How has 2020 and COVID changed the internal communications landscape?
Over the last year, businesses have had more information to update their team on than ever before. But it’s not just the sheer volume that’s been challenging, it’s the speed at which it is changing. As previously desk-based workers become deskless for the first time, businesses have struggled to manage the volume of emails and messages amongst their team and streamline the updates people are receiving.
In short, we’ve become an increasingly fragmented workforce, and this has had a huge impact on internal communications. Teams are now working in isolated, challenging conditions to deliver everything from effective crisis communications strategies to digital employee onboarding and even office cleaning schedules.
Many businesses have understandably made mistakes as they struggle to manage and streamline their internal communications strategies. Most now have apps and messaging platforms for internal comms, and emails for company updates, and Whatsapp for informal conversation. As a result, teams are becoming overwhelmed.
How do you expect these trends to change as we move past COVID?
The biggest change this year will be the move from engaging remote employees during COVID, to engaging hybrid teams as we start to return to offices. This will arguably be an even more complex challenge as managers and leaders navigate in-person conversations that happen in the office, while keeping deskless and remote workers updated.
Everyone will need to re-learn how to communicate after a year of the pandemic, and navigate the inevitable crossover of information to ensure teams aren’t receiving the same information twice, which can decrease engagement of future communications.
Not only will streamlining comms remain the ultimate goal, but the need to track and manage who has and hasn’t engaged with specific content will become increasingly valuable.
One change we’re already seeing is the type of messages being sent between teams. With so much to digest, teams simply aren’t engaging with weekly or monthly company newsletters any more. With so much fluidity, these are often out of date by the time they’re read. We’re seeing more and more people make their content engaging through OurPeople’s ‘Cards’ which can include video, imagery and quizzes, and aim to increase engagement amongst employees.
Where are businesses going wrong when it comes to internal communications?
The biggest mistake that keeps cropping up is over sharing. Not everyone in a business needs to know every piece of information. Many companies send out long bulletins, expecting employees to sift through to find information relevant to them. Rather than getting the message out there, this tactic has a detrimental effect on engagement rates.
Many managers also assume that because they’ve sent a message to the right person at the right time, they will engage with the information. But, other than sending another email to check and adding to inbox clutter, they have no idea whether the message has actually been read.
The sheer volume of different tools to engage remote employees can also really hamper engagement rates. Before we start working with our clients, they tend to have an app for specific teams, a messaging service for the whole business, emails for important communications, different platforms for desk-based workers and deskless teams, as well as informal ‘chat’ channels – you get the idea. With so many platforms to check, it’s no surprise messages can slip.
To really understand employees and their needs, leaders should consider implementing regular employee engagement surveys and ensure they include questions about internal communications channels – from the type of platforms they are using, the volume of messages they receive and what they find most useful and engaging.
This will offer invaluable insight for managers and leaders and help them formulate a strategy for the coming year.
What kind of businesses use OurPeople?
OurPeople was originally designed to support desk-less workers, such as health professionals and frontline workers, who don’t typically have access to email or messaging services throughout their day. Last year, we actually created a specific version of OurPeople for National Health Service (NHS) frontline employees which used simple SMS to deliver updates.
However, since the pandemic forced many traditionally desk-based workers into deskless situations, our customer-base has significantly broadened.
OurPeople now caters to everyone from insurance companies to Local Government. All of them came to us with similar problems around fragmented communications, and have seen amazing results when it comes to engagement after implementing OurPeople.
What is the best way to engage with and improve communication with frontline workers during Covid?
Mobile devices and apps are still the best tools to stay connected and engaged with remote employees during these unprecedented times. However, as we spend more time on our phones, we take in more and more information – from news articles to social media updates – meaning internal communications are increasingly competing against the noise. As such, businesses should try to keep their updates short and engaging, with images and videos, to ensure their messaging stands out.
Email and internet may not be accessible for some, particularly those on the frontline. These workers may only keep their mobile device on them during their shift. For this reason, the OurPeople team app is designed to send a direct SMS to those that have not been able to access it online.
Managers are also able to check who has (and who hasn’t) read and engaged with an update, so they can send individual follow-up messages where needed. This has vastly improved team communication for your frontline employees.
Using apps has come under increased criticism when it comes to the security of information, however, OurPeople is fully GDPR compliant so you can rest assured that your teams and work are covered.
How does OurPeople help businesses streamline their communications?
OurPeople offers businesses simple ways to improve team communication, by providing real-time communications solutions.
The OurPeople team app can reach employees without email, as well as help cut down on the amount of email traffic within a business by offering an alternative, digestible messages and cards. Teams receive the information they need, when they need it – rather than messages designed for the entire company that might have no relevance to their role in the businesses. For managers, the app allows them to see who has read and engaged with the content they send.
This streamlines communications by reducing the number of unnecessary updates employees receive, and ensures leaders have a clear view of engagement across the business, and only need to follow up with those that have not read the message.
What are three features of OurPeople that you get excited about?
Last year, we launched a version of the app that helped teams stay connected with frontline workers via simple SMS messages, which is something we are still incredibly proud of.
However, when it comes to features of the app, we’re seeing ‘Cards’ become increasingly popular. Cards offer a more engaging type of content, with over 13 different formats including videos, images, events, quizzes and document signing which can be a really great way to keep teams engaged, rather than simply another email.
With growing concerns around the security of messaging apps, OurPeople also offers peace of mind for businesses, and is completely GDPR compliant, so every message sent on the platform is secure.
One of the things we set out to do with OurPeople is to help businesses reach the right people. The ‘Smart Tags’ feature allows managers to treat everyone as an individual and ensure everything the team sees is relevant to them and is quick to read and easy to understand.
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