Article
December 19, 2024

15 Benefits of Using an Employee Communication App in 2023

Milton Herman
16 minute read

Introduction to modern communication tools in business

In our contemporary landscape, where the pace of life and work accelerates daily, and physical distances keep expanding due to increasingly commonplace virtual offices, the implementation of innovative and efficient communication tools has moved from a competitive to an essential role. 

The workplace revolution inspired by technological advances has made employee communication platforms indispensable. If a significant percentage of employees are continuously on the move across time zones and oceans, an employee communication platform will help tie the entire organisation together and maintain a sense of unity. 

However, these communication tools are not merely designed to increase operational efficiency. They should, according to the experts, create a culture of open, transparent and inclusive communication. This change in company culture is critical to the overall inclusivity and diversity in the workplace so that all employees feel welcomed.

Communication apps for employees are an important element of working as part of a team in 2023. The workplace has changed and the way employees interact with each other has followed suit. It’s not uncommon for team members to include frontline workers, remote workers, and office workers. Employee communications apps help them communicate easily and well. 

What is an Employee Communication App?

Employee communication apps are online platforms that give employees a way to reach out to workers and give them a way to share their thoughts with coworkers and managers.

Employees commonly use their mobile devices to log into the communication app. 

At one time, e-mail was considered an efficient way for employees to communicate with each other. Today, it’s not the most effective means for getting messages to frontline workers. When faced with a slew of e-mails in their inbox, an employee can find it challenging to determine which messages take priority. It’s tempting to start at the top of the list every day and ignore the ones at the bottom (which arrived first) and someone then follows up. By that point, the matter has become more urgent, leading to tighter deadlines and stress for the entire team.

Apps for Employee Communication Features

What kinds of features do employee communications app bring to the table? The best ones have a combination of the following:

 

Discover LumApps, the Employee Communication App:

 

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 The Importance of Modern Communication Tools in Business

In our modern, quickly shifting global environment, where the pace of life, pace of work, and physical distances driven by remote working continue to grow, implementing innovative and effective communication tools is no longer a competitive advantage but a necessity.

The rise of the technological age has fundamentally altered workplace communication, rendering employee communication platforms  and apps essential. These are imperative to maintain operational effectiveness and cultivate a culture of transparency, openness, and inclusiveness. Fostering inclusivity and diversity in the workplace is vital to ensureall employees are connected and feel valued, regardless of their location. 

1. Communications Apps Create your Working Environment

A successful company is one that gets its team members to work toward achieving a common goal. A communications app plays a role in creating a good working environment by creating a modern, forward-thinking environment. It gives employees access to the technology they need to do their work well, which helps them achieve success on the job. 

The way the company customizes its workforce app reflects the type of culture it wants to create for its team members. The images and color choices, videos, content and push notifications combine to reflect your corporate culture.

2. They Help Attract Top Talent 

High-quality candidates want to work for companies that have invested in modern technology that includes employee communication apps. When making a decision about accepting a job offer, Millennials and Generation Z job seekers want to ensure that the company takes the employee experience seriously. 

Modern workers already use their smartphones as part of their everyday activities. These devices are something that a person always has on hand. When an employee can use their smartphone to stay in touch with their fellow team members, they can walk into their new job feeling comfortable that at least one thing about the job is something they already feel happy using. 

Drive Employee Engagement - LumApps Play Desktop and Mobile

 

3. Companies can Track and Analyze Communication Analytics

It would be foolish for managers to make decisions for their departments (and their teams) unless they had the proper tools and data to back them up. Company leaders need to have accurate data to make the best decisions and they rely on internal tools to make that possible. 

Analytics can reveal whether employees are using the internal communication tool and which features are being used most often. Management can also determine the employees that aren’t using the app’s features. The company may want to take steps to find out why some team members aren’t embracing the communication app.

4. Soliciting Employee Feedback is Easy 

Good managers want to know what their employees are thinking. Ideally, this feedback is collected regularly (and anonymously) so that workers can share their thoughts freely without fear of being reprimanded for saying exactly what is on their mind. 

