Bringing a centralized knowledge base to Siegel+Gale
I introduced a new intranet platform to replace our outdated system and make it easier for everyone to find information and stay connected. By leveraging integrations, a tailored brand identity, and a fun global launch, we’ve set the stage for better collaboration, culture, and efficiency at Siegel+Gale.
C-Suite
Human Resources
Marketing
Design
🤝
👷🏽
In Collaboration with
Role
Project manager
Timeline
⏱️
8 months
About Siegel+Gale
Siegel+Gale, a global strategic branding firm known for its emphasis on simplicity, faced a challenge: its internal intranet, called Plus, no longer supported its employees’ needs. The platform was difficult to navigate, lacked regular updates, and did not integrate well with the company’s existing tools. As a result, finding crucial information—like case studies, team contacts, and office announcements—became time-consuming and frustrating. This situation created inefficiencies, reduced employee engagement, and made it harder to maintain a consistent company culture across multiple offices.
The starting point
I sent surveys to all of our offices to get a pulse check on Plus. Below are some of the answers I recieved.
Not very often, we do use box more than Plus, but we are concern on what is the relationship between Plus and Box. When we try to find a case, I feel box is more easy at moment & looks like Box is update quick than Plus.
Does your office use Plus?
I'm not sure most people use it. Newer employees likely don't know about it. I have found it most useful when looking for old case studies that I couldn't find on Box or the server but that need has decreased over time.
What are the criteria for a successful tool at Siegel+Gale?
A compelling reason for people to use it. Between SLACK, box, Concur, REACH, BSwift... we have too many resources that aren't consolidated. We're not a big company at all so there shouldn't be so much. People won't engage.
Plus need to be as a hub for S+G case studies, presentation deck share, knowledge share that can support people's work.
We need to clearly define its role and how it offers up something different (yet still useful) than our other tools, namely Box and Slack. Currently, there's nowhere for me to go to look up information on other S+Gers. It would be great to have a place I can see if anyone has expertise in a certain area/industry, has worked on a new client of mine in the past, or who has worked on what clients at S+G if i want to reach out to learn more about a case.
What’s one thing you want out of an intranet?
A better search function, and to be a better resource hub.
A clear understanding of what I can find there.
Identifying key issues with Plus
It was clear that there were several issues with the current knowledge base.
Low use and outdated content
Only about 20% of employees regularly visited Plus, and much of its content was outdated or irrelevant.
Inefficient information searchability
Employees had trouble finding case studies, resources, and team member details. This made it harder to prepare for client work quickly and effectively.
No hub for culture and community
There was no easy way to share office news, event details, or celebrate team successes. This limited the company’s ability to strengthen its global office culture.
High cost and limited value
Siegel+Gale spent a lot of money on a tool that delivered little benefit and did not integrate well with Slack, Outlook, Box, or other tools that were used at the company.
Goals and objectives
I set out with clear goals to tackle these issues:
Help win new business
Make it easier to find relevant case studies, materials, and internal experts who could enhance client proposals.
Improve day-to-day work
Bring access to important tools and information to one cental place, reducing the time employees spend hunting for resources.
Strengthen office culture
Provide a space to share news, celebrate wins, and keep everyone informed - no matter which office they’re in.
Choosing Simpplr
After evaluating various intranet solutions, I chose a tool called Simpplr because it offered the following benefits:
A clean, flexible design
Users could personalize their home page, making it relevant to their role or office location.
Seamless app integration
It connected with other tools employees used, such as Box, Slack, Outlook, and more. This made it easier to find files and share announcements without jumping between platforms.
Better search and user profiles
It used plain-language search, making it easier to find case studies, templates, or experts with specific experience. Interactive organizational charts and detailed employee profiles help everyone understand the company’s structure and find the right people.
Built-in social features
Simpplr’s news feeds, calendars, and photo galleries help foster a sense of community. Employees can share successes, highlight best practices, and promote upcoming events, both locally and globally.
Implementation plan
I put together a pitch deck for leadership which helped them see the value in investing in a tool that saved time, supported growth, and fit the brand’s promise of simplicity.
Get executive approval and support
Brand-aligned design
I collaborated with the design and naming teams; a shortlist of names was created that fit the brand’s identity. We landed on “Insider” as the name for the new knowledge base. This thoughtful naming and visual design helped build trust and reflected the company’s DNA.
Transfer content and resources over
I worked with Marketing, Human Resources, Design, and Business Development to gather their important information and import their data into the Simpplr platform. I worked with Simpplr’s onboarding manager to ensure the project was on track to launch by the target date.
Global Launch Party
To build excitement, each office’s community manager hosted a themed launch party. They served specialty drinks and snacks, decorated the office, and guided employees through the platform’s new features. This fun, welcoming event helped foster immediate positive engagement.
Step-by-step rollout and training
Starting with high-impact areas like onboarding and commonly used toolkits, I trained employees on how to make the most of Simpplr. My guidance, as well as internal marketing campaigns encouraged quick adoption.
Ongoing content management
Content owners for each office and department were assigned responsibilities for updating and maintaining their pages, ensuring the site stayed fresh and useful.
Wrapping up
By implementing Simpplr—renamed and rebranded as “Insider”— I helped Siegel+Gale bring its internal operations in line with the simplicity it promised to clients. With executive support, careful rollout, thoughtful branding, and a lively global launch, Insider helped improve work efficiency, employee engagement, and overall productivity.