A company suggestion box is a system that allows employees to submit suggestions aimed at improve internal processes, foster innovation and strengthen employee engagement.

Traditionally materialized by a physical urn, the Suggestion box has now evolved towards digitalized versions, better adapted to the challenges of modern business.

In this article, let's discover together how to successfully set up a suggestion box in your company, its advantages and the mistakes to avoid.

The advantages of the suggestion box in business

Accessibility for all employees

Any employee, wherever they are, has access to it as long as they have an internet connection. Even in organizations where not all employees have a professional email address, it's easy to set up. an identification system (with a registration number, a code, etc.). In addition, a digital idea box is available on any device : computer, tablet or smartphone.

[To discover – 6 good practices to facilitate the adoption of a digital collective intelligence tool]

Facilitating the processing of ideas

The ideas selection committee can find all the proposed projects in a single space. The members of this committee therefore do not have to be physically together. to consult, sort and select ideas. And in a glance, they have a global view of all the proposals. With this “dashboard” effect, collaborative innovation is easier to manage.

Collaboration at the heart of the corporate ideas box

It allows all employees to consult the ideas proposed by their peers, to support them and to follow them. The digital idea box therefore brings transparency and opens the way to the Participation Challenge and employee engagement.

How to set up a suggestion box in a company?

1- Define clear objectives

Determine the primary goal(s). Do you want to drive innovation? Improve internal processes? Increase engagement? This will guide the entire design of the system.

💡 Organize a workshop with stakeholders from different departments to align expectations.

2- Choose a suitable tool

Choose an intuitive, customizable solution that allows you to track ideas, sort them, manage statuses, and organize them (voting, comments, challenges).

💡 Choose a tool that truly meets your strategic objectives

[Read also – Examples of idea boxes in business: a lever for rapid impact depending on your objectives]

3- Communicate internally

Clearly inform employees: why this system? How does it work? What benefits can they get from it?

💡 Launch the ideas box with an event (physical or virtual) relayed via the usual internal channels.

4- Value contributions

Publicly display the selected ideas, thank the authors, and highlight the concrete impacts. This encourages lasting engagement.

💡 Create an “idea of ​​the month” or allow a collaborator to highlight their idea during a webinar.

5- Analyze the results

Regularly evaluate indicators: number of ideas, engagement rate, distribution by department, etc. Use this data to adjust your animation strategy.

💡 Share a mini-report each quarter with simple infographics on the contributions of the ideas box.

Mistakes to avoid

Launch the ideas box without communication or animation

• Result: low participation.
• Solution: Develop a communication plan during the preparation phase.

Do not follow up on the proposals:

• Consequence: rapid disengagement
• Solution: Set up a clear analysis process, with systematic feedback to contributors

Creating a process that is too cumbersome or opaque

• Consequence: frustration, decrease in usage
• Solution: Simplify the interface and validation steps as much as possible

Limit participation in certain services

• Consequence: perception of injustice. Loss of potentially relevant ideas.
• Solution: Open the ideas box to all employees, regardless of their status or function.

---

Interested in implementing an effective suggestion box within your company? Schedule a meeting to discuss best practices and key steps.

FAQ