If the company leaders don’t know what employees want or need, then they have little chance of making effective changes to keep employees satisfied at work. Most employees understand that their employer may not be able to meet all of their expectations but appreciate it when the company acknowledges its team members’ feedback and makes reasonable attempts to address it. 

5. They are Faster than Internal Email

The pace of modern business continues to move at an ever-increasing pace. At one time internal e-mail was an efficient way to contact people within the company to relay questions or concerns. This communication method is no longer fast enough to keep up with communication speed required for internal communications today.

Employee apps for internal communication help team members stay productive. They don’t clog up employee inboxes in the same way e-mails tend to do throughout the day. A communication app is a more efficient way for team members to stay in touch and on track for getting tasks done. 

Content sharing: sharing documents, images, and other content means everyone stays up to speed while feeling supported

Feedback mechanisms: These include surveys, polls, and comments, so employees can be involved and participate in the decision-making process.

Greater transparency: Transparent lines of communication reduce misunderstandings and promote trust and consensus within the organization.

Enhances engagement: These apps encourage frequent communication, increasing employee interaction and satisfaction.

Increased accountability: Because the communication trail is maintained in digital form, it is contracted once it has arrived and is examined.

6. Employee Apps Focus on Real-Time Communication

With team communication, employees can communicate directly in real time. E-mails and phone messages always run the risk of being stale or inaccurate by the time an employee is able to respond to them. Urgent messages and notifications can be sent to a specific person, a team, or everyone in the company quickly, regardless of their location. If an urgent matter occurs or the company must take action during an emergency, there is no time to waste waiting for specific employees to respond to messages. 

Employee apps are dynamic platforms ensure seamless communication and feedback which improves transparency and engagement. Stand-out features include instant messaging, forums, and chat rooms.

7. They are Easy for Employees to Use

Employee communication apps are quite user-friendly. Employees want something they can start to use quickly after joining the company. Anything that is complicated or difficult to operate during the workday isn’t going to win a lot of fans among workers. 

Employees are already using mobile apps to perform many tasks in their daily lives, such as banking, ordering meals, groceries and rides. Since they are already using this technology, it makes perfect sense to bring it into the workplace. Workers won’t need a lot of time to adapt to learning the company’s communication app and they can focus their time on company-specific training.

8. Mobile Apps Reflect the Modern Workforce

The work model where employees went to a brick and mortar office and worked at a desk for a certain number of hours daily is no longer the reality for many people. A work team can be made up of people who live in different parts of the country (or even different countries). Geographic location is not a barrier to people working together quite effectively, and mobile platforms make it easy for them to connect, share ideas, complete projects and work together quite effectively.

9. They Help Ensure Communication is Clear and Transparent

Companies work best when communication between management and team members is clear and transparent. A communication app allows leaders to communicate directly with employees, reducing the amount of items that are grist for the company rumor mill. 

In turn, employees feel that management will share information that impacts them at the appropriate time. The employees are more likely to trust company management and can focus on their work in a work environment that fosters mutual respect. The employees are more likely to feel valued by the employer, which reduces turnover rates (one indicator of company health). 

 

lumapps-hero-leadershipcorner

 

10. Internal Communication Apps Encourage Collaboration

Team apps make it easy for employees located anywhere to communicate using their mobile devices. They can share multiple types of files easily and efficiently, including documents, forms, images, and videos. Video chat allows team members to see and hear their fellow team members, which is a distinct advantage from only seeing text messages. 

Some ideas are more challenging to communicate using only words on a screen. With real-time video conferencing, team members can get a sense that they aren’t isolated, no matter where they are physically located. This option is helpful for asking questions, sharing advice, and collaborating on projects. Ultimately, the work team functions more efficiently when it has multiple means to collaborate. 

11. They Help Employees Make Better Decisions

Employee communication apps are valuable tools to make it easier for employees to locate information they need to do their work more effectively. The employees can make better decisions within the scope of their job responsibilities, ultimately leading to better outcomes for the company. 

