How Asklepios uses Haiilo to unite professions, locations, leadership, and business units

Asklepios Kliniken is one of Germany’s leading private operators of hospitals and healthcare facilities. The group is recognised for its commitment to medical quality, innovation, and social responsibility and has grown continuously since its founding in 1985.  

Today, Asklepios operates approximately 170 healthcare facilities across Germany, including:

• Acute-care hospitals

• University hospitals

• Specialist clinics

• Psychiatric and forensic facilities

• Rehabilitation centres

• Nursing homes

• Medical care centres (MVZs)

With more than 70,000 employees and 3.5 million+ patients treated annually, Asklepios is one of the largest and most influential healthcare providers in Germany. At this scale, effective internal communication is essential to collaboration and quality patient care.

The Challenge

Before Haiilo, digital employee communication at Asklepios relied primarily on email newsletters, disconnected SharePoint sites, and locally developed solutions at individual locations.

This created several communication challenges:

• Nursing staff lacked convenient mobile access to information.

• Important information was difficult to locate.

• Locations and professional groups operated in silos.

• Employees had limited opportunities to connect beyond their immediate teams.

• Knowledge was not centrally accessible.

• Internal email volumes continued to grow.

The majority of Asklepios employees work in clinical care roles. Nurses spend most of their day on the move and only access computers for documentation purposes.

For them, fragmented communication meant:

• Generic comms outreach

• Lack of access to knowledge

• Missed communication outreach

Workshops with employees revealed five core needs:

1. Current, relevant, and transparent information

2. Easy smartphone-based access

3. Content tailored to specific professional groups

4. Space for dialogue and knowledge sharing

5. A platform that speaks their language

Why Asklepios Chose Haiilo

Asklepios wanted a platform capable of connecting every employee group while fundamentally modernising internal communications.

Its goals were clear:

• Improve information flow

• Break down organisational silos

• Strengthen belonging

• Unite communication, knowledge, and collaboration in one place

Haiilo provided exactly that.

Open Communication Across Boundaries

Haiilo enables communication across hospitals, departments, and professions, from nursing teams through to administration.  

A Mobile-First Digital Workplace

Asklepios required a communication platform designed from the ground up for mobile use.

The Haiilo app provides:

• Push notifications

• Fast search capabilities across integrated tools

• Easy mobile navigation

This is particularly valuable for shift-based healthcare staff.  

Relevant Information Instead of Information Overload

News, policies, activities, and employee initiatives can be delivered in a highly personalised way, including directly to mobile devices.

Structured Knowledge Access

Employees can find the information they need in one central, organised location across their Intranet platform and integrated systems such as Microsoft 365.  

Collaboration Groups

Different groups help support knowledge sharing and team communication.  

Asklepios wanted more than an intranet.

With Haiilo, it created ASKME: a digital home where employees can connect, collaborate, and find information regardless of whether they work at a desk or on the frontline.  

“Everyone at Asklepios can carry their digital workplace in their scrubs pocket or trouser pocket through the ASKME app.”

Hilkka Zebothsen, Head of Internal Communications, Asklepios

‍

How Asklepios Uses ASKME Today

Today, ASKME serves as the digital home for employees across the organisation.

The platform is built around a three-pillar communication model.

1. Centralised Communication

The Corporate Communications and Marketing team uses ASKME to distribute important information consistently and transparently across all locations and professional groups.

This includes:

• Company-wide news and updates, pushed through mobile notifications, email, intranet and more

• Executive and board communications

• Strategic programmes and transformation initiatives

• Role-based and location-based segmentation

• Campaigns and engagement activities

2. Local Communication

Local communicators within hospitals, medical centres, and training institutes manage content directly relevant to their sites.

Each location has its own dedicated digital space featuring:

• Local news

• Contact information

• Service resources

• Local policies and procedures

• Clinical operating instructions

• Frequently used documents

This ensures employees can quickly find information specific to their workplace.  

3. Communities and Collaboration

Employees actively shape ASKME through communities, groups, and personalised experiences.

Features include:

• Nursing and therapy team groups

• Closed ward-level collaboration spaces

• Mobile apps for iOS and Android

• Access to medical education resources

• Sustainability, diversity, and wellbeing communities

• Graduate and trainee groups

• Personalised homepages and news feeds

• Alerts, favourites, and subscriptions

A Real-World Example: Silvia, Intensive Care Nurse

Silvia, a 41-year-old intensive care nurse, works rotating shifts.

She has little time, relies on her personal smartphone, and needs instant access to critical information.

ASKME helps her by:

• Delivering important updates through push notifications

• Providing immediate access to policies and documents

• Enabling secure discussions with colleagues through team groups

• Allowing clinical questions to be answered through chats and knowledge communities

• Personalising her feed so she only sees relevant information

For Silvia, ASKME means:

• Less time searching for knowledge

• Better team and company alignment  

• Stronger team connection

• Easier onboarding for new colleagues

• Improved collaboration

Ultimately, it helps make patient care more effective by ensuring clinical staff have faster access to the information they need.  

“Employees actively shape their digital workplace. Through surveys on all kinds of topics, ASKME continually evolves. People see that they can genuinely influence their working environment.”

Hilkka Zebothsen, Head of Internal Communications, Asklepios

‍

Results: A Communication Culture That Connects and Engages

The impact of ASKME is both visible and measurable.

Stronger Employee Engagement

Employees actively participate by sharing knowledge, commenting on posts, and using ASKME as their primary communication platform.  

Fewer Emails

The organisation has reduced internal email overload by moving communication into a structured and searchable environment.

Better Collaboration

Interactive communities connect employees across locations, functions, and professional groups, helping break down silos and strengthen organisational unity.

More Transparency and Leadership Visibility

Strategic initiatives are easier to understand and leadership communication feels more approachable, increasing trust, identification, and engagement.

Better Patient Care

Faster access to information, mobile document access, and specialist communities help healthcare professionals work more efficiently and support better patient outcomes.  

27,000+ Active Users

More than 27,000 employees currently use ASKME, with adoption continuing to grow. A company-wide survey found that 66% of employees consider the platform very important for internal communication.  

Employees particularly value:

• Company-wide news

• Easy access to work-related documents

• Location-specific information that supports daily work

‍