A company’s human resources are its most valuable asset, so it’s no wonder that internal communication is such a critical business function. It can impact employee morale, retention, productivity, compliance and even innovation. That’s why it’s so important that internal communications aren’t conducted blind — that is, simply by doing the things you assume will get results.
Key performance indicators help individuals and organizations measure their performance against key business objectives. In other words, KPIs tell us
- How effectively individuals, teams and companies are meeting their business goals
- What’s working and what’s not, so teams can pivot as needed
- If different strategies are working as expected by tracking progress over time
Foundational KPIs
While every organization and every internal communications department may have its own set of customized KPIs, there are some foundational KPIs that can put you and your department on the path to ensuring that you’re communicating effectively. They include
- Adoption: What good is an internal communication platform if people aren’t using it? That’s why adoption should be at the top of your list of internal communication KPIs. Once you understand which communication channels have the highest adoption rates across an organization, you can ensure your communication efforts are being directed at employees using those channels. Because different user groups may have distinct adoption rates for different platforms, understanding which type of user is on which platform can also help when you’re trying to segment your communication efforts to reach a specific audience or to tailor how you deliver the same core message to different audiences.
- Reach: This KPI tells you how many unique viewers you have for each communication your department puts out, giving you an idea of how many people you are actually reaching. For example, if a message targeting 100 employees gets 100 views, you’re in excellent shape. On the other hand, if you have 100 views but your message went to 1,000 people, your reach is only 10 percent. Understanding the number of people you reach in comparison to your target audience is a good way to determine if perhaps messaging segmentation across different platforms is needed.
- Views: Looking at this KPI can help you determine to what extent your messaging has been absorbed. For instance, if some employees viewed your communication just once, you may want to consider follow-up messaging to ensure your content was fully digested. On the other hand, if your communication was viewed several times by the same users, it’s likely that those users did their best to really absorb the information, or that they viewed it as important information.
- Engagement: This KPI relates to the number of comments, likes and shares triggered by your messaging. It shows you which messages have triggered the most reactions so that you can tell what works and what doesn’t. By looking at the percentage of unique viewers who liked or commented on your messaging, you can compare how engagement differs across different types of communications.
- Time spent: It’s one thing to simply glance at a message and another to take the time to really read it for comprehension. How long viewers spend on a message, from the time they open it to the time they close it, can tell you a lot and help you assess which formats might work better (e.g., video, text, or other). Time spent might vary from one user group to the next, so looking at those differences can also help you determine if segmentation is needed.
The Role of Analytics
Key performance indicators are just one piece of the puzzle. KPIs for internal communications require data. Tryane helps communications professionals extract that data from platforms like Microsoft Teams, Yammer, SharePoint and Office 365. With metrics in hand, you can better determine whether
- Your communication efforts are having their intended effects, including leading to specific employee behaviors
- Certain employees respond better than others to your messaging, and possibly provide indication as to why
- Different kinds of communication platforms work better for different kinds of message dissemination or employee groups
- Your efforts are supporting overarching business goals such as improved employee morale and retention
Ultimately, such metrics can help you show company leadership the value of your efforts and help your internal communications office gain a place of importance within the organizational hierarchy. If you’re looking for an effective way to glean insights into your internal communications KPIs, contact Tryane today to learn more about our powerful analytics solutions.