The Biggest Internal Communication Trends for 2024

Internal communications are constantly evolving. But generative AI has turbocharged this process.???

??AI writing assistants , content generators, and other artificial intelligence-based tools are accelerating, scaling, and amplifying internal communications across organizations of all sizes.

While AI continues to fuel internal communication innovation in 2024, it’s not the only trend taking the IC world by storm.

Hyper-personalized content, segmented communications, and mobile assistants are among the biggest internal comms trends this year.?

Below, we break down everything you need to know about the new ways companies are communicating and engaging with employees in 2024.???

1. Exploring New Ways to Adopt Generative AI?

Generative AI - a type of artificial intelligence that generates content on command - continues to offer new opportunities for businesses to increase the speed, scope, and reach of their communications.

It’s also putting new demands on internal communicators to make the most of this technology.

McKinsey data shows that more than two-thirds of businesses expect their organizations to increase AI investment over the next three years. Meanwhile, data from Conference Board sees 68 percent of professional communicators use AI at least occasionally.

Email software with AI integration will become paramount in helping businesses deliver quick employee memos , generate employee newsletter ideas during a creative lapse, and develop internal email templates for faster communication.

Internal communications tools with embedded AI assistants will help eliminate the hassle of writing email newsletter content from scratch.

ContactMonkey’s email builder with ChatGPT3 integration is one of these tools. It allows internal communicators to access customized email content within seconds, right within their email builder. It also lets users seek creative suggestions for email subject lines, copy, headlines, and titles, saving hours in their work week.

That said, communications professionals will need to be mindful of the limits of AI, using the software as an assistant while adding original touches, data-driven personalization, and flair to maintain employee engagement.

2. Delivering Hyper-Personalized Experiences?

If you enjoy discovering new music or movies through Spotify, Amazon, and Netflix “for you” pages, you already know the power of customized experiences.

There’s also tons of data to show the impact of personalization. Twilio’s State of Personalization Report found that 60 percent of leaders said customer retention improved because of their personalization programs.

With customized content becoming ubiquitous, employees will naturally expect the same level of personalization, including in their internal communications.?

Segmented communications, for example, will be essential for targeting different employee groups and departments with tailored content.?

Email software like ContactMonkey can help users segment audiences based on engagement levels, interests, and roles, for more personalized communication.

Meanwhile, email personalization software lets users create more direct and engaging emails by adding employee names across subject lines and even email copy.?

Most importantly, internal communicators can expand their understanding of employee behaviour, likes, and dislikes using more granular analytics tools .

Communications tools like ContactMonkey are catering to the evolving needs of internal communicators. Users can access read time, location tracking, and engagement click maps .?

These offer deeper insights into how employees are engaging with business communications —? where they’re hovering their mouse, where they’re clicking, and where they’re scrolling at lightning speed — for more informed content delivery.?

3. Creating Intentional Communications

In addition to added personalization, internal communicators will need to be more selective and targeted with their content in order to stand out in the crowd.

The most recent data shows that employees receive 74 emails during the workday while only sending 26. Put differently, unnecessary communication is a huge distraction, not to mention a burden on productivity and a driver of employee disengagement.?

With email segmentation software, employees can receive communications that are actually relevant to them, meaning, they’re much more likely to engage with it.?

As our internal data shows, this has a direct, positive impact on key email metrics, including open rates, click rates, and read time.

ContactMonkey’s list management feature, for example, gives internal communicators the option to create unique distribution lists in minutes. Users can leverage existing Outlook distribution lists or Gmail groups or upload a CSV with all the relevant fields.?

With integrations like Azure Active Directory, Workday, or your Human Resources Information System (HRIS), email lists can sync automatically with no manual updates required.

4. Adopting Mobile Communication

According to Gallup , reduced workplace communication is a key obstacle to remote work among 48% of leaders and managers.

Difficulty in nurturing company culture and delivering effective resources was another challenge of remote work cited by 28% and 31% of business leaders respectively.?

To connect and engage hybrid and dispersed teams, businesses will need to invest in mobile technology that provides instantaneous and hyper-accessible communications to employees everywhere.

In this new workplace reality, internal SMS is becoming a leading tool for bridging the gap between geographically dispersed teams. Its also crucial for engaging frontline and deskless workers alike.

Just consider that 90% of texts are opened and read within 3 minutes. It’s no doubt that SMS offers a faster way to deliver urgent business updates and emergency alerts to every employee.?

5. Leveraging Employee Influencers

Gartner reports that social media will remain the top investment channel for digital marketing and communication. However, the research firm also predicts that half of consumers will start to limit their interactions with social media because of a “perceived decay in quality.”?

These trends will likely extend to internal engagement; that means businesses will need to strategically leverage social media, conveying authenticity, originality, and credibility across their social platforms.?

In other words, social media posts with jargon, sweeping statements, or performative sincerity should be avoided at all costs.?

Instead, communicators should leverage employee-generated content and internal influencers to amplify genuine employee voices.?

This can be achieved by soliciting employee testimonials and incentivizing employees to share professional milestones and wins on platforms like LinkedIn.?

Interactive employee newsletters can help internal communicators easily collect employee feedback , stories, and other insights to build a repository of employee-generated content.?

Your Takeaway?

AI is still leading the way in internal communication innovation. We’re seeing more communications technology integrate with ChatGPT to help simplify and streamline IC workflows.?

At the same time, we’re seeing a growing number of businesses pay attention to individualized, intentional content to draw employee attention amid all the digital noise.?

As new technology can overwhelm as much as it helps, internal communicators will need to strike a balance between innovating and not losing sight of individualized employee experiences.?

Check out our blog for the latest insights on internal communications news, trends, and stats!?