Launching a mobile employee app that delivers digital communications and services to your entire workforce can transform your internal comms. The right app will drive engagement, productivity, and even innovation.
There’s a big impact when you achieve a truly connected workplace. Senior leaders see strategic objectives being achieved, and employees find themselves digitally connected for the first time.
Over a series of six posts, we will explore the potential impact of an employee app and look at how to transform your internal comms.
1. The connected workplace
Deploying an employee communication app to all employees that’s accessible on all devices is a critical in building a connected workplace and transforming your internal comms.
Our Digital Workplace Trends 2021 report identifies this as “connecting the entire workforce for the smooth and efficient flow of knowledge, information and data, enhancing enterprise-level processes and culture.”
The benefits of a connected workplace are broad. Research carried out by the Harvard Business Review indicates highly connected companies are twice as likely to hold a favourable marketing position.
Many organizations have launched “One Company” initiatives. These aim to create more connected companies, bringing standardization, process improvement and brand unity to organizations built up through M&A activity. These initiatives often fall short by focusing on knowledge workers. An employee app brings the entire workforce, including firstline workers, into the fold.
Estimates suggest that 80% of employees are deskless. In industries like retail, manufacturing, leisure and travel, connecting all employees is highly important, in combination with the need to transform your internal comms strategy.
2. Transform your internal comms
Digital transformation is often an explicit aim for senior leaders who want to drive efficiency through process improvement, role enablement, and collaboration. They want to increase productivity and create a company culture that embraces change.
Connecting firstline workers via a mobile app is a common milestone in digital transformation efforts. It eliminates outdated manual processes and workarounds by giving firstline staff access to operational information, productivity tools available through integrations, and the ability to communicate with colleagues.
It kickstarts a digital workplace journey, providing a channel for targeted digital services to drive broader productivity gains and provides a mobile-first communications channel for staff.
3. Culture change and amplification
Connecting firstline employees and giving them a voice sends a strong message that they are valued. This impacts culture change, diversity, and inclusion.
It also means they may be connected to communications for the first time, getting insights into a company’s purpose and values and how they are put into action. An employee app may be the first time a firstline employee has had any insight into what their CEO believes in.
There may also be a connection to peers who are geographically dispersed, for the first time. This can support a sense of community that underpins a more transparent and human-centered culture that supports better diversity and inclusion. The ability to be heard and recognized supports a culture of transparency and open dialog.
4. The employer of choice
The ripple effect of culture change can also support an employer’s value proposition. It doesn’t go unnoticed when you support flexible working choices, transparency, and have leaders that listen. Your Glassdoor reviews start to glow, and employee advocacy starts to rise. Ultimately, being recognized as a great place to work helps talent retention and attraction.
This is driven by a range of efforts and initiatives, but an employee communication app contributes significantly to the journey.
5. Facing the future
The pandemic means that the business climate in 2021 and beyond will be uncertain and challenging.
An employee communication app can help you face the future, playing a part in being future-ready by driving innovation, agility, and a strong customer service ethic.
Direct, real-time communications are a must-have. They support the agility required to support rapid operational pivots, changing customer needs, and new commercial opportunities.
Giving frontline workers the chance to provide feedback can drive innovation and improve customer service, particularly when you tap into the knowledge of customer-facing staff . This will help prepare your business to face future needs and expectations.
Want to know more?
LiveTiles Reach, our employee communications app, is driving organizational transformation and change for an increasing number of clients. Get in touch to arrange a demo and transform your internal comms.
Check out our on-demand webinar, Learn how to bring frontline workers into the Digital Workplace.
