support should be easy to access and available when needed.
  
• User-Friendly Interface: The more intuitive the system, the more likely users will adopt it. Focus on designing a SharePoint intranet that is easy to navigate and matches your team’s workflow.

Real-life Example: A global healthcare provider introduced SharePoint to its employees but saw low adoption rates. By rolling out specific department-based training and offering ongoing support, they saw a significant increase in usage and employee satisfaction.

2. Lack of Clear Governance

Another common challenge is managing a SharePoint intranet service without proper governance. Without clear rules and processes in place, it can become chaotic, with users uploading inconsistent or inappropriate content, creating duplicate documents, or losing track of important files.

How to Overcome This Challenge:

• Establish Clear Governance Policies: Define who can access, modify, and delete documents. Set up clear naming conventions, metadata structures, and permissions. Make sure these policies are communicated across the organization.
  
• Appoint SharePoint Administrators: Designate individuals who are responsible for overseeing the intranet and ensuring governance is maintained. They can monitor user activity and ensure the intranet remains organized.
  
• Audit and Compliance: Regularly audit content and processes to ensure compliance with internal and external regulations. For example, an oil and gas marketing agency working with sensitive data needs to ensure their intranet follows security and regulatory guidelines.

3. Inefficient Search Functionality

SharePoint comes with a powerful search feature, but without proper configuration, it may not provide the expected results. An inefficient search functionality leads to frustration as users cannot easily find the information they need.

How to Overcome This Challenge:

• Optimize Search Functionality: Take the time to configure search settings to ensure users can easily find what they’re looking for. Make sure metadata is applied properly and consistently across all documents.
  
• Content Tagging and Classification: Establish a process to tag documents and content effectively. This improves the searchability of files and ensures relevant content appears in search results.
  
• Regular Maintenance: Periodically review the search experience and make adjustments. SharePoint allows you to fine-tune search parameters to ensure that it evolves with the needs of the organization.

Real-life Example: A financial services firm struggled with SharePoint’s search capabilities. After implementing better metadata practices and reviewing search functionality regularly, the company noticed a significant improvement in user satisfaction.

4. Overcomplicated Customization

SharePoint offers numerous customization options, but without careful planning, these can lead to an overcomplicated, cluttered interface. If users find the system difficult to navigate, they may abandon it altogether.

How to Overcome This Challenge:

• Keep Customization Simple: Focus on customizing SharePoint only where necessary. Too many bells and whistles can lead to confusion. Instead, prioritize features that will directly improve workflow and collaboration.
  
• Design with User Experience in Mind: Build a clean, intuitive interface. Make sure users can access the tools they need quickly and easily.
  
• Test Changes Before Implementation: Before rolling out significant changes, test them with a small group of users to gather feedback. This can help identify any issues before they affect the broader user base.

5. Integration Issues

For many organizations, SharePoint is not the only platform being used. Integrating SharePoint with other tools, such as CRM systems, HR software, or financial platforms, can be a complex process.

How to Overcome This Challenge:

• Evaluate Integration Needs Early: Before implementing SharePoint, determine which third-party tools and systems need to be integrated. Have a clear plan for integration and allocate necessary resources.
  
• Use Available Connectors and APIs: SharePoint offers connectors to popular tools like Office 365, Dynamics 365, and other enterprise applications. Leverage these to simplify the integration process.
  
• Test Integrations Thoroughly: Test all integrations thoroughly before going live. This helps ensure smooth data flow between systems and minimizes disruption to your day-to-day operations.

6. Security Concerns

Security is a top priority for any SharePoint intranet service. Sensitive documents and data are often stored on SharePoint, making it a target for cyberattacks. Ensuring the security of this information is vital to protecting your organization.

How to Overcome This Challenge:

• Set Proper Permissions: Implement a least-privilege access model, where users can only access the content that is necessary for their role. Regularly review and adjust permissions as roles change.
  
• Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): For added security, enable MFA for SharePoint access, especially for users accessing the system remotely or dealing with highly sensitive data.
  
• Monitor and Audit Activity: Use SharePoint’s built-in monitoring and auditing tools to keep track of user activity. This helps identify any suspicious behavior early on.

7. Content Management Overload

As your organization grows, so does the amount of content on SharePoint. Managing a large volume of documents can become overwhelming, leading to confusion, versioning issues, and difficulty maintaining an organized system.

How to Overcome This Challenge:

• Establish Clear Document Management Protocols: Implement strict version control and ensure users are aware of the proper way to upload, edit, and store documents.
  
• Use Libraries and Metadata: Organize content into logical libraries and apply metadata consistently. This helps group similar documents together and makes them easier to search for later.
  
• Regularly Archive and Clean Up: Periodically clean up old content and archive files that are no longer in use. This keeps your SharePoint environment lean and manageable.

8. Lack of Mobile Optimization

With more employees working remotely or traveling for business, it’s crucial for SharePoint to be optimized for mobile use. A poor mobile experience can lead to frustration and decreased productivity.

How to Overcome This Challenge:

• Leverage SharePoint’s Mobile App: SharePoint offers a mobile app that allows users to access documents and collaborate on the go. Encourage employees to download and use it.
  
• Design Mobile-Friendly Pages: Make sure SharePoint pages and content are responsive, meaning they will adapt to various screen sizes. Test the intranet’s performance on different devices to ensure it works smoothly.
  
• Provide Training on Mobile Usage: Not all employees may be familiar with mobile features. Offer training sessions focused on how to access and navigate SharePoint from mobile devices.

Conclusion

Implementing and managing a SharePoint intranet service comes with its challenges, but understanding and addressing these obstacles can unlock its full potential. By focusing on user adoption, clear governance, effective search functionality, and other key areas, organizations can build a SharePoint environment that enhances collaboration, boosts productivity, and supports organizational growth.

For industries like oil and gas marketing agencies, where secure document management and seamless team communication are crucial, overcoming these challenges becomes even more critical. With the right approach, your SharePoint intranet can become a powerful tool for improving internal operations and ensuring a more efficient and organized workplace.

In the end, the key to a successful SharePoint intranet service lies in understanding the unique needs of your organization, continuously adapting to changes, and ensuring that the system is easy to use, secure, and effective for everyone involved.