An employee working in sales who can access information about available stock for a customer with their handheld device is going to be able to quickly provide accurate information about delivery dates to the customer. This information leads to quicker closings, happier customers, and higher profits for the company. 

Internal Communications – Measurement to Mastery

Enhance your internal communication strategy and learn the impact of communication done right.

12. Employee Communication Apps Improve Customer Service

Making a sale is only a part of doing business. Customers want to be heard and understood as well. If they don’t feel as though the company understands their needs, they know they always have other options. 

The customer service team will benefit from the tools and features available with employee communications apps. With information about customers’ previous orders, they can connect with customers who contact the company for support more effectively. Customers will feel as though their questions are being answered fully and their concerns are being addressed appropriately by the company and are more likely to remain loyal. 

13. They Simplify Business Processes

Businesses are looking for ways to automate and simplify their processes across the board. Employee communication apps streamline business processes by integrating with the company’s enterprise applications to simplify tasks throughout the operation. Employees can manage their daily tasks from the app’s dashboard to stay organized and on top of their work. 

Throughout the work day, there will be challenges and stresses for the employees. The internal communications app is there to help team members manage them - and get help from their fellow team members when necessary.

 

Slack Integration inside a Community - LumApps

 

14. Instant Messaging Apps Increase Brand Awareness

When multiple users are interacting with an employee communications mobile app daily, it boosts the company’s brand visibility and awareness. Each time they see the company logo, the newsfeed and other features, the company brand and what it stands for makes an impression. 

This ongoing positive reinforcement can’t help but increase brand awareness and help to foster positive impressions about the company among all employees. Team members carry these positive thoughts with them as they perform their employment duties. No doubt it will have an impact on how they view themselves as part of the organization.

15. Notifications can be Customized

Since apps for employee communication reflect the company brand, it makes complete sense that their notifications can be customized. We live in a world full of noises. Employees already have their smartphones set with multiple sounds to notify them of notifications for their personal apps for e-mail, social media, etc.

The internal employee communication app must have custom notifications so that employees know that push messages and messages must be acted on promptly. The company can choose custom notifications that reflect its brand and fit its corporate “personality.”

16. Artificial Intelligence 

Virtual reality tools will enable the use of a “physical presence” for face-to-face collaborations. 

Other expected developments in the tools future include integration with various business systems. Most of the tools require proprietary information due to lack of ecosystems hence there is the need to integrate files in a single platform. Security will be a focus in or der to prevent unauthorized access and ensuring the privacy of business information to safeguard it from competitors.

Conclusion

To conclude, integrating advanced communication tools like company intranet apps and mobile intranets into business operations revolutionizes how companies manage and facilitate workplace communication. Continuous technological revolution and the emergence of a global workforce means that the evolution of these tools may significantly enhance how teams work together and how businesses operate.

Furthermore, investing in these advanced communication platforms does more than just increase efficiency, they create a culture of openness. Company intranet apps go beyond just providing information; they allow employees to engage with their peers in a way that’s similar to social media platforms. Mobile intranets ensure employees located away from the office stay informed and connected with their colleagues, thereby supporting a flexible work environment. 

No doubt countless upcoming developments such as AI, VR, and more robust security measures will expand the capabilities and safety of these tools. Businesses that embrace these tools will not only be technological leaders, but will also create a dynamic, responsive, and interconnected workpace. Therefore, the conclusion sums down the discussed points and reflects on the future of the role they may take in the business environment. If the conclusion is in agreement with you, the article can be considered complete, or if you have additional points you want to include or any edits you would want, please let me know! Additionally, let me know if you may need multiple title suggestions for this article or any FAQs to be added after the conclusion.

Discover our latest content on internal communication content.

Internal Communications – Measurement to Mastery

Enhance your internal communication strategy and learn the impact of communication done right.

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15 Benefits of Using an Employee Communication App in 2023