Stop right there! 70% of employees aren’t engaged at work! 31% of employees never use their company intranet…. Even though, engaged employees are more productive, happier, and increase workplace revenue.
The staff are there, the tools are out there, the conversations are ready to take place…The choice is yours…
There are so many internal communications platforms on today’s marketplace that it can be daunting for businesses to choose the correct one.
Don’t be fooled by the latest technology with all the bells and whistles on offer, SnapChat integration, Instagram capabilities and automated messenger bot responding…. Every business needs to find a platform that works for their goals,needs,staff, and their expectations.
What works for one business could be completely wrong for another. Where some communications platforms excel in some areas, they are incredibly weak in other areas, it’s hard to find a balance without understanding the needs of your specific business.
What questions should you ask before you choose an internal communications platform that works for your business?
What problems do you need to solve?
Before you start thinking about what features you want, think about the problems that you need to solve. Everything else comes from here.
Do you have off-site workers that need to be accessing certain types of document or messaging colleagues instantaneously? Are employees complaining about the amount of spam and informal communications that they are receiving in their work email inbox?
Are you currently using a variety of communications platforms and causing unnecessary confusion amongst staff as messages are missed or misinterpreted?
Are you offering a two way method of communications that allows all employees to communicate from one simple interface across all digital devices?
Ask people from all corners of your organization what their communication problems are, make a list of them, check this list off when looking at the different platforms and features available.
This will not only help you to find a platform that works for everybody, it will help you to convince stakeholders of the need to invest in a new internal communications solution.
What are the specific needs of your company?
What’s more important for your business – A task tracking platform or a group chat app? Do you need a shared calendar for meetings and conference calls or a project management platform for keeping track of milestones and goals? Do you want an all-in-one solution or best of breed?
Every business has different needs, and the key to choosing an effective communications app is understanding your needs and identifying the best tool to serve them.
Some business communications apps, like Slack, are built for chat. Others, like Basecamp, are built around project management. Redflag lets you communicate with all employees, stakeholders, and customers via a medium of communication that works for them. By offering your staff a choice of communication methods, with collaborative messaging facilities, and pre scheduled reminders, you’re solving problems before they arise.
What are the costs involved?
When looking at a new piece of internal communications software, there are often several costs involved.
How much is the product itself?
How much will it cost to train all staff thoroughly on the software?
How much does the software cost to use? How much does this increase with extra staff/more usage?
If your business is new to internal communications products, the costs involved can sometimes seem overwhelming. An affordable but complicated solution can cost more than an expensive yet simple one, this is mainly down to the expensive training costs involved.
You must weigh up these costs with the amount of time it will take for employees to become trained and confident, with the loss of productivity as they are receiving training.
It’s all well and good having fancy software that will improve internal communications, but not if this is to the detriment of employees actually achieving the goals of the business.
When you measure the costs of an crisis communications tool. Look beyond the monthly subscription fee. Is there quick setup? Is it easy to use? How much is the installation cost? Just how many hours will each member of staff have to spend being trained to use the software efficiently?
What are the benefits for your business?
Investments don’t come without their rewards. When you have figured out the costs of upgrading your internal communications, start to calculate the benefits that you’ll receive when starting to use it.
Will messaging become faster and more accurate between employees and management? Will all communications become easier due to the rapid accessibility both inside and outside of the office across mobile devices?
Will accuracy increase? There will no longer be an excuse for a lost or ignored email! A centralized group chat may be easier for employees to follow. All messages ignored can be counted and highlighted, showing which employees are engaging professionally and efficiently. Is it easier for your team to perform and succeed as projects develop?
Is the software easy to implement?
Will is be easy to implement this software quickly and efficiently across all staff?
How easy will it be to install the software across your entire network of workstations, mobile devices, and laptops?
If it’s cloud based software, will it be simple enough to create and disseminate login details for each user?
How long will it take until employees are fully trained and highly capable and confident from the second they login to the software?
Once you’ve asked all of these questions you will be in a strong position to choose the best type of internal communications software for you and your team!
Don’t forget to take a look at Redflag by Pocketstop, many businesses across the country are using it to communicate effectively and efficiently for all internal communications problems.
