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The project
RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG – a leading healthcare provider – had one key objective: to consolidate its numerous hospital locations within a single social intranet. However, the organisation quickly encountered challenges: the existing systems were isolated from one another, and the TYPO3 intranet was no longer suited for a modern, mobile working environment.
With employees spread across multiple locations—including clinicians, nurses, and administrative staff—the lack of a unified digital platform hindered collaboration, efficiency, and access to critical information. Ultimately, RHÖN-KLINIKUM had to address the following areas:
- Lack of integration: Disconnected systems, including SAP and Active Directory, created inefficiencies in user management and content access.
- Usability and navigation issues: The cluttered intranet layout and complex navigation made it difficult for employees to find information quickly, especially problematic in a fast-paced healthcare environment.
- No mobile access: Many employees – such as those in nursing or cleaning services – rarely work at a desk. Without a mobile solution, they were cut off from important information and digital tools while on the move.
- Lack of personalization: The inability to deliver role- or location-specific content diminished engagement and effectiveness, negatively impacting overall satisfaction and productivity.
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Project Highlight
Uniting 18,000 healthcare professionals
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Project Timeline
July 2023 – January 2024
The goal
A social intranet as a shared digital platform for 18,000 employees
Together with RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG, SUNZINET developed a modern, fully-integrated intranet for all 18,000 employees, designed to expand and, above all, simplify corporate-wide networking—whether in the office or directly on the ward. Leveraging Staffbase’s capabilities, our mission was to:
- Centralize communication: Replace fragmented intranets with a single, unified hub for company-wide announcements, local clinic updates, and cross-departmental collaboration.
- Enable mobile usage: Mobile optimization was a key focus, especially for employees without a fixed workstation, such as nursing staff or service personnel. Up-to-date information needed to be easily accessible via smartphone or tablet.
- Integrate core systems: Connect the intranet with SAP, Active Directory, and HR tools to automate user management, streamline onboarding, and ensure role-based content delivery.
- Democratize digital access: Guarantee all employees—including those without corporate email or M365 accounts—could securely access essential resources.
- Drive engagement through personalization: Introduce social features (comments, communities) and role/location-specific content to foster connectivity and a shared sense of purpose across clinics.
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We began with an immersive discovery phase, conducting 12+ stakeholder workshops across RHÖN-KLINIKUM’s network to identify critical pain points. Through employee surveys and focus groups, we uncovered three universal needs:
- mobile access for clinicians constantly on the move,
- a centralized content repository to eliminate information silos,
- and seamless integration with SAP and Active Directory to automate workflows for all employees.
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With insights in hand, we co-defined measurable success criteria with RHÖN leadership:
- full mobile accessibility,
- and flawless SAP/HRIS integration.
Our team developed detailed user personas—including nurses, administrators, and doctors—to ensure the intranet design would address each group’s unique workflows and access requirements.
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The design phase focused on creating an intuitive Staffbase architecture featuring role-based dashboards, location-specific content zones, and embedded tools like OTRS for ticketing and Aramark for meal plans. Interactive prototypes allowed stakeholders to test and validate navigation flows before development began, ensuring alignment with employee expectations.
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Our technical team executed a meticulous migration of 2,000+ content assets from RHÖN’s existing TYPO3 system while implementing three critical integrations:
- SAP HR for automated user account creation
- Active Directory for secure login
- roXtra for document management
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After a successful pilot launch in December 2023 to gather initial user feedback, we rolled out the intranet in January 2024. To ensure seamless adoption across all 18,000 employees, we provided tailored support—including customized training materials (videos, quick guides), a dedicated helpdesk, and monthly optimization sprints. This phased approach allowed us to refine the platform in real time based on user insights, driving engagement and continuous improvement.
Results & impact
1. Unified Communication Hub
The new Staffbase intranet successfully replaced RHÖN-KLINIKUM's fragmented systems with a single, centralized platform. All 18,000 employees now access:
- Company-wide announcements
- Location-specific updates
- Integrated resources from one consistent interface.
2. Enhanced Mobile Access
Critical for clinical staff, the mobile-optimized platform enables:
- Real-time news access from hospital wards
- Key information at your fingertips (phone lists, forms for daily work)
- Secure login for all employees, including those without corporate emails.
3. Successful Adoption
The phased rollout achieved:
- Smooth pilot testing with 50+ users across 5 clinics
- Full deployment to all locations within 2 weeks
- Positive feedback on intuitive navigation and personalization
4. Cultural Alignment
The intranet now actively supports RHÖN-KLINIKUM's collaborative culture through:
- Unified news channels breaking down clinic silos
- Social features fostering peer connections
About the customer
RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG is an independent company under the umbrella of Asklepios Kliniken GmbH & Co. KGaA. Founded in 1973, it now operates five major healthcare facilities. These clinics provide medical care with direct links to universities and research institutions. Across its five locations – Bad Neustadt, Frankfurt (Oder), Giessen, Marburg and Bad Berka – approximately 913,000 patients are treated annually. The company employs more than 18,700 staff members.
