The Warehouse Group (TWG) is one of New Zealand’s largest retailing conglomerates, founded by Sir Stephen Tindall in 1982. Headquartered in Auckland, it operates over 180 stores including The Warehouse, Warehouse Stationery, and Noel Leeming, along with online platforms like TheMarket.
Client
The Warehouse Group (TWG)
Service
Viva Engage
Organisation size
Large
Industry
Retail
Context
The Warehouse Group (TWG) is one of New Zealand’s largest retail organisations, home to well-known brands such as The Warehouse and Noel Leeming. Since 2016, TWG had relied on Workplace by Meta as its enterprise social network, connecting more than 9,100 employees across 1,312 groups.
By 2025, TWG was embarking on a company-wide digital transformation to standardise communication and collaboration within Microsoft 365. With Workplace approaching end-of-life, the business saw an opportunity to consolidate platforms, strengthen employee engagement, and connect its frontline “kaimahi” (staff) and support office teams in one digital ecosystem.
Engage Squared was brought on to guide TWG through the transition from Workplace to Microsoft Viva Engage. This included configuring Viva Engage, establishing new communities, and driving large-scale adoption and engagement across the organisation through tailored change management and support.
Challenge
Transitioning an entire organisation’s social platform presented both technical and people-centric challenges. TWG needed to ensure that its diverse workforce could connect in one place, while avoiding disruption to day-to-day operations.
A key priority was bringing frontline store and distribution employees into the Microsoft ecosystem for the first time. Many of these staff members did not have Microsoft 365 identities or regular device access, which required careful coordination and a strong focus on accessibility. At the same time, TWG’s extensive “Knowledge Hub” hosted in Workplace had to be rebuilt in SharePoint Online to serve as a modern Viva Connections Knowledge Library.
The project also ran alongside other digital initiatives, including multi-factor authentication rollout and security enhancements, which increased the risk of change fatigue. Encouraging staff to access Viva Engage on personal devices and clarifying how to use Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and Viva Engage together were also major considerations.
Key challenges included:
- Bringing thousands of frontline workers into the Microsoft ecosystem for the first time
- Rebuilding the Workplace Knowledge Hub in SharePoint Online
- Managing multiple concurrent technology changes across the organisation
- Encouraging adoption through personal device access
- Establishing clear guidance on how to use the right tools for the right purpose
Solution
Engage Squared partnered with TWG on a structured, two-phase approach focused on technical enablement and effective change management. The goal was to support their migration and ensure staff felt confident using the new platform from day one.
In the technical phase, Engage Squared configured Viva Engage in native mode within TWG’s Microsoft 365 environment, creating a well-governed and sustainable community structure. The Workplace Knowledge Hub was rebuilt in SharePoint Online and integrated through Viva Connections in Microsoft Teams, giving staff a single destination for news, policies, and collaboration. Historical Workplace data was also securely archived for compliance.
The second phase focused on people. A comprehensive change strategy based on the ADKAR model helped drive awareness, desire, and capability across all levels of the organisation. This included targeted communications, in-depth training, and the creation of a cross-business Champion network to sustain engagement beyond launch. The transition was marked by a culturally resonant campaign, “Haere rā Workplace – Haere mai Viva Engage” (“Goodbye Workplace, welcome Viva Engage”), which reflected TWG’s identity and celebrated the shift to a new, modern platform.
Key activities included:
- Configuring Viva Engage in native mode and consolidating communities from 1,312 to 277
- Rebuilding the Knowledge Hub in SharePoint Online and surfacing it through Viva Connections
- Implementing an ADKAR-based change management framework
- Delivering targeted communications, guides, and live training sessions
- Establishing a Champion network to encourage long-term engagement
Rebuilding ‘NOLA’: A Microsoft 365 frontline agent
As part of Workplace, TWG had an integrated human-powered chatbot called NOLA. Access to this agent played a key role in helping frontline staff get quick answers to common operational and IT questions. With the retirement of Workplace, NOLA was decommissioned, leaving workers without a reliable, on-demand support channel. To close this gap, Engage Squared partnered with TWG to rebuild NOLA inside Microsoft 365.
NOLA was embedded within Microsoft 365 and designed specifically for frontline support. It connected to a SharePoint-based knowledge library and allowed TWG teams to self-serve answers using natural language, helping to reduce reliance on phone or email support. When an issue couldn’t be resolved by the agent, we configured NOLA to collect key details from the user and trigger escalation workflows using power automate. These workflows created a ticket within a SharePoint list, posted an adaptive card to the support teams’ channel, and start a direct between the staff member and a live agent. This end-to-end flow gave support teams full context and allowed issues to be resolved faster.
We also configured time-aware logic so that NOLA could offer real-time chat escalation during business hours and would log tickets for follow-up outside of hours. The entire solution was delivered using a development-to-production pipeline and packaged as a managed solution, ensuring it was governed, secure and ready to evolve with TWG’s support model.
Results
Launching Viva Engage delivered measurable improvements in adoption, engagement, and digital maturity. Within weeks, TWG had successfully connected almost 10,000 employees, including frontline staff who were previously excluded from digital communication channels.
Early adoption rates exceeded expectations, with a majority of users actively engaging in communities and consuming content. Community structures were streamlined, knowledge was centralised, and employees across brands were now participating in conversations that strengthened company culture and collaboration.
The project also established a modern digital workplace foundation, integrating Viva Engage with Teams and SharePoint to create a unified communication experience that supports TWG’s long-term transformation goals.
Key outcomes included:
- Circa 10,000 employees onboarded into Viva Engage and Teams
- 71% of users activated Viva Engage within 60 days, with 88% actively consuming content
- Communities reduced from 1,312 to 277, with 60% showing regular activity (up from 14%)
- 64% of content in Viva Engage trending positive, reflecting high cultural engagement
- Frontline workers connected to Microsoft 365 tools for the first time
Final thoughts
The successful launch of Viva Engage marks a significant milestone in The Warehouse Group’s digital transformation journey. By combining thoughtful change management with deep technical expertise, Engage Squared helped TWG build a unified communication platform that connects every employee, from head office to the shop floor. The new Viva Engage environment not only strengthens collaboration and culture today but also lays the foundation for an evolving, people-first digital workplace that will continue to grow with the organisation.
