Internal communications refers to how information is distributed throughout your organization. Maintaining streamlined and open communication channels allows different teams to collaborate on organizational goals, share critical data, and avoid departmental siloing.
Over two-thirds of business leaders say effective internal communication increases employee productivity. Shockingly, however, 60% of companies have no long-term internal communication strategies.
From email to video conferencing, texting, and more, you can leverage plenty of internal communication channels to keep everyone in your company on the same page. Let’s examine these mediums to determine the best fit to secure your organizational success.
Internal communication is critical for any business with multiple employees, departments, or teams. It allows colleagues to collaborate effectively on joint projects, spread useful industry information throughout their company, and collectively work toward organizational goals.
Take, for example, a company that develops athletic shoes. Their Research and Development (R&D) department wants to work on a new design, but they need data on which previous models were popular. So, they need to consult Sales for previous purchase statistics. How do they do so?
Through an internal communications channel, of course.
Internal communications are the highway by which all information flows through an organization. Optimizing internal communications channels means getting your employees the data they need when they need it, enabling them to do their work more effectively.
Unfortunately, many businesses are not making the most of their internal communications as:
So, how can your business avoid the pitfalls of poor internal communication and the resulting employee dissatisfaction it creates? By crafting an effective internal communications channel strategy that leverages multiple mediums to circulate critical company information.
The best internal communication channels to leverage for your company depend on the specifics of your operations, industry, structure, and more. There are dozens of options for delivering crucial company updates and keeping in touch with employees. Below, we’ll unpack some of the most common channels, highlight their prominent use cases, and lay out some best practices for implementing them in your organization.
Since the days of the at-home answering machine, voice messages have been a staple for sharing critical information when you can’t talk with someone directly. Often called Voice Notes on modern texting apps, these audio recordings allow you to detail complex instructions or ideas with the understanding that your employees can replay them to make sense of your message.
They’re also highly effective at conveying short bites of information that your employees need as soon as possible, such as:
Voice messages are more personal than texts or emails, so they’re also a preferred medium for conveying sympathy, congratulations, and other strong emotions. They’re also critical tools for leaders who feel more comfortable speaking than writing.
What they aren’t, however, are an invitation to deliver drawn-out speeches and verbal essays. Sure, employees can replay your messages repeatedly for clarity, but listening to an extended audio clip over and over again is both draining and inefficient.
Humans can read at nearly twice the pace we can listen to audio. So, if you're sharing a lot of information, it’s best to type it out rather than use a voice message.
Email has been the standard for internal business communications for decades. 74% of businesses use email to communicate with their employees—though that doesn’t necessarily make it the most effective medium on this list.
In several ways, email does outperform other internal communication channels as you can:
Email is the channel of choice when sharing files, sending large, company-wide updates, and keeping a clear record of your communications.
Email does have its downsides, however, including:
To maximize email use in your organization, use a dedicated business platform with a high degree of security. Ensure your employees use strong passwords for their accounts, enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), and check their inboxes regularly.
Whether you call it texting, Short Messaging Service (SMS), or any other name, text messages are the global standard for delivering information in the blink of an eye. Standard SMS messages only support 160 characters—but you can increase that limit with the right online texting platform.
Text messages are the fastest way to deliver information and ensure it’s received:
Plus, text messaging is already widespread, and most people know how to use it effectively. Likewise, it only takes a few seconds to take your phone out of your pocket and rattle off a quick text—meaning that SMS has no competition when delivering information as quickly as possible.
While texts are speedy and ubiquitous, they shouldn’t be used to:
To optimally leverage text messaging for your internal communications, compile a list of all your employees’ numbers and keep it up-to-date. Then, whenever you need to share information across your organization, you can send a swift mass text to reach them all at once.
Apps such as Slack and Microsoft Teams are gaining ground as internal communication channels. Slack alone, for instance, is slated to have nearly 50 million daily users by 2025.
Companies lean on instant messaging and chat apps as:
Instant messaging apps also allow companies to monitor their workers’ activity and messages—which can be a major concern when safeguarding trade secrets and other sensitive organizational information. Therefore, apps are best used when security is a primary focus and it’s necessary to keep tabs on everything your staff says over official channels.
Instant messaging apps do have their pitfalls, however. For instance:
If you're sharing files or large amounts of information, email is better, as your employees can more quickly locate and access the data they're looking for. Likewise, even though messaging services are branded as instant, SMS is still faster and more widely utilized.
If you’re a small team that can access the free versions of popular instant messengers, use them alongside email and SMS to discuss work-related (but not pressing and critical) issues.
Video conferencing software saw a huge boom after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and more workers are relying on platforms like Zoom for crucial business communications than ever before.
Video conferencing is an entirely different breed of communication channel than others on this list as it:
Hence, video conferencing is the best medium for conveying emotional messages. Whether it’s condolences, congratulations, or anything else that might need a more personal touch, do it via video. Additionally, video conferencing often provides the most effective means for participating in lengthy collaborations.
What video conferencing is not effective at is:
If you’re sharing pertinent company data that your colleagues need to return to later, type it out in an email for efficiency’s sake, even if you’re sharing it during a video conference. Likewise, unless you’re working on a project that can benefit from the back and forth of live conversations, use a text-based channel that others can read and respond to at their convenience.
There are plenty of other, less utilized communication mediums that can benefit businesses. Besides the other channels listed above, some other options you may want to consider include:
Every organization has unique needs, so it’s typical to leverage different channels to keep in touch with your staff. Most companies will use more than one medium to facilitate communication. To decide which ones are best for your organization:
After deciding on which channels you want to use in your organization, make the most of them by:
Leveraging the right internal communication channels in your workplace is essential for effectively sharing information and collaborating on organizational goals.
Texting is the fastest and most read communication medium currently available. To inform your staff of essential updates and last-minute news, use Text-Em-All to quickly reach out to your whole organization.
Text-Em-All lets you text thousands of colleagues at once, schedule important messages, attach images, and more—all from our easy-to-use and convenient online platform. Conquer communication issues and get in touch with your staff quicker with Text-Em-All.