How can you use technology to solve problems in Internal Communications?

1 Assess your needs

Before you adopt any technology for IC, you need to understand your current situation and your desired outcomes. What are the main problems or gaps in your IC? What are the goals and objectives of your IC strategy? Who are your target audiences and stakeholders? What are their preferences and expectations for communication? How do you measure and evaluate your IC performance and impact? Conducting a needs assessment will help you identify the most suitable and relevant technology solutions for your IC.

2 Choose your channels

There are many different types of technology channels for IC, such as email, intranet, social media, video, chat, mobile apps, podcasts, webinars, and more. Each channel has its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on the purpose, audience, content, and frequency of your communication. You need to select the channels that match your communication goals and fit your organizational culture and resources. You also need to ensure that your channels are integrated, consistent, and accessible for your employees.

3 Optimize your content

Technology can also help you create and distribute engaging and effective content for your IC. You can use tools like graphic design, video editing, animation, surveys, polls, quizzes, gamification, and analytics to enhance your content quality and appeal. You can also use tools like content management systems, automation, personalization, segmentation, and scheduling to optimize your content delivery and reach. However, you also need to follow some best practices for content creation, such as using clear and concise language, adding visuals and multimedia, providing value and relevance, and soliciting feedback and interaction.

5 Support remote work

Technology is especially useful for IC in the context of remote work, which has become more prevalent and necessary due to the pandemic and other factors. You can use tools like video conferencing, virtual meetings, webinars, podcasts, mobile apps, and instant messaging to maintain and enhance communication with your remote employees. You can also use tools like employee engagement, recognition, wellness, and learning platforms to support and motivate your remote employees. However, you also need to balance the use of technology with the human element of communication, such as showing empathy, trust, and appreciation, and avoiding burnout and isolation.

6 Evaluate your results

Finally, technology can help you measure and improve your IC results and impact. You can use tools like analytics, dashboards, reports, surveys, feedback, and metrics to track and assess your IC performance and outcomes. You can also use tools like A/B testing, experimentation, optimization, and innovation to test and refine your IC practices and processes. However, you also need to align your evaluation with your communication goals and objectives, and use the data and insights to inform your decision making and action planning.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?