Internal communications are vital to just about every business function, from onboarding new hires to launching new products.
Despite their importance, internal communications are often only considered to be utilitarian: They have one function and that is to keep people inside the company informed. However, robust internal communications programs have been shown to unlock all kinds of business benefits, from higher productivity to lower turnover.
Because of this potential return on investment, companies should be tracking and analyzing the effectiveness of their internal communications efforts. Unfortunately, surveys often show that HR departments have considerable difficulty when it comes to gauging the effectiveness of their internal communications. For instance, many companies don’t know if employees have seen or read internal emails.
Additionally, today’s employees expect a certain level of individualization. They’ve become numb to mass emails and company-wide memos sent down from on high. When internal communications can be properly analyzed, it opens up an entire world of communications that can be customized for maximum impact at the individual level.
Clearly, measuring and analyzing internal communications is becoming an essential business function. Companies that keep track of their internal communications and study their effectiveness are locating valuable insights, boosting engagement and increasing alignment.
All of this can be done with commercially available technology. If your company currently doesn’t have the technology to track and analyze internal communications, it needs to make this investment. However, technology can’t do everything, and a company needs to have a plan in place.
Identify the problem
Before investing in a solution, company leaders need to identify the problem they’re trying to solve. Some companies may want to determine the best channels to invest in, like SharePoint or Yammer. Leaders also may want to know what kind of communications their employees tend to prefer. For instance, internal emails may be effective at one company, while communication over Microsoft Teams works better at a different organization.
Determine key metrics
Some HR personnel and company leaders might be hesitant to measure the effectiveness of their internal communications, possibly dreading what they might find. But just like going to the doctor for regular checkups, it’s more important to know what’s going on than to just hope for the best.
The most common way to measure internal communications is to separate each channel for communication. Whether it’s a platform like SharePoint, internal emails or the company intranet, each channel can be measured and measurements are taken based on the nature of the channel. For instance, emails can be measured by open or click-through rates. On other platforms, metrics could include the number of comments, shares or likes.
The metrics that are chosen should be based on established goals. If metrics are not pegged to goals, it’s difficult to know what progress looks like. Once metrics have been identified, the focus should shift towards identifying which channels are best for each metric.
A software platform or even a spreadsheet can be used to track internal communications metrics. An initial period should be used to establish benchmarks. After that, progress can be tracked based on the data collected moving forward.
While the most obvious insights appear right away, an experienced data analyst can help uncover some less apparent insights. These observations can then be converted into a narrative that makes them easy to understand and develop into solutions.
Forming solutions
One of the first solutions usually developed is a channel strategy. Companies that began to track and conduct an internal communications analysis often find one or two channels that are the most effective as well as at least one ineffective channel. Company leaders and HR personnel can then lean into the most effective channels and shift focus away or discontinue the use of ineffective channels.
As a company collects more data and uncovers more insights, leaders will be able to develop more solutions and refine their communication strategy. Periodically, goals should be reviewed and updated.
In general, internal communications analysis can show a company the best ways to motivate and engage employees by showing what works and what doesn’t. This kind of analysis can also be a barometer for organizational alignment. It can help to indicate if employees are engaging in the latest directives and collectively working towards company goals.
How Tryane can help
Tryane has developed a number of products designed to analyze internal communications and put actionable data in the hands of decision-makers. Our software solutions use key performance indicators and benchmarks to reveal the effectiveness of ongoing communications efforts, as well as the latest engagement campaign.
Our solutions are designed to analyze internal metrics across an entire company from top to bottom. The best companies know that internal communications are two-way streets. We can help your company track employee sentiment and engagement using our proprietary artificial intelligence technology. We can help you identify your most engaged employees and even thought leaders on individual teams.
If you’re curious about how we can help you elevate your internal communications to the next level, please contact us today.