A look under the hood at Plek

There are countless internal social platforms and intranets available, each with its own purpose and features. Choosing the right platform is therefore not easy. In this series, “Under the Hood,” we explore what different platforms have to offer, helping you determine which one fits your organisation best. This time, we take a closer look at Plek, a platform focused on employee engagement.

Plek: from start-up to platform for multiple sectors

Plek started in 2015 as a start-up in Amsterdam and has since grown into a platform used by over 350 organisations. It caters to a wide range of sectors, such as healthcare, construction and engineering, and government bodies.

One standout feature of the platform is that not only permanent employees can be given access, but also external users such as volunteers and temporary staff. This makes the platform ideal for organisations with a diverse user base. A key consideration, however, is whether all these different groups use the platform’s features in the same way. In practice, onboarding external users can present organisational and technical challenges, especially in terms of permissions and access control.

Internal communication and HR in one platform

What makes Plek unique is its attempt to bridge internal communication and HR processes—especially in the realm of employee engagement and the employee experience. While internal comms usually focus on informing and connecting employees, Plek adds HR-oriented features such as microlearning and social learning, onboarding, and feedback tools to gauge how a topic resonates within the organisation. The goal: bring these two domains together in a single environment.

This approach may raise questions about feasibility: can one platform truly serve the often separate goals of internal communication and HR? There’s often tension between having one integrated workplace versus using multiple specialised tools. A platform like Plek, focused on improving employee engagement, offers strong potential for delivering a unified employee experience—but may lack some of the advanced features found in best-of-breed standalone systems.

To improve user experience, Plek has developed a module specifically aimed at strengthening engagement and experience in the digital workplace.

Features and modules

Plek claims to enhance user experience through personalised content and a data-driven approach. This means the platform delivers tailored tools and information to employees, regardless of their device. The downside of this high degree of personalisation is that it limits the ability to broadcast multiple news streams—something often needed in organisations with complex internal communication structures.

A key module is the Employee Journey module, which helps guide employees through important phases in their work lifecycle. This starts with onboarding: even before new hires are officially registered as employees, they can access relevant information, training, and documents. The platform also allows you to run internal campaigns—for example, showing videos or inviting employees to participate in interactive initiatives.

Once employees go through this journey, the next step is understanding how they feel about their experience. That’s where the Smart Conversations module comes in. It uses a data-driven approach to collect targeted feedback from employees and turn it into actionable insights. Conversations are both personalised and automated, and responses can be revisited later to spot trends over time.

The data collected is used to create personas—detailed profiles that reflect the diverse types of employees within the organisation and even within specific teams, based on their feedback. This provides managers with valuable insights, helping them take targeted actions that align with the needs of their people.

With modules like Employee Journey, Smart Conversations, and Social Intranet, Plek offers a comprehensive approach to internal communication and engagement. Each module can also be used independently, giving organisations the flexibility to meet specific needs. Ultimately, the real value depends on how well the tools are adopted—but the visual design and user experience certainly support that adoption.

On the roadmap

Plek is exploring the use of AI to enhance the user experience. Currently, they’re testing an AI chatbot to help employees find information and create content more efficiently. This is especially useful in sectors like healthcare, where time is tight and access to up-to-date information is crucial. The chatbot can answer frequently asked questions or suggest content while drafting messages. The value of such a tool depends on the quality and upkeep of underlying data—and whether the bot truly fits into users’ day-to-day routines.

Pricing

Monthly pricing per user varies depending on the number of employees and platform usage. Smaller organisations benefit from a low one-time fee for setup and configuration, while monthly costs per user decrease as the organisation grows. Pricing may also depend on the number of active users or type of license.

Support is included and covers assistance with implementation, such as setting up core features, branding, and making key content easy to find. Post-launch, the focus shifts to user activation and usage tracking, using analytics to monitor and optimise performance.

This article is written in collaboration with Evolve.