The 5 Most Effective Internal Communications Tools

Good internal communication is the foundation of a productive workplace. It’s also necessary for fostering an engaged digital work culture at hybrid and remote organizations. When employees have the right internal communications tools, they can collaborate with ease, get help quickly, and access the information they need to do their jobs well. Also, managers have more insight into what employees require so they can be more effective. 

Let’s dive into why effective internal communications are so important and look at five tools your organization can include in its communications strategy.

Why Your Organization Needs a Good Internal Communications Strategy

Internal communications are important whether your people are working from home, at the office, or both. But few companies hit the mark. According to research conducted by Gallup, only 7 percent of US workers say communication is accurate, timely, and open at their organization.

The problem is that, without good communication, employees don’t feel as engaged. They might not know the parameters of their responsibilities on projects, who to report to, or when steps have been taken by other co-workers. They also might miss internal updates that help them work more effectively or simply feel more connected to their team.

Poor communication is also a time waster. Here’s why:

• When workers have to spend time sifting through emails or switching between apps to find the information they need, they waste valuable work time.

• Every time a worker has to stop what they’re focusing on to look up information in an old email or find a co-worker’s contact information to ask a question, they have to break their flow and restart what they were doing. A University of California study found that it takes the average worker 23 minutes to get back on task after an interruption like this.

Both employees and executives agree that a lack of effective collaboration and communication is behind workplace failures — a well-cited study found that 86 percent blame poor communication.

But when internal communications are strong, workers spend less time trying to access the information they need or operating without clarity. That means less frustration and far more focus.

So, what tools can your organization use to support effective internal communications?

5 Internal Communication Tools Every Organization Should Consider

Whether you have a fully remote team or workers spend time in the office, these communications tools can help your teams stay connected, engaged, and productive.

1. Company Newsletters

No matter the size of your company, there are always things happening. Promotions, new hires, successes, upcoming events, and challenges everyone needs to pull together on — you can include all this information in an internal company email newsletter. A newsletter is an excellent tool for ensuring all internal stakeholders are kept up to date with what’s going on with the company as a whole.

2. Unified Communications

There’s no one best way to communicate internally. When co-workers need to share a file, they’ll use email. Internal chat tools work well for quick questions or comments, and video conferencing software is a must-have for remote and hybrid team meetings.

But instead of setting up each employee with a stack of communication apps, each with its own login and platform, make communications seamless with a unified platform. Unified communications as a Service (UCaaS) brings together your employees’ favorite communications and collaboration tools so they can chat, call, meet, and message each other without ever having to search for contact info or switch between applications.

3. Community Channels

You can create community channels to encourage specific conversations on internal chat tools such as Slack or the team chat feature on your UCaaS. These channels can be work-related or not. Either way, the idea is to set up a space for interactions so employees know where to ask questions, share information, or search through past conversations pertaining to a specific topic.

4. Intranet

With an intranet, your organization offers employees a hub for internal communications. This is an excellent tool to use for large teams or multiple teams that need a dedicated space for company-wide information.

It can also serve as a repository for documents, spreadsheets, and other files related to ongoing projects. Additionally, you can create dedicated sections for specific categories, which will help employees navigate to the information they need.

5. Employee Social Network

Depending on your internal communication needs, your organization might benefit from an employee social network in addition to your other communications tools. Employee social networks like Yammer, Workvivo, and Zoho Connect are useful if you want to create a more open and inviting work culture.

They also enable managers to facilitate discussions, invite feedback, and get ideas for improving processes and making work more effective.

Bring Your Company Together with the Right Internal Communications Tools

Internal communications tools keep the flow of information going and prevent problems like work interruptions, missed information, or cumbersome collaboration. What tools are right for your organization depends on your company’s size, needs, and culture.

For example, large companies might want to use an intranet and company newsletter for organization-wide communications and UCaaS to foster seamless collaboration. Small to mid-sized hybrid and remote companies might thrive with a good UCaaS and an employee social network to foster relationships and help managers and employees stay on the same page.

Intermedia Unite offers all the essential communications tools teams need — video meeting software, internal chat, secure file sharing and email, and voice. You can also integrate the platform with everyday business and communications apps. Learn more about Intermedia Unite today and set your teams up with more effective communications.