Employee Communication: An Evolving Corporate Need

Internal communication is hardly a new concept. Almost as long as there have been businesses, there has been a need to communicate the important news of the company and the industry to employees.

Traditionally, this involved memos, announcements, bulletin boards, and other more analogue means of communication. Today, however, technology has enabled internal communication to evolve. And because the current digital ecosystem allows information to flow in so many directions at once with social media, intranets, and email all keeping employees connected to the latest news, the concept itself has expanded.

Internal communication has become part of the larger field of employee communication tools, and it’s a system of sharing information that’s online and digital. And it’s more important than ever that companies adopt the best internal communication strategies and platform technology.

Recently, Gartner, a leading expert on digital trends, issued their latest observations on the industry in their Market Guide for Employee Communications Applications, highlighting the importance of this ever-changing corporate need.

Employee communication is a maturing market.

The idea of a holistic, digital field of “employee communication” as opposed to traditional internal communication is relatively recent. Yet it is a market that is maturing rapidly.

This market includes products designed to facilitate communication within a company, between management, employees, and outside sources. What was once considered internal communication is now part of a much larger online communication ecosystem, one in which employees can receive company news, read digital newsletters, follow competitive reports, and receive the thoughts of industry leaders and influencers, all on the same channels.

Here are a few of the key findings from the latest Gartner Report, regarding employee communication tools:

Employers want to modernize employee communication.

Recently Sociabble discussed the future of internal communication at the internal communication summit in Delhi. The fact that transformation is needed in the sphere of communications is not lost on corporate leaders. It’s viewed largely as a necessity.

Essentially, an advanced employee communication platform is seen as part of a larger modernization and digital transformation initiative. It’s become a step companies know they need to take to change with the times and adapt to the new digital reality—while improving the employee experience in the process. Thus, it’s not surprising that more and more companies are adopting digital platforms to handle their employee communication.

Email distribution lists and intranet sites remain popular.

Nevertheless, there is still plenty of room for expansion in the industry. Despite the fact most companies know that change is needed, many are still sticking to more traditional means of keeping employees informed.

Essentially, this is the major challenge facing the business community—many companies are still relying on email lists and other 20^th century solutions, but those techniques are no longer getting the job done. It’s simply not enough. New employee communication tools are needed.

Mobile-first employee communication is gaining interest.

The increasing importance of mobile technology as a means of keeping employees informed cannot be understated. Employees spend significant portions of their day on mobile devices—it’s only natural that employee communication apps it should become an important means of connecting employees to the information stream of their workplace.

The potential for mobile to grow in employee communication is obvious, and will likely continue in the years to come. Mobile is the future of employee communication, in more ways than one.

Employees have more communication options via their preferred channels.

It’s not longer just about getting a mass-produced newsletter over email. More and more, communications are customized to the information that employees want to receive, and the channels and devices that they actually use the most.

In effect, it gives employees more motivation to become engaged with the latest company news, because it actually feels relevant to their needs and their routine. Information becomes more tailored and less generic. Employees connect with it because it is useful to them, and because it can be received on their most commonly used devices.

The modern solution? An integrated digital employee communication platform.

As noted in the report, one of the most effective solutions for solving the employee communication challenges companies currently face is the utilization of a comprehensive, integrated platform that can serve as a content and communication hub for employees.

The most effective of employee communication platforms integrate seamlessly with the company’s existing internal communications infrastructure, while connecting employees to the wider ecosystem of social media and other internet sources.

The most effective of these platforms include themed channels, multi-tiered administration, peer-to-peer messaging, mobile apps and notifications, comprehensive analytics, and other features designed to streamline the experience and maximize the platform’s performance.

Sociabble in The Gartner Report

Sociabble was included in the most recent 2019 Gartner Report, the only European-based employee communication platform that they rated. According to Gartner:

To learn more about Sociabble’s employee communication tools and capabilities, click here for a free demo.

Disclaimer: Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation.

Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.