Workplace communication is a vital part of any organization.
Employees must be able to share information and stay up-to-date with the latest company news, but it’s not always easy for them to do so in person or through email alone.
That’s why an employee communications app can be such a valuable tool. This blog post will focus on the top ten benefits you’ll experience using an employee app for internal communications.
Are you ready to transform the way your company communicates? Let’s dive in.
Key Takeaways
- Enhanced Company Culture: Communication apps modernize the workplace and foster a sense of community.
- Boosted Employee Engagement: Direct access to colleagues and management increases engagement levels.
- Centralized Information: Apps serve as a single source of truth, reducing the need for multiple platforms.
- Appeal to Modern Workforce: Younger employees prefer using technology for communication and HR tasks.
- Improved Retention Rates: Apps aid in onboarding and contribute to higher employee retention.
1. Communication Apps Establish Company Culture
Company culture is the foundation for any successful business. But creating the right company culture and getting everyone to buy in is much easier said than done.
The best companies find ways to get everyone in the organization to work towards a common goal. By establishing the right culture and working environment in your company, your staff will be more productive, and you’ll reduce employee turnover.
So, what does a comms app have to do with company culture?
For starters, it immediately modernizes any company. Employees will see the organization as innovative and forward-thinking. Plus, you’re giving your staff the communication tools they need to succeed—which everyone appreciates.
But communication apps also facilitate the idea of open communication. Employees feel connected to their co-workers at all times, which helps build bonds and foster long-term relationships.
Comms apps break down barriers that prevent employers from communicating with each other and management alike. Regardless of the work environment, everyone has their mobile device within an arm’s reach at every hour of the day. So that company culture and communication ability never leave their side.
As an employer, you can create a custom workforce app that mirrors the type of culture you want to create. Everything from the color choices to images, videos, push notifications, and other app content can instill the type of culture that you’re trying to establish.
){kind=link}
2. Comms Apps Drive Employee Engagement
Employee engagement can make or break the success of any organization. Whether you have five employees, 500 employees, or 5,000 employees, their level of engagement has a direct impact on your bottom line.
Unfortunately, this is something that many businesses struggle with. Only a small percentage of the workforce is actually engaged.
As you can see from the infographic, the vast majority of employees fall into the “not engaged” and “actively disengaged” categories. Less than one-third of all employees are engaged.
Disengagement is extremely costly. In fact, a disengaged employee costs roughly $3,400 for every $10,000 in salary. This translates to roughly $350 billion per year in lost productivity for the American workforce.
Apps can provide an immediate impact on employee engagement because they provide everyone with direct access to each other. Employees who work remotely or in the field automatically gain a connection to HR, management, and co-workers from the palms of their hands. These people no longer feel as isolated or disconnected as they do without the ability to communicate via apps.
Your employees are already using their mobile devices in the workplace. So it makes sense for them to use these tools to communicate—ultimately boosting engagement.
3. Internal Communications Apps Are a Single Source of Truth
Technology is rapidly evolving. But there’s so much great software out there that it’s become a bit overwhelming.
Here’s how many applications organizations of different sizes are using:
| Company Size | Number of Apps |
|---|---|
| Smaller companies with 1-100 employees | 102 apps |
| Medium-sized companies with 101-1,000 employees | 185 apps |
| Enterprise companies with 1,000+ employees | 288 apps |
An internal communication app solves the problem here on multiple levels. It can eliminate the need for multiple applications by providing all company information in a single source of truth.
These apps can be used for:
- Human resources
- Pay stubs and employee benefits information
- New hiring onboarding
- Workplace safety and compliance
- Employee training and development
- Company news and announcement
- Employee schedules
- Live chat messaging
- Message boards
- Employee directory
- Office location information
The list goes on and on. For those of you who are already using other apps for certain employee-related or business-related tools, you can integrate your existing solutions with a custom communication app as well. The possibilities here are virtually limitless.
In turn, your employees won’t have to bounce back and forth between multiple platforms to get the information they need to succeed. This makes their lives easier while simultaneously increasing productivity across the board. Everything can be accessed from a single communications platform.
4. Communication Apps Appeal to the Modern Workforce
Your business always needs to stay one step ahead of the competition. This goes beyond just offering a better product, service, or marketing strategy—it includes recruiting top-level talent.
Younger generations like Millennials and Generation Z are the largest part of today’s workforce. Unlike generations of the past, these workers demand modern technology.
They want an enjoyable employee experience on multiple levels. If your company makes it easy for them to access HR information and communicate remotely, then you’ll have an edge over other businesses recruiting the same people.
The modern workforce is used to being on their smartphone at seemingly all hours of the day. They’re using these devices for both work-related and personal tasks. You need to give them tools that they want through channels that they’re comfortable using—and communication apps fit those criteria perfectly.
In addition to recruitment, employee apps will help you retain your staff for the long run as well. Employee turnover is extremely expensive, as the costs associated with hiring, onboarding, and training add up quickly.
But an app kills two birds with one stone. In addition to making your place of work more attractive to prospective hires, it also establishes company culture (refer back to benefit #1). Both of these lead to high retention.
Furthermore, the app itself can be used during the onboarding process—which has a direct impact on retention rates.
For more information, check out our post on the top employee management trends for the modern workforce.
5. Organizations Can Measure Communication Analytics
Traditional email and phone calls aren’t as convenient and realistic for these types of scenarios. Your staff doesn’t want to answer calls when they’re on the train commuting to the office or standing in line at a local coffee shop.
| Communication Method | Convenience | Realism for On-the-Go Scenarios |
|---|---|---|
| Less Convenient | Less Realistic | |
| Phone Calls | Less Convenient | Less Realistic |
| Employee Apps | More Convenient | More Realistic |
Management can use employee apps to send urgent messages and notifications to all employees, regardless of their physical location.
If you want to improve the way your organization communicates internally, then it’s time to build an employee communication app. The benefits of this are numerous and will work for any size business—from a startup company with only one or two employees up through the enterprise level.
These apps streamline team communication and offer extensive functionality for your business.
Ready to get started?
BuildFire makes it easy for anyone to create a custom workforce app. Our software is easy to use, and it’s the fastest way to build a high-quality app for your business.
| Feature | BuildFire | Traditional Development |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Easy | Complex |
| Development Speed | Fast | Slow |
Start your free trial or contact our team to get started today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of an employee communication app?
The guide covers 10, including establishing company culture, driving employee engagement, acting as a single source of truth, appealing to the modern workforce, and letting organisations measure communication analytics.
Why isn’t email enough for workplace communication?
Because it’s not always easy for employees to stay up to date in person or through email alone. A dedicated communication app gives everyone one reliable place for company news and information.
Can a communication app improve company culture?
Yes. Establishing company culture is the first benefit listed — a shared app keeps everyone connected to the organisation’s news, values, and community, wherever they work.
Can you measure the impact of an employee communication app?
Yes. One of the benefits is communication analytics — organisations can measure engagement and reach, turning internal communication from a guess into something you can actually track.